THE 10 WORST BODY LANGUAGE MISTAKES TO AVOID IN AN INTERVIEW

10 BODY LANGUAGE INTERVIEW MISTAKES



From eye contact to posture to the way you fix your hair, avoid these 10 physical slip-ups in your next job interview.

1. BAD POSTURE


Leaning back is lazy or arrogant, leaning forward is aggressive and slouching is just lazy. Instead, experts say to aim for a neutral position, sitting tall as if a string were connecting your head to the ceiling.

2. BREAKING EYE CONTACT


“Hold eye contact one extra eyelash,” says charisma coach Cynthia Burnham. She says we tend to feel uncomfortable holding eye contact once a personal connection has been created. Don’t stare, but try to hold your interviewers gaze for one extra second before breaking away. “Do this especially when shaking hands,” she says.

3. CHOPPING AND POINTING


Cynthia Burnham, a California-based charisma coach, says chopping or pointing motions can”cut up” the space between you and your interviewer in an aggressive way.

4. CROSSED ARMS


“Arms crossed over your chest signal defensiveness and resistance,” says Karen Friedman, communications expert. “When they’re open at your sides you appear more approachable.”

5. EXCESSIVE NODDING


“Sometimes we undermine how powerful or in focus we are by nodding like a bobble-head doll,” says Burnham, a habit that’s particularly common in women. “Nod once or twice with a smile of agreement. But find your still center and stay there.”