What you say isn’t half as important as they way you do — or don’t — say it.
Sound ridiculous? Consider this: How many of us have walked out of a job screening thinking we aced it? Our answers were wittily smooth, providing great insight into our character and abilities while our resumé was a perfect response to the job description? Still, we didn’t get that anticipated call back.
Here’s a possible reason. In job interviews, common perception is that what we say has more weight than how it’s conveyed. However, as author Alison Craig reveals in her latest book Hello Job (Blue Monarch Press), one often overlooked aspect of job hunting is the mannerisms we employ when searching for, well, employ.
“Nonverbal communication is one more piece to the communication puzzle and even dominates the picture, ranging from your body language and facial expressions to your voice and, of course, your overall image,” she asserts.
Looking at it that way, it’s clear how a spotless work history might not be a deal-clincher. Craig notes that regaling those rehearsed speeches about our strengths and weaknesses invariably prove more successful when combined with effective body language, a mode of articulation most Human Resources professionals are highly trained in reading/understanding yet we commonly overlook.
“Don’t fool yourself; they are watching you,” she says. “Not giving direct eye contact can be construed as simple nervousness or that you are hiding something from the interviewer. Closed body language such as crossed legs, purses/brief cases on your lap or arms fully crossed across the chest is an unintentional warning telling others to keep their distance; that we are disinterested in what is going on,” Craig charges, adding that hunched shoulders indicate being overstressed or lazy; careless about our position.
So how do we tackle these unwitting, soundless modes of correspondence? While it seems embarrassing, she advocates private rehearsals in order to maximize positive nonverbal communication.
“Practice doing a mock interview with yourself in the mirror. If you can honestly step back and look at yourself as others see you, you will quickly notice (nonverbal communication). You don’t want to memorize your answers but by practising those interview questions, they won’t feel so foreign to you anymore.”
