Use Your Body to Get the Job
(it's not what you think)
Even if you say all the right things, you're
only halfway to being hired. An at a glance guide
to sending the right signals for success. by Paul
Bibeau (Reprinted with permission - article
appeared in the June 1998 issue of Mademoiselle)
You just got the call from the office where you
interviewed last week. Your resume was good and
your credentials were sterling - but you didn't
make the cut. What happened?
In the pressure-cooker world of the job
interview, where you have about half an hour to
convince someone to pick you, sometimes it boils
down to a "vibe" you give off. Here is
where body language - the signals you send through
your posture and gestures - comes into play. In a
study conducted by anthropologist Ray Birdwhistell,
Ph.D., people watching a verbal exchange between
two other people based 65 percent of their
impression on the nonverbal signals
exchanged. "If a person's body language
contradicts her words, people will tend to believe
what they see," says Hilka Klinkenberg,
author of At Ease....Professionally (Bonus
Books, 1992), and managing director of Etiquette
International, a New York City consulting firm.
Just follow the steps below, and you'll soon be
emitting a crystal-clear message that says,
"Hire me."
Prepare Yourself for the Big Day.
A week before you go in, advises Klinkenberg,
practice sitting in a straight-backed chair
without fidgeting. One trick that can help you be
more aware - and more in control - of your
movements, she adds, is wearing wrist weights. The
added weight will make it harder for you to jerk
your hands around while you talk. Also, grab a
friend to get the "feel" of arm's length
distance. "If you're standing closer than
that to your interviewer," says Klinkenberg,
"you'll invade her personal space."
(However, if you stand more than three to four
feet away, you run the risk of looking aloof.)
And wear your new suit once or twice
beforehand, to get comfortable in it. Finally,
practice your handshake. When you shake hands with
someone for the first time, don't try to wow her
with your firm grip; gauge how your shakee does it
and gently match her squeeze. "People always
consider themselves the yardstick for what's
normal," says Donald Moine, Ph.D., president
of the Association for Human Achievement, a
consulting firm in Palos Verdes, California. By
copying your interviewer's grip, you will appear
solid and friendly - an ideal choice for someone
who will sit in the office next door.
Don't be a slouch.
Good posture isn't about standing at tin-soldier
attention; it's about carrying yourself so you
look as if you have a spine and a purpose. the key
to waling tall is knowing where you're going, says
Klinkenberg. "Don't make a move until you see
where you're headed." Then, she adds, when
you're parking yourself in the interview chair,
plant your butt firmly against the seat so your
back is supported. Don't sit so straight that you
need a chiropractor the next day. During the
inquisition - uh, the interview - breathe
frequently and deeply. This may sound obvious, but
many people forget in the stress of the moment,
says Klinkenberg. Shift your posture if necessary,
especially during long sessions.
Avoid the evil eye.
There's nothing like a shifty gaze or glazed stare
to make an interviewer think, "This woman is
like Peter Lorre's kid sister. I don't want to
share a neighborhood with her - let alone an
office." Instead, maintain eye contact for
five to seven seconds at a time, especially when
listening to a question. Eye contact doesn't mean
boring straight into her pupils. The trick, says
Kevin Hogan, Ph.D., author of The
Psychology of Persuasion: How to Persuade Others
to Your Way of Thinking (Pelican, 1996),
is to trace the inverted triangle formed by her
eyes and nose and let your gaze move around in
that area. Finally, Dr. Hogan suggests, when you
want a positive response to something you're
saying (such as "I'd really like to work
here"), tilt your head slightly and give a
small, sincere smile. "It reminds us of the
way our mother looked at us," Dr. Hogan says.
Make your hands talk, not yell.
When gesturing, says Dr. Hogan, imagine a box that
goes from your chin to your waist and is as wide
as your shoulders. "Keep all your gestures in
that box," he says. "Make sure when you
move your hands, they remain closer to your body
than your elbows are." The result: Your hand
movements appear controlled and unthreatening.
What about when the interviewer asks a real
toughie? You know, the one that really has no good
answer, like, "Why are you leaving your
job?" While you say your piece, Dr. Hogan
recommends that you keep your hands folded
together with your fingers locked inward in a
"here's the church, here's the steeple"
position. That way, they can't drum, tap, fiddle
nervously or do anything else that would give you
away. (Don't hold them too tightly, though, or
you'll look as if you're clenching your fists.)
And one more tip about fingers: Don't point. It
reminds people of being scolded, says Klinkenberg.
Use your whole hand and gesture with an open palm
when you need to indicate something - like the
interviewer's diploma on the wall, your resume or
the car you'll win if you pick what's behind
curtain number three.
Get a leg up on the competition.
Avoid crossing your legs, and under no
circumstances put one leg completely over your
knee. "It looks like you are trying to put a
barrier [i.e., your shin] between yourself and the
interviewer. She can read this as a defensive
posture," says Dr. Hogan. "More
important, it hampers your blood
circulation." You're in a job interview:
You're going to need all the blood you can get
circulating through your noggin. Remember: Your
legs are supposed to carry you to and from the
office, then sit there quietly. If they become
part of the conversation - or cause you to black
out from blood loss - something's wrong.
By themselves, these moves are obviously no
substitute for education and experience. But in
the business world, where companies will be
comparing you with other equally qualified
candidates, body
language could give you the edge you need to
get your foot - and the rest of you - in the door.
To learn more about how you can begin to read body
language like an expert, see Body
Language: The Basics
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