You already know that posture and eye contact are a must during your interview, but here are a few moves that can take your non-verbal gestures to the next level. We all know that face-to-face interactions involve more than just words. Non-verbal cues and gestures can support our argument, undermine our message, or even completely change the meaning of the things we say. Vocal inflections, posture, and eye contact can also convey volumes of information about a speaker’s intentions and reliability, and rarely do these gestures come with more repercussions than in a job interview. If you’re looking for work, you already know that you need to sit up straight, smile, make eye contact and offer a firm handshake during your interview, but here are a few ways to take your non-verbal game to the next level.
Use doorways and thresholds
Every time you walk through a doorway or a threshold, notice it and think about it on a conscious level. Consider each doorway an opportunity. Whenever you cross that line, you have a chance to regroup and start fresh with your presentation. Take a moment to think about your face: are your features relaxed and elevated in a smile? Think about your shoulders: are they relaxed and rolled back? Think about your attitude: are you projecting interest and energy?
Occupy your chair
Just like doorways and thresholds, every chair represents an opportunity. When you’re invited to sit, take over the entire chair. The chair belongs to you for the duration of the session, so occupy it comfortably and fully; lean in to show interest and enthusiasm, but don’t perch at the edge. Rest your back against the backrest, and use the arm rests to let your arms extend comfortably at your sides. Settle. Stay alert and upright (no slumping and slouching—this can convey apathy and disinterest), but treat the chair like a seat of honor that rightfully belongs to you.
Eye contact
“Make eye contact” is a direction that’s repeated so often that it’s become a cliché, but there are right and wrong ways to do this. An unbroken, unblinking, cobra-like stare that feels uncomfortable and unnatural isn’t the answer. Look your interviewer in the eyes and smile as you say “hello”, but as you continue to talk, let your eyes move away from your interviewer’s face and back again at a pace that shows interest and comfort. If you struggle to look at your interviewer’s eyes, look at the bridge of their nose instead. If you struggle to look away, glance down at their hands.
The art of the smile
Smiling conveys interest in the conversation, relaxes those around you and allows you to form an unspoken connection with your interviewer. To do this well, practice smiling in your bathroom mirror. As you do so, you’ll notice a distinct difference between two types of smiles. The first is the fake smile; this expression engages the mouth only and leaves the eyes and forehead unaltered. The second is the genuine smile (there’s actually a word for it in business communication circles—it’s called the Duchenne’s Smile), and this one illuminates the entire face. It engages the eyes, which should crinkle into crow’s feet, and it elevates the eyebrows and brightens the forehead. When you’re smiling from within, you should actually feel a bit of an emotional boost.
Vocal inflections
There’s been plenty of online chatter suggesting that candidates—women in particular—can get ahead by artificially altering their vocal inflections in a variety of ways. (For example, deepening your voice to a rumble, removing the lifts at the ends of your sentences and slamming each one down like a bag of sand, or twisting your intonations around until you sound like an amateur voiceover artist going through puberty.) This is nonsense. The best way to convey confidence and comfort is to engage your natural voice in the way that flows most easily for you. Love your voice as it is. Embrace it and settle into it. Just make sure your words are clear and your vocabulary reflects education and respect. And before you answer each interview question, pause for two full seconds while you gather your thoughts.
Saying goodbye
First impressions are important, but last impressions are just as critical. As your interview comes to an end, don’t just scuttle away. Relax and calmly show yourself out. You have a right to your interviewer’s time and attention until the minute the door closes behind you. Don’t rush.
