Understanding Body Language – 7 Strategies For Job Interview Success in 2024
When it comes to the job interview process, words only tell part of the story; gaining a grasp of body language is the most effective method to advance your professional career.
The sum of all the indicators that we give off when we communicate is known as body language.
These signs include gestures, posture, eye contact, and a variety of other behaviors. You will be better prepared for a successful job interview if you follow these seven methods.
Create Congruence: Jaqueline Farrington, a communications coach located in Seattle, tells us that we need to make sure that our body language is in sync, especially when we are going through the process of applying for jobs.
She is the author of The Non-Obvious Guide to Better Presentations, and she has assisted hundreds of TEDx speakers and executive leaders in improving their public speaking skills.
She claims that a powerful predictor of emotion, intent, and meaning may be found in one’s body language.
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She explains that when a person’s words and their non-verbal cues communicate distinct meanings to one another, there are actually two dialogues going on.
If you remark, “I’m really excited about this next project,” but then slump in your chair, cross your arms, and look distractedly around the room while doing so, your body language has just deceived you.
“In that circumstance, your audience will be paying attention to your non-verbal cues rather than your words,” Farrington cautions.
Know the 7 Strategies For Job Interview Success
Create a video of it: Deeds indeed speak louder than words, but one’s body language is the most telling of all, particularly during the interview process for a job.
The outcomes can be detrimental, if not catastrophic if there is a lack of understanding of how to develop alignment and connection.
According to Tonya Reiman, author of The Power of Body Language, “sending the wrong signal during an interview can cost you the job.”
Rehearsal, according to Farrington, an actor with a classically trained background and an MFA from Rutgers, is the most important step in the preparation process for any presentation.
However, it would help if you didn’t stop at merely filming yourself; in order to create awareness, you also need to watch yourself.
Avoid Making “Aimless” Gestures Farrington defines “aimless” gestures as those made by a speaker that are not related to anything that they are saying.
The use of gestures, such as flapping your hands, will not contribute in any way to the telling of your story. “I’ll see people who over-gesticulate, where they have a gesture for every single word,” Farrington explains.
“I’ll see people who over-gesticulate.” “That’s just not how we talk around here.” Are your actions, including what you’re doing with your hands, arms, and body, congruent with what you’re saying?
Eye contact is still important, as a study conducted in 2022 by the Harvard Business School found that an increase in eye contact leads to an increase in psychological safety, which includes feelings of trust, connection, and other good emotions.
Farrington has suggested that you can increase the perception of your gravity and authority by performing a straightforward exercise.
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The practice begins with maintaining eye contact with another person for five to seven seconds while introducing yourself. What is the result?
Greater alignment and connection are the two factors that will determine whether or not you are successful in the job interview.
According to the findings of a study that was conducted in 2016, maintaining eye contact is regarded as a sign of trustworthiness. It is an important component of body language when deciding who to hire.
Practice makes perfect, as the saying goes: According to what Reiman states, we deceive ourselves into believing that speech must be the most advanced method of communication.
However, such is not the situation. There are several facets to communication. According to Farrington, only 45% of communication is verbal; hence, body language is extremely important.
Interviews are typically conducted face to face (or face to screen) for the same reason: so that the potential employer can get a feel of the authenticity of both your body language and your answers.
How, then, can you obtain a better understanding of what it is that your body language is actually expressing? Keep in mind that you cannot rectify or improve upon something if you do not have awareness of it.
If you practice for your job interview, you run the risk of rehearsing mistakes you’ve already made. When your professional reputation is on the line, does it make good sense to go it alone and rely on hope as a do-it-yourself strategy?
Your body language may be revealing things about you that you aren’t aware of, but a communications coach can help you identify those things.
Put Yourself Out of Your Mind: Why are dress rehearsals and practice sessions so very important? In order for you to forget about yourself completely.
Body language expert Vanessa Van Edwards writes in her book Captivate, which has become an international best-seller, that “there are hidden rules to human behavior.”
“We simply require direction as to where to look.” According to what Farrington has said, “You know you are confident in the interview when you can get your attention off of yourself.”
Practice and guidance from an expert might help you feel more assured. But how can you tell if the focus of your attention during the job interview is on yourself rather than the other person?
The answer is that it makes you intrigued. You make inquiries into things. You make the interview more like a discussion rather than a question-and-answer session.
You have concluded that the topic at hand is not your resume but rather your relevance to the position.
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Are you rehashing old memories, or are you able to shift the conversation to focus on how you can help the person who is currently in front of you?
Are you going to tell me what you did in 2017, or are you going to talk about how I can benefit from your services right now?
The organization has some questions for you; will you be able to participate in the conversation?
When you find yourself becoming curious about something that’s being discussed, you’ve taken a step on the right path!
Take a Slightly Greater Interest: How can we portray sincerity, true devotion, and curiosity through the expressions on our faces, the gestures we make, and the tone of our voices?
zechniques, hints, and methods can be of assistance. But the real “how to” of body language isn’t found within a step-by-step instruction; it’s found in your body language.
When it comes to body language, “how to do it” is not the complete picture, much like the words that are spoken during an interview. Because “want to” is the point at which everything starts.
The first step toward improving the way you say something is to show that you care more about what it is that you are saying.
If you make your history, your achievements, and your prospects more significant to you than they are right now, you will find that you have a stronger conviction about the path you want to take in your professional life.
Because it is the language that originates from the heart, body language is likely to guide you in your search for the communication style that is most congruent with the narrative you are attempting to convey.
When it’s important to you, take the time to concentrate on what’s important in the conversation.
It would help if you did not go into the job interview without first establishing alignment and connection with the company. In that case, your body language may reveal your true intentions.
Your employment aspirations might be supported by a higher level of sincerity and devotion if you have a deeper understanding of how effective communication works.
You might be wondering what aspects of this job interview procedure could be simplified in some way.
You don’t have to go it alone when it comes to your profession if you don’t want to; this is where coaching may make a difference for you.
When you go in for your next job interview, what kind of narrative do you want your body language to convey?
