Body Language; everyone uses it every day.  Nevertheless, what message is your body language sending in an interview?

More often than not, we are unaware of the language our body is speaking, especially in a tense situation.  When we have less than 30 minutes to convey whom we really are and what we really mean body language plays a significant role, particularly on the subconscious level to the listener, or in the case of the interview, the evaluator.

Interviewing is not an easy task and to portray yourself properly it is important to understand one very prominent fundamental that can affect your body language… without you even knowing it:  Nerves.

How do nerves affect you mentally and physically?  Do you develop “nervous ticks?” 

The mental aspect of nerves is topic for another article; here we are going to focus on the physical aspect of nerves, which is not the only piece to body language, but a large slice of the pie when it comes to interviews.  Nerves manifest in different ways for different people.  The only way to know how nerves affect you is to experience a nervous situation.  Pay attention to how you physically cope. 

Each of the following body postures has a subliminal, and sometimes obvious, meaning.  This meaning may not be the information you are trying to portray about yourself; however, the interpretation is the same regardless of intent. 

Let us explore a few body postures and their possible interpretations.

• Frowning, pursed lips or squinting:
  Many people will frown, squint or purse their lips when they are concentrating on the conversation.  However, this physical behavior can be misconstrued as a form of aggression.    These things are often misused to position one’s self in an effort to prove they deserve the job.   Unfortunately, to the interviewer it is understood as “bad attitude.”  Facial expression is the first thing an interviewer notices as soon as you enter the room.  Concentrate instead on simply smiling.  Sounds too simple, doesn’t it?  But in a tense situation, the first thing to disappear is the smile.  How will they know you want to be there unless you show them….with a smile?  Try it.  It is nearly impossible to frown, purse or even squint while smiling.  Of course, we are not talking about the natural squint your eyes perform when you are truly smiling.
  
  
• Excessive touching:
  Some folks will actually touch others too much if they are involved in an uncomfortable situation.  You know the type, the person who constantly touches your arm as they shallowly laugh.  This is plain and simple an invasion of space.  It gives the receiver a sense of falseness about the other person.  Obviously, this is not a good tactic in an interview.
  
  
• Avoiding eye contact:
  This is really quite common.  In fact, I receive questions about where to look during the interview on a regular basis.  Avoiding interviewer eye contact can mean boredom, disinterest or dishonesty.  From the applicant perspective, it is nothing more than feeling uncomfortable because they are judging your response as a reflection of who you are.  Now the reality is that it is unnatural to retain constant eye contact.  This has a negative effect as well.  So what do you do?  Just talk normally to the interviewer – as if you are having a conversation with an old friend.  It is normal to look away every now and then, particularly when you are thinking about an answer.  Just be aware of how long you are avoiding their beady eyes staring back at you.
  
  
• Tapping toes, tapping legs, swinging feet or drumming fingers:
  Just as with avoiding eye contact this behavior tells the interviewer you are not interested in your surroundings or what is going on.  It sends the message that you just want to get out of there as quickly as possible.  Avoid the nervous tick of tapping and drumming your limbs.  If you find yourself with the uncontrollable leg tap, try shifting your weight slightly or practice nerve-calming techniques.
  
  
• Slouching, leaning or turning in your seat (or even standing):
  This by far is my pet peeve, and I am confident the pet peeve of many of my interviewer associates.  This behavior is really a self defense mechanism for the candidate but the interviewer sees disinterest, disrespect and “attitude.”  This posture indicates defensiveness or being “closed” to the other person.  With this posture, there is not a lot of room for interpretation.  You will notice a change in the interviewer’s body language at this point.  They will assume a more aggressive position as if to counter-attack the attitude presented.  In a situation where someone attempting to get to know you why close yourself off?  If you do not really want to be there, or feel you are above the position do not waste your time and energy.
  
  
• Arms crossed, legs crossed, looking down:
  As with slouching or physically turning away this is a symbol of being closed.  It tells the interviewer you really don’t want them to know you and that you may be hiding something.
  
  
• Sweating, twitching around the mouth and eyes, changes in tone of voice or speed:
  Anxiety causes many of these inadvertent behaviors.  What causes the anxiety is really the question.  Deceptive people display these anxiety signals from tension because they fear that they may be “found out.”  However, nerves can cause similar anxiety signals.  Therefore, we need to concentrate on presenting in an honest, open interpretation so that even if we sweat it is understood as nothing more than simple nerves.

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