Impress Interviewers (or Anyone Else) with Your Confident Body Language

Tis the season to find jobs and internships, and we want you to nail your interview. BusinessInsider.com has seven tips on how to project a more confident persona (including don’t play with your hair like the lady in this photo!). We’ve got the first few here. Click on the link to see the rest

The 7 Worst Body Language Mistakes Job Seekers Make

interview, body language, fidgeting

From the moment you arrive for a job interview until the moment you leave, you need to be keenly aware of your gestures and nonverbal cues.

Here are seven common body language mistakes that can cost you the job:

1. Bad posture. Always be aware of your posture. “People don’t realize that the job interview begins in the waiting room, but it does. So don’t slouch in the chair in the reception area,” Reiman says. “In order to be perceived as confident, you must sit or stand tall, with your neck elongated, ears and shoulders aligned, and chest slightly protruding.” This position changes the chemicals in our brain to make us feel stronger and more confident, and it gives the outward appearance of credibility, strength, and vitality, she explains.

2. Bad handshake. People tend to show their dominating personality by gripping the interviewers hand and palming it down, but this tells the interviewer that you need to feel powerful, Reiman explains. “Instead, the handshake should be more natural: thumbs in the upward position and two to three pumps up and down.” As the applicant, you should always wait for the interviewer to extend their hand first, she adds. 

3. Sweaty palms. There is nothing worse than shaking hands with someone who has clammy palms. “If this is you, go into the bathroom and rinse your wrists under cold water for a good minute,” she suggests. “This will give you dry palms for roughly 10 minutes so your first handshake is a strong and powerful one — not sweaty and insecure.”

4. Lack of eye contact. “Make sure you offer the appropriate amount of eye contact,” Reiman says. “If you don’t, the interviewer will assume you are either insecure, don’t have an appropriate answer for the question being asked, or are being deceptive. Does that mean it’s true? No, but perception is everything in a job interview.”