Recommend page to a friend

Contact us

Web site comments

Add to favorites (bookmark)

By Colleen Kay Watson, Career Professionals

Interviewing is competitive and the winner gets the one and only prize. Second place gets a rejection letter. There are many articles written on great interview answers, but in today's competitive market good answers are not enough. Does your body scream, "Hire me!"?

Body language can make or break an interview. The funny thing is that we do not spend any time thinking about the reality of whether or not we have a hirable body language.

The most recent studies on communication indicate that only 12% of the words you say are going to be remembered by the employer in an interview. After that, the employer will remember 33% of the words that you say, because of how they were said. However, most significantly, 55% of the communication that happens in an interview is body language.

I have an example that helped me to understand the power of body language…
On the Learning Channel, I saw a program demonstrating the power of body language. They were featuring the "National Poker Competition" in Las Vegas, Nevada. The example focused on the body language of the greatest poker players in the world. When the tournament was over they filmed the reaction of the winner. Even though he was no longer playing poker; he expressed his excitement at winning, with a blank stare. That's all the joy that he was capable of expressing. He had spent so many years learning how to control his expressions that he had none left. We are just the opposite; our face betrays our thoughts and emotions all the time.

How much are you able to control your body language? If you are not a professional poker player, I would be willing to bet you are sending out uncontrolled non-verbal messages. Do you know what your body is saying in an interview? Does your body scream, "Hire me!" or "I'm a loser."

To help you overcome the possibility of negative body language, try this idea… Right before the interview put a silly grin on your face and say, "I'm a winner! I deserve this job! I'm really great for this job!" Repeat it over and over until you feel positive energy flowing through your body. Try this, even though it may seem very silly at the time. You need to express your excitement with your body language, as well as your words. Both your words and body need to give the same positive message to the interviewer.

With 55% of the communication coming from your body language, you cannot afford to ignore this little tip. Remember that there is one winner at the table and I want that winner to be you.

-- By Colleen Kay Watson, Career Professionals, which helps job seekers find entry-level opportunities in Management, Marketing, Sales, Customer Service, Finance and Administrative positions. For more information about Career Professionals, please go to http://www.gocpi.com or call 952-835-9922.