Before we start, however, I can’t resist the urge to share one piece of interviewing philosophy that will put you ahead of at least 95% of your competition. Jan and I have conducted many interviews from the hiring side of the table, particularly for positions with our company.

Some typical phrases we have encountered are “This is exactly the job I’ve been looking for.” “This job will really help me build my resume.” “This job will be a great stepping-stone for my career.” And my all-time favorite, “I want this job to become your competition!”

You’re probably saying, “I’ve heard almost all these, too. Everybody uses them.” If you’ve come to accept this type of phrasing, I urge you to look for the missing part. See it yet? Right. No mention is made of what these people will do for THE HIRING COMPANY! HELLO!

We have a standard that weeds out anyone using this phraseology. It goes like this: No one hires you because it’s good for you. Employers only hire you for what you can do for them. As the interviewee, constantly be emphasizing in the interview how you’re going to increase that company’s bottom line, save it money, expand its services or products, or build its reputation among customers and market sector. Do not mention anything about how the job will benefit you.

Now, let’s turn to some nonverbal do’s and don’ts to ensure that you make the best impression possible in your next interview. In fact, the biggest part of the interview happens in the first 3.5 minutes: the time it takes to make a first impression. Let’s break down those critical 3.5 minutes.

The first three things another person notices about you are your ethnicity, your gender, and your age. None of us has any control over these three things. And what we know is that these three features are at the heart of all racism, sexism, and ageism. It’s also why so much legislation has been passed protecting us from discrimination around any of these. Just because we notice them first, doesn’t mean we should make a hiring decision based on them.

Now, let’s look at the rest of the elements that make up a first impression. Luckily, these are the things we can control:

• Your general appearance/dress
• Your facial expressions
• Your eye contact
• Your movement patterns
• Your use of personal space
• Your touch/handshake

You’re being evaluated on these in just a few seconds, even before you utter your first word. Be aware of them and manage them well, and you’ll be off to a great start. In the rest of this issue, we’ll explore the nonverbal features that enhance all these as well.

Now, you’re in the interview. You’ve got plenty to learn about the interviewer’s organization, and you have questions of your own. The biggest question on both of your minds is—will you fit in? Yes, a great deal of an interviewer’s time will be spent sizing up your qualifications for the job. But virtually unbeknownst to him or her, just as much time will be spent sizing up your social and emotional fit in the organization. How much of a team player will you be? How open to criticism will you be? How deftly will you handle conflict? How approachable will you be?

The final decision on these last “emotional” features of you will be based on how you come off nonverbally. The fact is you’ve been evaluated nonverbally even through that critical first impression. So let’s see what to look out for as you prepare to conduct yourself in the whole interview.

Posture

You’ll no doubt be offered a seat almost immediately. It will usually be a straight chair, rarely a swivel chair. The basic procedure for sitting for an interview involves these steps:

• Sit on the front part of the chair, leaning slightly forward. Never let your back touch the back of the chair throughout the whole interview. Never lean back in a swivel chair—or worse yet, twist back and forth.
• Feel free to rest your forearms on the chair’s arms as a neutral position. If the chair is armless, rest your palms gently on your thighs and slightly out of parallel.
• If you are at a table, lean forward so that your forearms rest on the edge of the table at a point midway between your elbows and your wrists.
• Have your arms out of parallel (one arm forward, one arm back). Symmetrical gestures suggest insecurity.
• Keep both hands visible at all times. An interviewer will be perplexed and/or suspicious of someone who keeps one or both hands under the table.
• Never touch one hand to the other.
• Always keep your solar plexus (midriff area) open. Especially at a table, moving one arm in front of you creates a barrier—not a real one, but one in the interviewer’s mind.
• Take up more body space than you usually do (2-3” outward movement with each arm). When not overdone, this creates an image of power and control.
• Keep your head straight up and down. This suggests stability. A tilted head looks unsure, flirtatious, or coy.
• Keep your chin level with the next horizontal surface. Interviewees who habitually carry their chin too high come off as arrogant—usually a deal-breaker in any interview.

Hands

Believe it or not, we live in a “hands” culture. Even in our language, “hands” can mean “people.” For instance, we say “We’re one hand short,” or “All hands on deck.” Because we put so much emphasis on hands, both your hands should be visible throughout the interview.

• As you gesture, lift your arms off the table to drive home key points. Gesture with your palms open and facing your interviewer.
• Avoid using fists. They’re seen as highly combative.
• Avoid pointing with the index finger. Use a whole outstretched palm instead of a pointing finger.

Eye Contact

• Look straight at the interviewer and concentrate on the color of his or her eyes. This conveys interest and warmth and makes eye contact easy and natural.
• If you must disengage to think of an answer, look down, not up. This eye movement implies you’re searching for an idea. Looking downward sends a message of “grounding” and stability. Looking up suggests confusion (having your head in the clouds).

Facial Expression

• Talk through a smile or pleasant expression. This connotes that you’re happy or pleased with what you’re talking about. A happy demeanor also suggests that you will be easy to work with. In the words of an 89-year-old WWII veteran down on his financial luck, who was interviewed by Good Morning America on a whistle-stop tour in October 2008, “A smile improves your face value.”
• Use the “eyebrow flash.” This quick up-and-down movement of both eyebrows together underscores important points, and for non-smilers serves as the equivalent of a smile.

There are quite a few other body signals—good and bad—that we can send, but if you use these, you’ll do fine nonverbally.

In our next edition of PSSP, we’ll share our favorite tips for making the best verbal impression.

We’re all going through unprecedented times. Keep the faith and remember that people who have gone through major transitions in times like this have often said that the changes in their lives were the best things that had ever happened to them.

Yours in good communication,

Neal & Jan Palmer