We look at how body language impacts your interview performance. This is our 10th and final video in the series - Summertime Madness in association with Reliance Industries.

Your body language has a huge impact, research shows that your personal impact & credibility is determined by 7% of what you say, 38% to your verbal skills like intonation, and 55% to your non verbal skills like body language, facial expressions etc. Practicing these skills in daily life will help you stay calm and confident during your interviews.

 

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1. Knock first, do not poke your head into the room, present yourself fully and smile. Your phone should be on silent, not vibrate mode in your bag. Make an entrance by pausing and looking around when you step into the room. The first 12 steps, the first 12 words and the first 12 inches of your body make up your first impression.

2. Shake hands with everyone when you enter, (for women, a namaste is perfectly acceptable as well). Your grip should match the interviewer's, too firm and it signifies dominance, too weak and it portrays a lack of confidence.

3. Take a seat only when asked, if your chair is very uncomfortable/ too low/ too high, you can take a few seconds to adjust it.

4. When you sit, it's natural to slouch or fold your hands, but this signal is defensive or nervous, it looks like you're trying to make yourself smaller. Open up your body, lean slightly forward from your waist and don't fold or cross your legs and arms. This will give the impression that you are interested in the interview.

5. Slow down your breathing to appear calm and relaxed. Jiggling your legs, constantly changing positions, playing with your buttons, rings, watch or pen, is very distracting and the interviewer will lose confidence in your abilities. Avoid caffeine or alcohol before the interview if possible, it increases your heart rate which consequently makes you nervous.
6. Make eye contact with each person seated at the table. People tend to avoid the gaze or look down when they're nervous, looking into the eyes of the person you're in conversation with indicates that you are honest and trustworthy.
Don't stare, instead alternate between looking at the right eye, then the left eye, and the general mouth area. Make sure to look at each person on the panel while you're talking. Always keep your gaze above the shoulders.

7. Keep your hand gestures steady and use them only to emphasize a point. Palms facing upwards signify that you are honest and trustworthy. Clasping your hands is a sign of anxiety.

8. For the duration of the interview, subtly mirror the person who's talking. Wait a few seconds and then copy their hand gestures or posture. People trust those similar to themselves and you are more likely to build rapport with them.

9. Strictly avoid the lying signals. Touching any area on your face eg. your eyes, nose, mouth, ears, neck etc or fidgeting all indicate dishonesty.

10. Under no circumstances should your hands be in your pockets.

11. While leaving, take a second to compose yourself, gather your belongings, smile, thank everyone for their time and make a graceful exit.

12. While bending to pick up a fallen item, bend from the knees, not the waist.