Page 283 - Marky Stein - Get a Great Job When You Don't Have a Job-McGraw-Hill (2009)

Get a Great Job When You Don’t Have a Job

3. Write thank-you notes to all of the interviewers. It’s worth
your time! If you don’t know their names or titles,
you can ask the main interviewer or his or her
secretary.

Body Language

Now that you know more about how to answer interview ques-
tions, I’d like you to know a little secret about body language.
The secret is this: If you are sitting back, comfortably resting on
the back of your chair, your answers will not be nearly as believ-
able as if you are sitting with your whole body tilted slightly forward in
your chair. Sitting back in your chair sends a signal, unconscious-
ly, to the interviewer that you are not that interested in what
you’re saying and maybe that you’re even a laid back kind of
person.
Leaning slightly forward—even if you’re not that interested
in the interview—sends a signal that you are energetic and
enthusiastically involved in the discussion. Who would you pre-
fer to talk with? Someone who exhibits little energy and interest,
or someone who you believe is very interested and enthusiastic?
Surely the person with energy and enthusiasm would win out. As
discussed in a previous chapter, psychologists and linguists esti-
mate that a full 93 to 97 percent of our communication is actual-
ly nonverbal, so before you say anything, pay attention to how you
are saying it.
Some other body language tips to keep in mind during your
interview are the following:

• Is your body open and free to move and gesture natural-
ly? Or is it tight, with your shoulders hunched up and
your arms folded in front of your chest? Of the two, an
open posture is certainly preferable.
• Do you make good eye contact? Remember, good eye
contact does not mean having a staring contest. It is fine
to naturally look away from time to time.
• Are you sitting slightly forward in your chair, with an
open posture and without any habitual movements (like
twirling your hair around your finger or clenching your

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