23 Apr 2023
Interviews can be stressful situations for many of us. Facing a barrage of difficult questions can cause all sorts of emotions, but can also mean we forget how we appear to our interviewers as we formulate our answers. Try to work out what mannerisms you display when you are pondering things and attempt to suppress them for the duration of the interview.
Here are a few tips to remember when you’re approaching, or sitting in the hot-seat.
1. Keep your posture neutral, i.e. sit upright. Don’t lean back (it can look lazy or arrogant) and don’t lean forward (which can be construed as aggression). Just sit up straight and keep your head upright.
This can be easier said than done during an interview process, some people instinctively lean forward when they are actively listening to what someone has to say and they are looking to demonstrate interest. To have this misconstrued as aggression would be very unfortunate.
2. Don’t cross your arms – it looks defensive, and is something interviewees tend to do when they are feeling threatened or uneasy about a question. This is one of the body language basics that people are mostly taught about at an early age. It still creeps back in now and then though at times of stress, so do your best to maintain an open posture.
This also means keeping your hands away from your face and neck. Touching your neck is often associated with lying and having your hand in front of your mouth can make it harder to understand what you are saying.
3. Maintain eye contact with your interviewers. If there are numerous interviewers, then talk to all of them as you are answering your questions rather than leaving one or more out of the conversation.
This is a very important tip, as it is easy to accidentally exclude one of the most important people in the room through concentrating attention on just one interviewer. We have seen this happen and people have thrown away jobs that were almost in their grasp in this way.
4. Don’t fidget. Playing with your hair, rubbing your neck, or constantly shifting about in your seat can make your interviewers think you’re not interested. It may be a nervous thing that you are struggling to contain but it can definitely give the impression of disinterest, particularly if you do it while one of the interviewers is talking.
And finally…..
5. Smile! Yes we know – nerves sometimes prevent this, but you really need to do it. Start by smiling as you go into the interview room, and keep smiling as you are greeting the people about to give you a grilling.
Being able to smile as you interact with the interviewers will make the whole interview feel easier. There is scientific evidence that smiling makes us feel happier and more relaxed, so even if you don’t feel it at the start, keep doing it and you should slowly begin to feel better.
