3 Things Your Candidates Need To Know About Body Language

As any recruiter knows, you can’t secure a job through qualifications and skills alone. If that were the case, all we would have to do is send over a few CVs and hey presto… our clients would choose the best of the bunch.

The decider will always be the interview. Manner, body language, dress and other non-verbal cues are extremely important when it comes to an interview. In fact, 33% of hiring managers report that within 90 seconds they can tell if they will hire a candidate or not.

Despite that, many candidates remain uncertain of how to optimise their body language and as a recruitment consultant. Advising candidates on how to maximise the impression they make is a reliable way to achieve higher billings.

Let’s look at the three most important body language considerations when preparing one of your candidates for an interview.

1. Develop A Firm Handshake

We’ve already mentioned that the first 90 seconds of the interview are crucial and perhaps the most important factor is the handshake. This is your opportunity to create a personal connection with the interview panel.

Despite that, hiring managers report that more than a quarter of candidates have weak handshakes, which is an immediate turnoff for most people. Thankfully, the problem is is incredibly easy to correct and will transform the first impression your candidate makes.

2. Stand Up Straight

For some reason, few people seem to have really good posture in our society, but that doesn’t mean it’s not important. In fact, having good posture will ensure that your candidate instantly stands out from the stoopers and slouchers.

A slouch is your body’s attempt to curl up and protect itself from danger, which subconsciously communicates insecurity and anxiety. However, standing tall doesn’t only change how interviewers view a candidate; it can also change how the candidate views him or herself.

Research shows that consciously adopting “power positions” actually makes individuals feel more powerful. If nothing else, standing up straight allows freer, deeper breathing and counteracts fatigue and back pain, both of which will enhance comfort and confidence.

3. Smile

As a recruiter, your role is to maximise the effectiveness of your candidate’s qualifications by factoring in all the extra considerations that influence hiring managers. As we all know, interviewers are looking for more than just the ability to do the job or an impressive CV.

They’re also selecting a future colleague, so appearing friendly, warm and personable with a good sense of humour is essential. Interviews are stressful and your candidate shouldn’t appear flippant about their new role, but managers intuitively understand that happy workers are good workers.

What’s more, if your candidate can build a positive rapport with interviewers in a matter of minutes, they’re demonstrating that they can achieve the same with future clients and colleagues

Of course, these are just a few among many examples of positive body language. However, we believe that by emphasising these three key factors you can enhance your candidates’ performance which will give them a better chance of securing that dream role.

‘Till next time,

Cheryl