Body language for job applicants
Iwas interviewed by the head of marketing for a medium-sized bank for a marketing manager position. This 50-something man was robotic and appeared not interested in my answers. There were no follow-up questions, and yet he maintained eye contact with me all the time, which made me edgy. What was he doing? — Cross Road.
Are you single? If you’re a female applicant with a pleasing personality, is it possible that your interviewer was mesmerized by your beauty or other things that could ripen into something unethical or immoral in the future should you get that job?
It’s difficult to give you an answer given the lack of information. But we can always speculate with the age-old question: “If a tree falls in the forest, and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?”
The answer is still loud and clear. A falling tree creates vibration and stress in the air creating a sound regardless of anyone hearing it. It doesn’t matter if one is present or not. The tree will fall just the same.
In your interview with the marketing head, it doesn’t matter if he hears or understands your answers to his questions. What’s important to him is the value of his screening process. He wanted to evaluate your ability to do the job.
Take the case of the Mona Lisa. Why is it admired by so many people? We know it’s beautiful but are confounded by her enigmatic smile.
MICROCOSMAlmost all job interviewers are focused on the form and substance of an applicant’s answers to questions. The applicant’s appearance (or form) matters only during the first few minutes of the interview process. After that, they pay great attention to any substantive answers.
While you’re prepared to tackle tough questions during the interview, your interviewer is more interested in your answers, even your silences, and possibly the number of pauses you took.
I would imagine your interviewer is interested in understanding your body language, which in the words of Richard Bolles in What Color is Your Parachute? (2014) is based on the principle that “microcosm reveals macrocosm.”
The best interviewers believe that what job applicants show in a small universe reveals how they would act in a big universe. Interviewers “assume that each applicant’s behaviors reveal how would you act in a larger ‘universe’ like the job you’re aspiring for.
Bolles says when employers scrutinize your microcosm or past behavioral employment record, they believe it can reveal your macrocosm or likely behavior in the future. Bolles cites the following examples of microcosm:
One is appearance and personal habits. Do you look freshly bathed during the interview? Are you freshly shaven? How clean are your fingernails? For female applicants, do you have manicured fingernails that don’t stick out too much? Are you wearing daring clothes attract a lot of attention?
Are you wearing freshly laundered clothes and pants? Do you smell of garlic or stale tobacco? Is your breath bad? Do you wear cologne or perfume so strong that it could make people sick 15 feet away?
Two, nervous mannerisms. Is your handshake limp? Do you continually avoid eye contact even when the interviewer invites it? Do you slouch or fidget?
Three, self-confidence. Do you speak too slowly or too softly? Or are you so loud that you can be heard two rooms away? Do you give only a one-word replies to more than 50% of the questions? On the other hand, do you constantly interrupt the interviewer to project a strong personality?
Four, basic courtesy. Were you courteous to the security guard and the receptionist? Did you excessively criticize past employers? Did you forget to thank the interviewer on your way out of the office?
Five, personal values. Did you show signs of laziness or lack of motivation? Did you complain or blame other people, even government officials? Did you make any untruthful statements in your resume or give off evidence of lying during the interview? Did you criticize their office facilities or other things that didn’t impress you?
Some of these are not important to employers who are in dire need of filling a key managerial post. But you can be certain employers will follow the basic requirements to ensure that they hire the best person while looking for fruitful work relations.
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