Are You Paying Enough Attention To Body Language In Job Interviews?

I think we would all agree that job interviews are a unique form of meeting.

Hopefully you will have done your preparation and feel ready for anything that comes up on the day.

Chances are that preparation will include things like:

1. Researching the organisation.
2. Researching the sector
3. Reviewing the job description and person specification.
4. Identifying potential questions.
5. Coming up with answers to potential questions.

Now it’s just about turning up, answering the questions well and getting the job offer.

If only it was that simple.

I was recently on a online training event with negotiation expert Derek Arden on reading body language.

It got me thinking about job interviews and a personal experience I had earlier in my career.

Like every candidate I was keen to demonstrate my knowledge.

However I noticed something early in the interview.

Whenever the Finance Director had heard enough in response to a question, his eyes drifted in the direction of the car park.

Having picked this up, I started to close off answers when I noticed the eyes drifting.

Now at that point in my career I wasn’t that familiar with body language.  This was the early 90’s.

Having listened in on Derek’s training, what I now realise is that my intuition and looking for clues that helped me spot and react to the cue that he had heard enough.

It must have worked because I was offered and accepted the job.

So next time you are in a job interview, make sure you are paying attention not just the verbal communication but also to the body language.