5 Body Language Disasters Job Seekers Make During an Interview

Interview preparation often involves building a strong resume, preparing for common interview questions, a thorough study of the company and its policies, etc. While all of these parameters play a critical role, there are some other factors such as  'positive body language' that has got a significant role to play since the things that you say in an interview only partially elicit your thoughts. How you carried yourself out during the interview will also have a say in your selection. So it is important that candidates discern its importance and develop it into a habit.

Body Language Disasters Job Seekers Make During an Interview

5 Body Language Disasters Job Seekers Make During an Interview are :

1. No eye contact: 

Maintaining eye contact with the interviewers is critical. Most of the candidates don't take it seriously and make the mistake of not maintaining the eye contact. The reason why it is important is that maintaining eye contact is an effective way of showing interest to what the person in front of you is saying, and is certainly a good way of addressing what you say to the concerned person. So not following the protocol might give the person an intuitive feeling that either you are disinterested in having the conversation, or you lack the right etiquette. Therefore, in an interview, it can be disastrous for a candidate, and hence, they must acknowledge its importance and develop the habit of maintaining eye contact even while having causal conversations with friends or family members.

2. Appearing fidgety: 

Being nervous before or during the interview is natural but make sure that you don't succumb to the nervousness because you won't be able to perform well. Appearing anxious can trigger actions such as fiddling with fingers, biting nails, slouching in the chair, etc. fiddling with the fingers is an indication that you are bored by the conversation, biting nails imply that you are extremely nervous and not having a proper posture while sitting in front of the recruiters fails to create a positive impression. All these actions can put you in jeopardy as it implies that you need self-soothing and do not have control over your actions, thus sending a negative message to the recruiters.

3. Excessive gestures: 

Most of the time we tend to use hand gestures while talking, or in some cases, we observe people performing moves during the conversation. While it can be helpful in certain situation but excessive use of those gestures can be detrimental as it indicates that you don't have proper control over your thoughts as well as actions. So it is important that you avoid doing them by starting to observe great speakers and their body language when they meet other people.

4. Not smiling: 

A smile brings warmth and fills the entire environment with positive energy. It puts the job seeker and the interviewer at ease in a tensed atmosphere. It is also observed that when the interviewers are met with a smile, it makes them feel happier and encourages them to reciprocate the smile and is viewed as a sign of confidence. Smiling also encourages the recruiters to know you better and failing to keep a smile on your face might  portray you as a grim and distant personality, and they will be less inclined to know you or the candidate in front of them. However, a smile must be natural, timely and appropriate. So it is important that you greet the recruiters with a smile as soon as you enter the room.

5. Sounding weird:

Now this might not classify as a body language but still most of the candidates appearing in front of the interview panel often have the habit of stammering or making a 'thinking sound' , something like ' ummm..' every time they find themselves in a state of confusion. It is important that candidates must understand the recruiters don't appreciate this at all and in fact, is something very annoying to hear. It also indicates your lack of confidence and inability to think vividly. So it is advisable to accept your lack of knowledge or understanding if you are not able to answer instead of making that poker face or a bizarre sound.

Succeeding in an interview requires a candidate to walk the extra mile while preparing for it. Nowadays, the abundance in the number of applicants has made the recruiters finicky while choosing the right one. Therefore, recruiters keenly observe the candidates based on hard as well as the soft skills. Hence, in order to pass the litmus test of the recruiters it is necessary that job applicants equip themselves with the right tools and adopt a progressive attitude.