We
have all heard that first impressions are lasting impressions. What you may not
have heard is that you may have only 30 seconds or less to impress. When it
comes to dealing with a prospective employer, this makes first impressions even
more crucial. It has been said that up to 90% of all communication is
non-verbal. That’s right. Our lips may lie, but our body language doesn’t. It
is 60% of the first impression we make, and it doesn’t fool anyone. Our body
language may be communicating our feelings that are not compatible with our
verbal communication.
We’ve
all met people that we immediately liked upon meeting them. We’ve also met
people where our first impression was not so impressive. Just by being
cognizant of how your non-verbal language may be interpreted may help you to
have an edge in the interviewing process. You may be the strongest candidate
for the job but if you fail to smile, make eye contact, or have a limp-wrist,
hand-shake, you may be out of the running before you have the chance to show
how qualified you truly are. To make sure your interview doesn’t end before it
begins, consider the following tips:
Exude
confidence. You’re bound to be a little nervous. The key is not to show it.
Breathe. Once the interviewer greets you s/he is immediately taking in your
appearance; your hair, your face, and your attire, even before you have
formally met. Enter the room walking tall and confident. Make eye contact and
keep a smile on your face. If you’re a
man being interviewed by a woman, wait until she extends her hand to shake
yours. If you’re a woman, extend your hand first to a male interviewer. We all
know to keep the handshake firm, not bone-crushing, but it is worth repeating.
No high-fives, please.
When
you have been seated, place your purse or briefcase on the floor. Do not cradle
them in your lap, hunched over, clutching them for dear life. Sit up straight, (Mom was right), no
slouching in your chair with both feet on the floor. Do not cross your arms in
front of you or hide your hands. Crossing your arms gives you a closed off,
defensive appearance that says you’d rather be sitting in the dentist’s chair
having a root canal done than interviewing. Do not be afraid to gesture. It can
show you are open and enthusiastic. Open palms toward the interviewer shows you
are an open person.
Don’t
forget to make eye contact. This becomes really tricky when there are a number
of people in the room interviewing you. Try to methodically make eye contact
with each person in the room equally. Too little eye contact makes you appear
to lack confidence. Too much eye contact can make you look like a stalker and
be downright scary. Also remember to blink.
Don’t
fidget. No tapping of your feet or playing with your pen or your hair. If it
helps you to sit still, keep a legal pad with a nice leather cover around it in
your lap with a pen in hand. In this way, if you must fidget, you can write
things down the interviewer might say as a way to show you are interested in
the job.
The
interviewer is looking for ways to set a candidate apart from others. Keeping
your body language positive will go a long way to make the decision easier for
the interviewer to choose you. Remember, you may have less than 30 seconds to
impress. Make every second count.
Cathy
L. Sage is President of Robert Sage Careers, LLC; an Executive Search Firm and
Job Board Publisher that specializes in the Factory-Built Structures
Industries. Cathy can be reached at
(727) 504-5350 or at [email protected] . For more information about the company and to visit
the job board, access http;//www.robersagecareers.com.
