No matter how many time you’ve been interviewed, it’s a nerve-wracking experience. From picking the perfect outfit, to researching the new company, and remembering actual experiences that you can use to illustrate why you’re the perfect person for the role, you’re stepping outside of your comfort zone and trying to move your career forward. Therefore, it’s no wonder that an interview is one scenario where you’re likely to send signals that you don’t even know you’re sending. Whether it’s the nerves, getting over your fear of meeting someone new, or stressing out about how you’re going to impress the interviewer, you might be telling them how nervous you are without even saying a word. Have you ever done one of these 5 things?
- Forgetting to breathe
This is a big one. If you’ve ever been in a stressful situation and felt light headed, it might be due to the fact that you forgot to breathe. If this is you, this is something you have to be mindful about for fear of actually passing out if you get so wrapped up in your circumstances that you override your natural inclination to breathe in and out. Practice makes perfect. The next time you feel yourself stress out about something, consciously tell yourself that you need to breathe, and practice being aware that air is actually going in and coming out of your body.
- No eye contact
When people get nervous, they have a tendency to stare at the floor, ceiling, table or anywhere that isn’t in the direction of what’s making them nervous. The challenge with this is that if your interviewer feels like you’re lacking eye contact, they might think you have something to hide, or that your inability to meet their gaze means that you aren’t really interested in connecting with them, and therefore, not that interested in the job.
- Too much eye contact
In stark contrast to point number two, too much eye contact is also a negative. You certainly don’t want to hold eye contact with your interviewer so long that it appears you may be trying to stare into their soul. It’s creepy when someone stares at you, and it’s not real professional. There’s a difference between holding eye contact with someone so that they know you’re paying attention to what they’re saying, and holding someone’s gaze so long that they wonder if you’ll follow them out to the parking lot.
- Jimmy Leg/ Foot tapping
If you are a drummer, and auditioning for a new band, a little toe tapping or foot percussion is probably expected. However, if you are drumming your foot or leg to your own beat, and there’s clearly no music playing during your interview, your nerves are showing. This is a common problem for many people in an interview scenario. It’s a gesture that most people don’t even realize they’re guilty of, and definitely signals to the people around you that you aren’t exactly comfortable. In order to rid yourself of the Jimmy Leg or foot tapping, enlist your family to point out when you’re bouncing your leg so you can become self aware about when this nervous behavior comes out in you.
- Clasp your hands
This is also known as wringing your hands. You clutch one hand inside the other, and alternate often. Sometimes you’ll interlace your fingers, sometimes you won’t, but it’s nearly as distracting as if you were to get up and pace in the middle of the interview. If you have a tendency to gesture wildly when you get nervous, or want to constantly talk with your hands, here are suggestions on what you should do with your hands during an interview from Business Insider.
Half the battle of improving your interview performance is understanding the areas in which you can improve. The next time you’re consciously aware of your nerves, try to assess how your body language might be tipping off the fact that you’re nervous. Once you are aware of your nervous behaviors, you’ll be able to work on what you can do to alter your behavior so that you appear more calm and comfortable. Interviews aren’t easy for anyone, and every interviewer expects a candidate to be a little nervous, just make sure you aren’t the candidate that’s remembered because you spent the whole interview staring into space.