Body language in interviews: 3 levels to consider

When you think about all of the things that go into presenting yourself in the optimum way during an interview, your posture and body language should definitely be on that list. In this blog, I’ll run through three levels to consider when it comes to body language and job interviews.

Before we get started, I think that we can agree that the messages you send by the way you carry yourself speak loudly and clearly. One goal we want to achieve is a sense of congruence. If you speak with a confident voice, but your body language shows that you’re nervous and uncertain, you’re projecting a mixed message. Of course, it’s natural to feel a little nervous in an interview - especially if you’re out of practice - and almost all interviewers will cut you some slack in this regard. However, how much more powerfully would you come across if all your communication - verbal and non-verbal - was congruent? With this in mind, there are three things to consider.

Level 1 - Basic body language

There are some obvious things to consider, that I’ll briefly run through just to be thorough:

• One is to have a reasonable amount of eye contact. When you break eye contact, you should look sideways or a little up - looking down projects ‘weakness’.

• A friendly smile at the right times, and for an appropriate amount of time.

• Posture is important. Have a straight back, with your shoulders back and down - not hunched - and your head level.

• Don’t fidget - stay focused to avoid distracting the interviewer from what you’re saying.

• Consider your voice - speak slightly more slowly and deliberately.

Not only does all of this influence the interviewer’s perception of you, but also your own self-perception. It’s well established that there’s a symbiotic loop between how you carry yourself and the way you feel. Stand like you imagine a leader stands for more than a couple of minutes and you’ll feel more confident, for example. So far, so good.

Level 2 - Matching and mirroring

Pioneered by the founders of NLP (Neuro-linguistic programming) back in the 1970s is the concept of matching the body language of the person you’re talking to. This creates and deepens a sense of rapport, which is naturally key in interviews. They discovered this by studying how Milton Ericson was able to work so effectively with patients. They noticed that he would reflect back the body posture, gestures and facial expressions of the person he was working with. This, together with matching their voice in terms of speed, tempo, loudness and the specific language they used, was highly effective. In fact, if you observe people who are in rapport with one another, you’ll see that this is a normal and natural behaviour. The NLP folks just started doing it deliberately and with the purpose of establishing a rapport quickly.

Level 3 - From faking it to default setting

Having understood those two points, there can be a progression from thinking about it to mastering it. Imagine that you practised having really strong and confident posture, so that consistently over time it became your default setting. Catching yourself having less than optimal posture and adjusting until it becomes how you carry yourself in the world needs work and practise. When you see someone who’s been a dancer, you’ll recognise how well they move, stand and sit. That didn’t happen overnight. By the same token, imagine consciously practising using the NLP rapport building skills at every opportunity, seeing and feeling the results in great levels of communication so that it becomes your default setting. This is what we want to get to, so that by the time you find yourself interviewing for a new role, it’s completely natural.

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The goal is to get to the point where great posture, body language and rapport skills become so deeply ingrained that it’s one less thing to think about. You’ll project strength, confidence and being at ease. That significantly enhances your ability to present yourself very well in job interviews and it’ll most definitely serve you as you build your career.

If you’re interested in a no-strings-attached, 15 minute coaching call about how to effectively navigate interviews in Financial Services, let’s talk. You can click here to book a call.