By Tabitha Makumi,
What would you do if you had a perfect tailored CV, a well written cover letter thanks to a professional CV writer and have been invited for five job interviews since the year started but unfortunately, you haven’t been lucky enough in landing the job?
That is the kind of predicament Martin Kinoti has found himself in. “I took the initiative to ask a HR officer what he thought about my interview skills since I didn’t want to keep doing the same mistakes over and over again and he told me even though I am good with my responses, I should work on my body language….”
Millicent Njeri a HR practitioner with Janta Kenya agrees when she says that, “Body language during an interview is vital since it speaks volumes about your personality.” She emphasizes that, “Not only does it represent the first impression that you give but it’s probably just as important as the answers that you give to the interviewer.”
She shares some of the common blunders that candidates make
1.Having a poor posture
She advices that, “Once seated, resist the temptation to lean right back into your chair and make yourself overly comfortable.” She also points out that slouching into the chair or leaning to one side in the interview room can be interpreted as being indifferent or too relaxed.
“On the other hand remaining upright with your shoulders back and being comfortable will set the tone for the interview ahead.
2. Lack of eye contact
Ms Njeri explains that an interview can feel intimidating anyway, so it can be tempting to look away so you don’t have to continuously lock eyes with the interviewer.
“However , if you’re starring off into the distance when your interviewer speaks, your lack of eye contact will give the impression that you are not paying attention and therefore indicates a lack of sincerity and interest,” she says.
A remedy for this she says is to make direct eye contact continuously especially when being asked or responding to questions.
But wait a minute, while you are maintaining eye contact she advises that it’s not okay to stare. “If you feel like you are looking the person in the eye too long, hold it one more second and break away.”
3. Not smiling or doing it too much
While it’s good to smile since it relaxes you into the flow of the interview and gives a positive impression, Ms Njeri cautions against doing it too much.
She asserts that, “Smiling too much can sometimes be mistaken for not being too serious, immature or even clueless so you don’t overdo it or mush worse, resort to fake smiles.”
4. Having hands that fly all over
Ms Njeri admits that most people have trouble with this one as they become too animated with their hands where you find them flying all over as they try to explain something.
“It’s okay to make gestures but don’t go overboard. Let it be minimal if you have to ‘demonstrate’ using your hands” she says.
5. Nodding at everything the interviewer says
While nodding maybe encouraged every now and then, Ms Njeri asserts that nodding in agreement with everything, regardless of what the HR officer is saying may make you look like a sycophant who agrees to anything.”
She advices that, “Keep the nodding under control but remain attentive and conscious as to what you’re agreeing on.”
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