Clients in the job-search mode often come to me after they have fumbled an interview. They also come to me when they are sure that they did well in responding to the various questions thrown at them during a tough interview process. In such cases what puzzles them is how, despite their spot-on responses that they did not get the job offer they were counting on. They come to me seeking answers as to what might have gone awry that they weren’t aware of.
There are many factors that drive the success during an interview process. I have written extensively about these factors in my previous blog posts. In this blog I am going to focus on how your body language can help or hurt your interview prospects, and what you can do to change that and stay in better control of how your body conveys unmistakable signals that override your verbal responses.
It is well known that the power of your responses is governed by your verbal responses (~10%), your tone (40%), and your body language (50%). There is a wide variation to these oft-quoted numbers, but the fact remains that your verbal answers do not count for much, unless they are grossly wrong. So, once you have mastered the content you are expected to know in an interview, you must devote most of your effort in managing your tone of delivery and how you project your body language.
The Mind-Body Connection: Studies have shown that your mind can play a critical role in how it orders your body to project its energy. In cases where you have felt defeated or diffident (such as when you are frustrated with your being out of work for a long time, or recent setbacks in your career), it is easy for your mind to think that it is all right to lose an interview because of your situation, even though you desperately want to ace it. This mindset then translates into your projecting a physical message (your physical vocabulary through your body language) that conveys lack of confidence. This may even enter into the language you use to respond to the interview questions. Confident body language coupled with powerful words and sentences can greatly overcome any doubt you may project in how you respond in an interview. But, since your mind controls this, unconsciously you are telegraphing a “don’t hire me” message.
Now that you know how easy it is for your mind to control your unconscious body language, can you flip this around to trick your mind to think that you are actually in control beyond what is possible, knowing what your state of mind is, going in? Studies have shown that you ARE able to reverse this effect: If you do deliberate body movements and exercises to display your power, your mind can be tricked into thinking that you are, indeed, in charge. Once your mind is in this state then you can more easily project the right energy (both bodily and verbally) to conquer an otherwise difficult situation. So, here is a summary of my recommendations for managing your body language (and verbal responses as well):
- Once you have mastered the interview content, shift your focus on your presentation (tone) and body language.
- Program your mind to be calm, confident, and “in the moment.” In the moment refers to forcing yourself to stay focused on what is being discussed and not letting your mind wander off thinking (“I should have….”, etc.) any other stray thoughts.
- Before entering the interview do specific exercises that stretch your body in expansive ways, rather than sitting in your chair crouched, hunched over, or with your face down. Show your power through good posture, confident body language (stretch it out and occupy more space than you need), and put on a smile. Take deep breaths and relax.
- In a very short time of stretching yourself out, your brain (and mind) will start feeling confortable with being internally confident, marshaling the right positive language in response to interview questions, and feel the urge to conquer whatever challenge is thrown your way. It is this feeling of internal confidence that is now going to mobilize your body language to project the right power you need to ace an interview.
- When responding to interview questions synch up your verbal responses with the appropriate body language so that your overall presentation is confident, on target, and impactful. For example, if you are saying that there are four factors that govern the price of a new item in the market, hold your hand with four open fingers in front of you and close each one of the four fingers as you rattle-off each of those four factors. Little gestures like this will greatly enhance your own confidence as you respond and will put your interview responses on a virtuous path.
Body language plays a central role in an interview. Once you understand how your mind controls your body and vice versa you can use this technique to overcome almost any interview challenge you may face on that front!
Good luck!