Is your body language helping or hurting you in the interview?

Have you ever looked at your friend and known exactly what they were thinking, without them saying a word? His face and body language spoke more than a thousand words. What he says during his executive job interview obviously plays a huge role in determining whether he gets the job. In the same way, your body language is also communicating. He’s worked hard to optimize his LinkedIn profile to get noticed and eventually land an interview, so learning a few body language tips will help you succeed once he gets there. Here are some of the best executive interview tips people don’t think about, but should.

Trust is communicated through eye contact

Eye contact is crucial. Establish trust. Always make eye contact with your interviewer. People who don’t make good eye contact may be hiding something. Of course, try to avoid staring as much as possible, so looking away from time to time will reduce discomfort.

Show confidence with a firm handshake

When you meet your interviewer, give them a firm handshake. This shows them that you are confident, even if you don’t feel it inside. Practice with your peers or family members if you need to. A good handshake is memorable for an interviewer, as it’s likely to be their first in-person impression of you.

Good posture is important

Your mother was right. Posture is important. No interviewer wants to see someone hunched over in the chair across from them. Slouching or adopting a posture other than sitting up straight shows that you may not be overly interested in work. Worse yet, slumping in your chair can indicate a lack of confidence, no matter how strong your executive profile is.

try to be natural

It is normal to be nervous when thinking about the interview. Being prepared helps reduce this nervousness. But too many people spend too much time studying interview questions and rehearsing their answers. While this is good up to a point, studying too much can make you sound unnatural. If you used an executive resume writer to polish and make your resume sound natural, translate some of their interview tips. Things like nodding and smiling are natural gestures, so don’t hold them back. The hard part is noticing the gestures you make as a nervous habit, so be careful not to use them to the point where they become unnatural.

Professional Resume Services does much more than just write resumes. We can help you by giving you tips on how to land interviews, what to do in interviews, and even how to optimize your LinkedIn profile, just to name a few. Be sure to contact us if you need help with any aspect of your executive job search.