Dressing Up And Body Language For Job Interviews
By Lieutenant Colonel Anil Kumar Nigam, Sat Dec 10th
Dressing up and body language while facing the interview To make a good impression dress conservative and clean cut, wearclothes appropriate to the culture, keep jewellery to a minimum,no after-shave or perfume, clean shoes, suits dry-cleaned ifworn, overall cleanliness, hands, nails etc. Practice goodhygiene, comb or brush your hair, and dress appropriately. Evenif you know that the company dress is business-casual, dress upanyway. It shows professionalism and respect. Dress conservatively and avoid bright, flashy colors. Navy blueor gray is usually best but wear colors in which you feelconfident. Interviewers might be offended by strong body smell.Don't wear strong perfume. Fragrance is a matter of personalpreference and your interviewer might not like your choice. It'sbest to have soft perfume a few minutes before the interview; alittle mouthwash may be good.
Body Language Remember body speaks louder than words. Bodylanguage comprises 55% of the force of any response. Verbalcontent only provides 7% paralanguage, or the intonation, pausesand sighs given when answering, represents 38% of the emphasis. How to Act During Interviews Greet them as per time of day. Smile and have a firm handshakeif offered. Read the mood. If the interviewer is formal, thenyou probably should be, too. If the interviewer is casual, thenfollow along while remaining courteous and professional. Wait tobe told to take a seat and say thank you. If it's possible,scoot your chair a little closer to the interviewer's desk ortake the chair closet to the desk. This shows interest andconfidence. But don't invade the interviewer's personal space, aperimeter of about two to three feet is ok. Sit with goodposture. Even formally trained interviewers are regular peoplelike you, so they'll expect you to be a little nervous whilesitting in the hot seat. Still, try to avoid obvious signs.Maintain comfortable eye contact with the interviewer as failureto maintain eye contact indicates that you are lying, reachingfor answers or lacking confidence. Take your time to answerquestions - this will prevent you from providing a poor answer.Speak clearly and thoughtfully - be sure to speak at anappropriate volume and do not speak too quickly If theinterviewer offers coffee or other beverages, it's okay toaccept if he insists otherwise say no thanks. It's probablybetter to say no thanks to snacks. How to Sit at Interview With the upper limbs the guideline is that the less a personmoves their hands and arms, the more powerful they are. Thissupports the view that they are used to people listening to themand they therefore do not have to resort to gesticulation to gettheir point across. Try to keep your hands lower than yourelbows, rest them on the arms of the chair. Try to gaugeinterviewers' preferred distance by their seating arrangements.Move closer only if they seem skeptical about what you're saying. Where you sit, too, is as important as how you sit. If you are sitting on the edge of the seat it can make you lookeager but also scared, like you are ready to bolt out of theroom. Go ahead and slide to the back of the chair and sit talland straight. That will make you look confident and comfortable.Girls should not cross their legs and instead sit with theirknees together. Men should avoid sitting with their legs toowide apart. Anything that creates an intimacy before there's arapport established will signal to the interviewer that youdon't use good judgment and that you resort to inappropriatebehavior. Here are some typical interpretations of body language. Openness and Warmth:Open-lipped smiling, Open hands with palmsvisible. Confidence: Leaning forward in chair chin up, Hands joinedbehind back when standing. Nervousness: Jiggling pocket contents, running tongue alongfront of teeth, clearing throat, hands touching the face orcovering part of the face, pulling at skin or ear, runningfingers through hair, wringing hands, biting on pens or otherobjects, twiddling thumbs, biting fingernails. Looking at yourwatch very frequently. Nervous hand habits, like nail biting,hair twirling and hand twitching, can distract the interviewerand, convey nervousness and insecurity. Untrustworthy/Defensive:Frowning, squinting eyes, tight-lipped grin, arms crossed infront of chest, chin down, touching nose or face, darting eyes,looking down when speaking, clenched hands, gestures with fist,pointing with fingers, chopping one hand into the open palm ofthe other, rubbing back of neck, clasping hands behind headwhile leaning back in the chair. Interpretation of Various Postures Crossed arms - means that theperson is in a defensive and reserved mood. ·Crossed arms andlegs - means that the person feels very reserved and suspicious.·Open arms and hands - means that the person is open andreceptive. ·Standing before you with his hands inside thepockets - means he is not sure or feels suspicious. ·Standingbefore you with his hands on his hips - means he is receptiveand ready to help you out. ·Sitting in a chair shaking one ofthe legs - means he feels nervous and uncomfortable ·If his eyesare downcast and face turned away - means he is not interestedin what you are saying. ·With the palm of the hand holding orstroking his chin - means he is in an evaluating position andbeing critical. ·Leaning back in his chair with both handsclasped behind his head - means he is in an analytical mood, butit is also a gesture of superiority. ·Rubbing or touching hisnose when answering a question - means he is not telling thecomplete truth. ·Rubbing the back of his head or rubbing ortouching the back of his neck - means the conversation is notreally interesting. ·If he moves his body and sits with his feetand body pointing towards a door - means he wants to end theconservation and leave the room. ·Steepling your fingers,particularly in an upright position, when answering a question.This can be perceived as arrogant, saying I know more about thissubject than you do. Tips about using your Voice Add Volume to Increase Authority. Remember that your voicealways sounds louder to you than to anyone else. Also rememberthat your voice is an instrument; it needs to be warmed up, orit will creak and crack at the beginning of your presentation.If you warm up with a high volume, as though projecting to thosein the back row, your volume also will improve your vocalquality. Volume adds energy to your voice; it has the power tocommand or lose listeners' attention. Lower the Pitch toIncrease Credibility. Pitch, the measurement of the "highness"or "lowness" of your voice, is determined largely by the amountof tension in the vocal cords. When you are under stress, youmay sound high-pitched; when you are relaxed and confident, youwill have a naturally lower pitch. Authoritative vocal tones arelow and calm, not high and tense. Remember that a lower pitchconveys power, authority, and confidence, whereas a high pitchconveys insecurity and nervousness. Tune your body posture Try to adopt a posture that shows interest but still comesacross as being relaxed. You can do this by sitting up straightin your chair at the beginning of the interview, with your backagainst the back of the chair. If you slouch or hang sideways inyour chair, it might give the impression that you are not thatinterested in the job. However, sitting on the edge of yourchair can come across as being a little tense and might give theimpression that you feel uncomfortable. You can change your bodyposture a little during the interview. For example, when someonesays something it is good to turn a little with your shoulderstowards this person and to lean forward a little. This shows aninterest in what the other person is saying. You can emphasizethis by tilting your head a little. It is also important to payattention to the posture of your interview partners. In somecases you can achieve mutual tuning by adopting the same postureas the other person. What to do with your hands? Just the same as when you are giving a presentation, many peopleoften regard their hands as obstacles during a job interviewrather than a useful means of communication. That is why peopleoften ask what to do with their hands. In a difficult situationwe are often inclined to fold our arms across our body. Thishelps to give us a more secure feeling. During a job interviewit is better not to do this, because folding your arms can beinterpreted as a defensive move. It is better to let your handslie loosely on your lap or place them on the armrests of yourchair. From these positions it's also easy to support your wordswith hand gestures. Movements: a dynamic interview? Facial expressions play a great role; do not have a blank face.Hand movements can also help to liven up the interview. The factthat you dare to make movements with your hands during aninterview might indicate that you feel at ease quickly. In mostcases it is better not to make too many hand movements at thestart of the interview but add them slowly throughout theinterview. As regards this, pay attention to your interviewpartners as well: if they use their hands a lot to make thingsclear, you can definitely do this as well. When they don't makemany movements, it is better if you don't either. Just the sameas with body posture, it is important to tune your movements tothose of the other person. Also pay attention to inadvertentmovements that you may make sometimes due to nervousness. Forexample, shuffling with your feet or kicking against the leg ofa table can be very irritating for other people. Drumming withyour fingers or clicking with a pen also won't be good for theinterview and shows your nervousness. When should you look at whom? During the job interview it is important to look at all theinterview partners to an equal extent. By looking directly atthe other person we are giving them a sign of trust. By lookingdirectly at people we are also in control of the conversation.Looking directly at somebody or looking away actually serves asthe dots and commas in our spoken sentences. When one of thecommittee members explains something or poses a question, keeplooking at this person for as long as he or she is speaking.This shows that you're listening. While he is speaking he mayalso look at the other people, but every time he wants toemphasize something he will look at you again. You can then nodto encourage him to continue talking. At the end of hisquestion, he will keep looking at you and then tilt his head upa little to invite you to give an answer. When you answer aquestion, you will look first at the person who posed thequestion, but while you answer you should take turns looking atthe other interview partners as well. You should direct yourselfagain to the person who posed the question when you want toemphasize something and at the end of your answer. Mirror the Interviewer’s Body Language. The concept of mirroring is based on the well-known human traitof like attracting like. People generally like people thatappear to be similar to them. Therefore, by observing theinterviewers body language and reflecting this back at them theyare likely to feel more at ease and friendly towards you. Some practical hints ·Develop your Listening skills and do not ask could you pleaserepeat the question. ·Maintain comfortable eye contact. ·Do notinterrupt the interviewer. ·From time to time, ask forclarification of what has been said if you are not clear aboutit. ·Don't show emotions or prejudices on any contentious topic.·Occasionally, re-phrase what has been said to show you haveclearly understood the question before attempting to answer.·Keep an open mind on what is being said until the interviewerhas finished. Most Likely Questions likely to be asked by interviewers .Where did you come in your class in College? ·Why didn't you dobetter in your exams? ·Tell me about yourself? ·How would youdescribe yourself? ·Why do you want to leave your present job?·What would your boss/colleagues say about you if asked? ·Whatmotivates you most? ·What is your long term plans? ·Where do yousee yourself in 5 years time? ·What is your greatest strength?·Do you prefer working alone or with others? ·What is yourgreatest weakness? ·How do you cope with pressure? ·Give me aninstance where you were under pressure? ·Why do you believe youare a suitable candidate for this job? ·What can you do for usthat somebody else can't do? The Secrets of Interview Success ·Express yourself with clarity and precision. ·Speakconfidently, making sure to support your answers with relevantexamples from your work ·Always relate your answers to the jobfor which you are applying. ·Always present a positive face ·Youshould state and supply evidence that you enjoy your job; thatyou are enthusiastic and ambitious; and that you welcomechallenge. ·It is important to tell the truth in interviews.·Convince them that your experience qualifies you for the job onoffer. Do you have any questions? What to do when they put such aquestion to you? Do ask only after they confirm your suitability and give you achance. Here are some examples of questions to ask at your jobinterview. ·How would you describe a typical workday? ·What isthe best part of working at this company for you? ·What are thetypical responsibilities and duties of this job? ·What skillsare considered most useful for success in this job? ·How manypeople work in this particular department? ·What areas of thedepartment do you think need improving? ·What is your company’scorporate culture? ·What are the company’s values? ·What is thecompany’s policy on transfers to other divisions or otheroffices? Don't ask about. Don't ask about company benefits at this stage. About the author:Author has 28 years of experience in the field of Teaching andManagement. He is M. Tech from IIT Kanpur and has worked indifferent capacities including Signal corps Indian Army,Regional Manager for a Telecom Company. Currently he isAssociate Professor with ITM, Gurgaon that is rated as bestEngineering colleges of North India.
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