How Can I Make A Good First Impression?

After few researches, I found this tips that can help anyone in making a first good impression in any situation:

Step 1: Make an entrance

• take a few moments before you walk in to a room and realign your posture.
• bring your shoulders back and down and put a smile on your face.
• scan the room and look around as this will make you look a lot more positive and thus creates a good first impression.

Step 2: Your handshake

• make sure you give a good, cool and firm handshake.
• look the person in the eye and remember to smile at them.

Step 3: Posture

• practice sitting down in front of a mirror, in the outfit you will be wearing, to see what is going to work and what isn't.
• sit well in the chair as this will make you look more confident.
• rest your elbows on the arm of the chair and maybe cross your legs.

Step 4: Hand gestures

• make sure you don't use barriers such as folding your arms as this will make you look too closed.
• use nice open gestures and good emphatic gestures when you speak.
• make sure you keep your hands below shoulder height.

Step 5: Mirroring

• use mirroring to create fast-track rapport. This is achieved by slightly copying the interviewer's body language which will help you come across as more approachable.

Body Language: Face Expressions and Eye Contact

Facial Expression

A simple smile can make others feel more at ease where a frown can make people see that you are aggressive or unsure of something. We use facial expressions to get our points across in the right context. For example, your message would suffer if you were saying how angry you are with a huge smile.

Facial expressions can suggest or express an individual’s emotions or feelings.

In essence, facial expressions are controlled forms of body language. However, since it involves feelings or sentiments, most often than not, they are spontaneous and instinctive.

Then again, during an interview, it is best to control most facial expressions and express a pleasant one instead. Interviewers or employers like to see individuals who are eager to get the job and who have a pleasant personality up front. It will only convey the applicants’ confidence in themselves. Insecure people will most likely be fidgety; and even if they won't say so, their actions speak louder.

Eye Contact

When someone talks to you, do they look directly at you or look away? Maintaining eye contact when talking (or listening) to someone gives an impression that you/they are confident and honest. Making little eye contact can say that the other person doesn't like you, is nervous or shy, or perhaps believe that they are higher in status and think that eye contact isn't necessary.

"Making little eye contact can say that the other person doesn't like you"

Also, look out for it if you believe that someone isn't being truthful, as most people can't keep eye contact when they are bending the truth.

However, someone looking at you non-stop is stressful and in these situations you should throw your hands around a bit more or point to brochures and objects to distract them. Staring is basically seen as an aggressive act and can also be interpreted as being unbalanced.

If talking to people outdoors, avoid wearing sunglasses as this can be very uncomfortable for the other person and can give an image of trying to hide your identity (a shifty salesman, for example). In addition, try to blink as less as possible as this can make it difficult for the other person to understand you (due to being distracted). Blinking less also gives an image of confidence.

Eye Contact in an interview

If the interviewer is talking and you want to show that you are actively listening, you need to instigate direct eye contact and maintain it. Avoid appearing as if you are staring aggressively by blinking at regular intervals and moving your head every now and then, such as giving a small nod.

Interview body language experts suggest that when you are doing the talking you need to hold eye contact for periods of about 10 seconds before looking away briefly and then re-establishing eye contact. Overusing direct eye contact when you are speaking can come across as lecturing or challenging the interviewer. Typically the listener maintains direct eye contact for longer than the speaker who breaks it off at intervals.

Looking constantly downwards makes you appear insincere or submissive. It is acceptable to look down if you are making notes or referring to information in front of you. However if you are speaking, or the interviewer is asking you something, raise your head and make regular eye contact to show that you are actively involved.

With panel interviews it is best to look at and direct your answer to the person asking the question, with a glance periodically at the other interviewers.

Eye contact is essential interview body language to establish rapport with your interviewer. Not making eye contact makes the interviewer feel disconnected from you. Eye contact should be a positive aspect of interview body language, if it is not used properly however it can quickly become negative.

When should you look at whom?

During the job interview it is important to look at all the interview partners to an equal extent.
By looking directly at the other person we are giving them a sign of trust.
By looking directly at people we are also in control of the conversation.
Looking directly at somebody or looking away actually serves as the dots and commas in our spoken sentences.

When one of the committee members explains something or poses a question, keep looking at this person for as long as he or she is speaking. This shows that you're listening. While he is speaking he may also look at the other people, but every time he wants to emphasis something he will look at you again.

You can then nod to encourage him to continue talking. At the end of his question, he will keep looking at you and then tilt his head up a little to invite you to give an answer. When you answer a question, you will look first at the person who posed the question, but while you answer you should take turns looking at the other interview partners as well. You should direct yourself again to the person who posed the question when you want to emphasis something and at the end of your answer.

Body Language: The Space Around You and Gestures

The Space Around You

Those who stand always look more powerful to those people who are sitting down. This is because they are taking up more space. In this case, if you feel comfortable standing, use it to look as though you have a higher status then those around you.

When you move around, the more space you take up can make others seem threatened by your presence. This is because those around you may feel that their presence in the area is less significant. In such case, they may move around using as little space as possible.

If you are sitting, you can still give an image of power. If standing isn't appropriate, use more space by stretching your legs out or by having your arms at the side of the chair. When you are on the phone and you need to be assertive, standing up will project your urgency.

Posture

When the interviewer offers you a seat at the start of the job interview, sit upright but not too stiffly in your chair. This indicates that you are comfortable and feeling confident. Hunching down in your chair gives the impression of nervousness and low self-esteem. A sloppy posture indicates a careless attitude and a lack of energy. Sitting on the edge of your chair can come across as being nervous and tense.

Relax and lean slightly forward, about 10 degrees, towards your interviewer. This gives the message that you are both interested and involved. Leaning back makes you appear too relaxed and casual. Leaning to the side can be perceived as not feeling comfortable with the interviewer.

How you position your head also sends a message. Tilting your head very slightly to one side comes across as friendly and open. Keeping it straight comes across as self-assured and authoritative.

It is also important to pay attention to the posture of your interviewer. Sometimes you can establish rapport by adopting the same posture as the other person. This is called mirroring. If they have adopted a more formal posture do the same until you see that the interviewer has relaxed and become less formal.

Hand-to-Face Movements

In a selling process, look out for customers for e.g. that use hand-to-face movements such as holding their chin or scratching their face. This can usually show that they are thinking of making a purchase but they have a concern, for example, "can I afford it" or "what if a I pick the wrong size", etc.

This may be a cue for you to move in before they leave and inform them that they can 'buy on credit if preferred' or that they can 'exchange the product if it is not suitable', etc. It is a fact that many customers do not ask to solve their queries and therefore leave if they are unsure: this is why it is important to recognize this common form of body language.

What to do with your Hands in an interview?

If you are unsure of what to do with your hands, rest them, loosely clasped in your lap or on the table. Control your hands by being aware of what you are doing with them.

Having your hands above the neck, fiddling with your face or your hair, is unprofessional and conveys nervousness and anxiety. Keep your hands away from your face. Interview body language experts will tell you that touching the nose or lips can indicate that the candidate is lying. Holding a hand behind your head is often a sign that you are annoyed or uncertain.

Folding your arms across your chest suggests a closed and defensive attitude. Waving your hands and arms around can be perceived as uncertainty and a lack of professionalism. Common wisdom is that the less you move your arms and hands about the more confident and in control you are. Practice a comfortable way to loosely place your arms and hands while you are sitting, both at a table and in a chair on its own.

Be aware of the interview body language message your legs are giving. A lot of leg movement is both distracting and indicates nervousness. Resting one leg or ankle on top of your other knee makes you look too casual and comes across as arrogant. Crossing your legs high up conveys a defensive attitude in the one-on-one context of a job interview. Crossing them at the ankles or placing both feet flat on the floor conveys a confident and professional look during the job interview.

Gestures

Gestures also have a large influence in the interview. Body language and gestures can create a great effect on the observer.

In most interviews, employers watch how the applicants react to certain situation through their facial expressions or “body and facial gestures.”

For instance, if an applicant did not like the idea stated by the interviewer, the simple rolling of the eyes may indicate a negative effect. This simple gesture may mean frustration, annoyance, or arrogance.

All of these things are important during the interview. It is best to be aware of them to avoid negative results.

The very basis of body language as used in an interview is to convey confidence. Even though applicants may not be 100% sure of themselves, it is imperative that they appear as if they are.

The way applicants positively express themselves through body language can build their entire future. As they say, actions speak louder than words.

Doing one thing may mean another as the case may be. These are things that we should look out for, as it can easily give things away about both yourself and the observer. A simple touch of the nose could mean that you/they aren't being truthful.

A lot of us move our heads when we are talking to get approval from others. If you want to look powerful, then you should try to keep your head movements to a minimum.

How much you show your underbelly (your front) is a way of showing how confident, secure or trusting you are. The less you cover up your underbelly with folding arms, crossed legs, raised hands, etc, the more appropriate the qualities may be. Folding your arms may look as if you are trying to defend yourself and will look bad to the other person.

If you talk to someone who originally has folded arms, crossed legs and perhaps turning away slightly, you may think that they are uninterested and also feeling detached from your conversation. If they start to unfold their arms, uncross their legs, etc, it may be a sign that they are accepting your issue.

"we are attracted to those people who are similar to ourselves"

Another gesture that we use is called 'mirroring'. You may not know it, but we are attracted to those people who are similar to ourselves. A case may be where you are with an employee to discuss an issue and you both take a similar sitting/standing position. The discussion goes well, but if you had taken a different position, it may not have gone as well as it did. This gesture is often taken on by sales people who sit in a similar position as their customer.

A more common gesture is perhaps the one that is most annoying. It is known as 'displacement activity' and is used to get rid of physical tension in the body. Examples of this may include nail-biting, playing with hair, chewing gum, and teeth grinding.

Grooming gestures are those things we do to reassure ourselves. This may involve you perfecting your hair or fiddling with your clothes. We normally do this when we are around people we don't know, and so we groom ourselves to make us look more presentable to lift our confidence.

Finally, our hands are used to emphasize what we say, from pointing and saying "over there", to waving someone away and saying "go away". Hands that are made into a pyramid shape (fingers and thumbs on both hands touching, with palms wide apart) mean power. If someone sitting across a desk from you talks to you with the pyramid gesture pointing to you, this will either be your boss, or your future boss!

Body Language During Interviews or Business

Body Language in Business

Is important to know that body language accounts for over 90% of an usual conversation! Body language can be used to help conduct an interview, give a presentation or make an important sale: a conversation stretches so much further than speech.

Body language is the reason why an interview face-to-face has a huge advantage for an employer over interviewing by phone or for a sale made face-to-face over selling by phone.

Usually when we communicate with or see people, we only respond to what is being said, heard or generally seen. There is so much more involved and most of us do not pick up on it: it's our body language and it can express a thousand other unsaying words.

Our body language will give others an impression of ourselves or show our emotions. You're probably using it right now to read this page (you will either be alert and interested, or baffled and un-interested).

Our body language is an important aspect of running a successful business as we cannot always say what we really feel. This means we have to act positive in negative situations (and vice-versa of course). You can also identify other people's body language and know what they really mean.

You may immediately think of this as standing tall and up right as much as possible. In fact, it is the natural alignment of your head and body without the use of tension and 'locking'.

Everyone has a different posture and it usually develops through habit over the years. This may be slumping your shoulders forward or hanging your head.

Your posture may show how you will approach a situation.

For example, if you stand with your shoulders hanging, arms folded, and leaning to one side, it will look as if you aren't ready for or interested in the task in question. Should you stand with strong shoulders, head up, arms out by the side and closed fists, you will look as if you are ready for anything no matter how much stress is involved.

Looking at a persons feet when they are sitting down will tell you who is an extrovert (out-going) and who is an introvert (withdrawn). Extrovert - toes pointing out, introvert - toes pointing in.

Body Language During Interviews or other types of face-to face communication

Non-verbal communication accounts for over 90% of the message you are sending in your job interview! Your verbal content only provides 7% of the message the interviewer is receiving from you.

As you can see your non-verbal signals, both your body language (55% of the message) and the way you speak such as voice tone (38%), are as important as the actual words you use in your job interview answers!

Some tips for a job interview:

Be prepared. The best way to show positive body language at an interview is to be “natural, comfortable and confident” . It may seem counterintuitive, but the best way to look natural is to practice. Read a book or two about interviewing and then run through the entire interview process with a friend. Come up with a few interview questions to ask in advance.

Start strong. The interview starts the moment you step into the room. Walk in tall, with a smile on your face. Make sure your hand is free, and offer it to the interviewer. Make the handshake strong and firm, pumping hands once or twice, then release. A weak handshake and bone-crushers can both leave a negative impression. Don’t be afraid to practice shaking hands before your interview, maybe with your friends.

The interviewer will usually offer you a chair. If not, go to the chair across from him or her and ask if it alright to sit. Use the entire chair. If you’re sitting on the edge, you’re going to look nervous and uncomfortable.

Be an active listener. Forget about your feet, forget about the windows. Dedicate yourself to the interviewer. Don’t stare the interviewer down, but do maintain eye contact. Examples of proper body language include leaning forward, nodding and smiling when appropriate. Not only will you look interested, but it’ll probably be easier to pay attention, and to notice the interviewer’s nonverbal cues to you.

What if you’re being interviewed by a group of people talk directly to the person that’s asking the question. Once you have fully answered the question to that individual, then look at the other interviewers. You shouldn’t ignore any of the people who are interviewing, but you should give priority to the person who’s asking the question.

Expressing yourself with your hands is - gestures show energy and passion. However, a low-key interviewer might be overwhelmed by too much hand waving, so tone it down if need be.

Be calm. Jiggling legs. Jangling key. Twirling hair. Glancing at your watch. All of these are examples of bad body language. Bottom line: fidgeting makes you look nervous and distracted, so don’t do it. Don’t even tempt yourself by having anything unnecessary in your hands (or your mouth or wrist!) Keep your feet flat on the floor (or at most, cross your ankles). This not only cuts down on restless legs, but helps you sit straighter.

Read the interviewer. You want the interviewer to be doing the same things you are – maintaining eye contact, nodding, smiling, leaning forward or sitting relaxed. If the interviewer is leaning sideways, fiddling with things, or not responding with facial cues, there’s a good chance you’re losing him. To turn the interview back around, remember the last time you had them engaged and return to that subject or ask them a question.

Finish strong. The questions were brutal. The interviewer scowled the entire time. The job wasn’t what you thought it would be. No matter. Finish the interview the way you started it – with energy and confidence. Shake hands while you thank the interviewer for the opportunity, and walk away with your shoulders back and head high. You never know what’s going to happen – maybe the interviewer is always in a bad mood, maybe some other job will open up. You’ll never regret leaving a good impression.

No matter what happens, an interview is an opportunity to learn. At the end, ask yourself what you did right and how you could improve.

Job Interviews

What is an interview?

The whole idea of a job interview is to get you face to face with your potential employer.The primary idea of a job interview is to get you to communicate with an employer.
• through the course of the interview they take you through a series of questions that they need to ask you, relevant to the job
• they will give you the opportunity to sell yourself by giving the answers to the interview questions
• you have the opportunity to ask them questions about the job as well

What will be expected of me in an interview?

Expectations:
1. A series of questions which will be both job-related and company-related. What the interviewer wants to see here?
• that you've done your homework,
• you've done your research,
• you've been on the web site,
• you know quite a lot about the company and where it's going,
• you know quite a lot even about the individual that's interviewing you for the job.

2. They're going to think about what your expectations of the role are. During the job interview, you can expect that they will ask you about how you would perform certain tasks within that role that they're specifying.

3. The interview provides you with an opportunity to ask questions back, but you've also got the opportunity to sell yourself within their interview process.

What are the typical stages to an interview?

1. The first stage to a job interview is the icebreaker.
• once you've walked in, signed in and gone through reception,
• you're taken up to see your interviewer, who will sit down for this first interview stage and ask you a very light question about the weather, for example, or how your trip was there.

Afterwards the whole process becomes more formalized.
In a very good interview, the interviewer will say to you, "These are the stages of the interview process, of the meeting that we're having now. I'm going to ask you questions, then for the next stage I'd like you to ask me any questions about the role, and then we'll make a decision somewhere further down."

They are trying to manage your expectations of their interview process and make you feel a little bit more comfortable by breaking it down into stages.

You need to:
• think about the icebreaker,
• what you need to say about that and
• how you say it.

2. The second stage is:
• focusing you on what they expect from the interview process

3. The third and last stage represent:
• your opportunity to come back with questions at the end of the interview process.

What should I wear to an interview?

Well, it depends on the environment you're working in.
• you may go to a professional organization that requires you to wear a suit and tie.
• or you may go to a rather more modern media or IT company for an interview where they expect you to wear smart casual clothes.
• other times, jeans and t-shirt are acceptable to wear to a job interview.

Consider the type of industry you're seeking a job in, and you have to get a good feel for what is acceptable to wear. When you're invited to go for a job interview, is ok when you ask what the dress code is.

What time should I arrive?

If you are the kind of type that get very excited about going to an interview and you want to get there early to make a good impression, than better don't!

• the earliest you should arrive on the premises is a maximum of ten minutes before your interview is to start.
• if you arrive late, that's a bad first impression.

Do I always have to wear a suit to an interview?

• you don't need always to wear a suit and tie.
• you need to consider the type of industry that you'll be working in and the dress code that that company adopts.
• phone up or e-mail and say: "What will I be expected to wear at the job interview?" You want to get it right.

How should I behave in an interview?

• the best thing you can do is avoid too much humor during the interview
• avoid also behaving with too much arrogance
• don't try to be cocky,
• don't try to be over-confident,
• don't try to be clever.
Behave respectfully and be professional throughout the job interview.

What's the best way to sell myself in an interview?

• do your research prior to the interview.
• be very well prepared.
• have specific questions.
• sell yourself by making sure you are showing evidence that you've looked at the website and spent a lot of time preparing for the job interview process.
In this way you will score a lot of points with your potential employer.

What sort of questions will I be asked in an interview?

• questions about your employment history and your education
• questions that are related to the type of role that you're applying for.
• don't be surprised if they ask you to give an example of a time in the past when you've behaved in a certain way.

Here are five things that most employers want to know about you:

1. They want to know if you are qualified for the position.
What are your greatest strengths?
Do you have experience in this field?
What do you believe you bring to this job?
Why should I hire you?

2. They want to know what motivates you.
What motivates you to put forth your greatest effort?
Where do you see yourself five years from now?
What is more important to you, the money or the job?
What did you like most about your last job?

3. They want to know about the negatives.
Why did you leave your previous job?
What did you like least about your last supervisor?
What is your greatest weakness?
What did you like least about your last job?
Why have you been unemployed so long?

4. They want to know if you are a good fit.
What kind of people do you find it hard to work with?
Tell me about a time when you worked as a member of a team.
In what kind of environment are you most comfortable?
Do you prefer to work alone or with others?

5. They want to know if you want their job with their company.
What are you looking for in a position?
Who else are you interviewing with?
Why are you interested in this position?
What do you know about the company?

Often you'll find in a job interview that one question leads to a very much deeper one underneath, so be prepared.

What are role play questions?

The idea of role-play questions in a job interview is for the prospective employer to actually look at how you might behave in a particular scenario that they are familiar with.

You may be asked to role-play a customer service situation.
For example, the interviewer may ask you to pretend to be receiving a call from a stranger where you're asked lots of challenging questions that are relevant to the role you may have to perform in.

Role-play is drama.

Role-play is all about looking at how you're likely to respond if when put into that type of scenario. Remember that a job interview is make-believe. Role-play is kind of getting underneath that make-believe and making it a bit more real and a bit more relevant to the interviewer and the job itself.

What questions should I ask in an interview?

First of all, questions should be:
• relevant to the role,
• relevant to the industry,
• relevant to the person who's going to be managing you.

You can for example ask:
• "What would my typical day look like?"
• "Can I go and have a look at where I might be working if you take me onboard?"

These are all questions that show your interest in a job. They are looking for you to have done your homework and be taking the job interview process seriously.

What questions shouldn't I ask in an interview?

Some of the worst examples of questions asked by potential employees during a job interview are things like:
• "How many paid sick days do I get per year? "
• "What time do I have to finish on Fridays?"
• "Do I have to be in at nine o'clock every morning?"

These questions display too much attitude and totally the wrong sort of questions to ask during a job interview. Ask questions that inspire confidence in your future employer!

Should I mention salary in the interview?

Many people are afraid and don't know if this kind of question should be addressed in an interview. There is nothing wrong with asking how much your salary would be in a job interview, and when you'd get paid it.

Employers don't look at it as a bad question.

Should I lie in an interview to get the job?

I will recommend you never to lie in an interview, or even extend the truth. You will be caught out. It's guaranteed. Companies will actually go through your C.V. anyway and look at the history. Employers will find out if you are trying to fraudulently obtain the job.

Should I just be myself in an interview?

My recommendation:
• try to be relaxed and
• really try to be yourself,

Employers don't want to see a super person in front of them.
They want to see the real person that they could be working with for some length of time. So, just be yourself.

What are the golden rules to surviving an interview?

• be prepared.
• know exactly where you're going for the interview.
• ask yourself if you need change for parking.
• do they have free car parking?
• will you be traveling to the job interview by train or tube?
• do you know how long it's going to take you to sign in?
• if it's a big organization in a big building, it can often take you five or ten minutes just to get through security, and thus to survive the interview you will need to allow extra time.
• you need to know who is going to be interviewing you.
• a golden rule to survive is to make sure you remember their names. Look them up on the website prior to the job interview. Know what their roles are about.
• know what your potential role is going to be all about.
• make sure you've done your homework on the company.
• make sure you have questions ready.
• make sure that there are no unexpected surprises for you, and you will be able to survive a job interview.

How long will an interview take?

• a first interview should take anywhere between thirty minutes and an hour. An interview is somebody getting to know you - and you getting to know them - and deciding whether you like the look of the role and whether they think you're suitable.
• if somebody considers you for an assessment center, then it could take anything from half a day to a day.
• if it's a panel interview or a second interview, you're probably looking at least an hour, because they're trying to find out more about you and whether you're suitable in the process.

Do I need to make notes during an interview?

Yes, it's important that you make notes during a job interview, be it the first or second, or a panel interview. If is very difficult to make notes during the interview, especially if you are doing a presentation for somebody, always ask "Is it OK for me to make notes as I go along?"
Normally, the interviewer or interviewers will say yes.

Do I need to make notes after the interview?

Yes, it can always be a good idea after the interview to make a few notes while everything is still fresh in your mind.
When we are nervous, hurried or not as prepared as we wanted to be in a job interview, we may forget to ask certain questions. If you get invited back for a second interview the notes you take after the first job interview might be questions that you want to address when you return.

Wish you good luck!
Gabriela