Product Features
Blog
Contact Us
Sign In
Body language is extremely important in any form of interaction and video interviews are no exception. Interviewers are well trained to detect and interpret nuances from your body language and the wrong gesture can send the wrong message. Because we know that body language can be the difference between the success or failure of your video interview, we are putting together a few body language tips to help you get started.
Sit straight up –
How you sit tells a lot about your personality. Sitting slouched in a chair is a sign of laziness and leaning back into the chair can be interpreted as lack of seriousness. There are also different sitting styles that mean different things. For your video interview, sitting upright is the right way. Try as much as you can to avoid leaning back, slouching or folding your arms. You want to sit in a way that translates as confident, approachable and ready to get the job done.
Maintain eye contact –
It may seem tricky maintaining eye contact with a person that is not in the same room with you, but this is necessary and quite possible. The best way to maintain eye contact in a one way video interview is to look directly at the lens of your camera. That is not to say you cannot look elsewhere during the session, but try as possible to look directly at the lens at least 98% of the time. Maintaining eye contact tells the recruiter or interviewer that you are involved in the process and willing to engage.
Nod your head when listening –
Asides from keeping eye contact, nodding your head while listening shows that you are paying attention. That doesn’t mean that you should nod all through, but nod your head occasionally to let the interviewer know that you understand what is being said.
Avoid too much movement –
Understandably, most people will feel uncomfortable sitting straight up and maintaining eye contact with someone that is probably hundreds of miles away. They may feel the need to move about or do something. Others with pent up nervous energy can also feel the same way, however it is not a good idea to move about in any interview, whether physical or video. Moving about not only tells the interviewer that you are nervous; it can also be quite distracting. If you feel extremely nervous, clench the muscles of your legs, or those parts of the body not covered by the camera and try to focus on the questions.
Smile –
You may be nervous, uncertain or downright uncomfortable, but none of these should show on your face. A lot of what is going on in the mind can be mirrored in the face, so you need to pay attention to what is showing on your face. A smile can hide all the insecurities and nervousness you are going through. It also make you seem approachable, likeable and someone people will want to work with. All through your interview session, ensure that you keep a pleasant smile on your face. No one wants to work with grandpa grouch.
