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It's All About Body Language
Studies have shown that 90% of communication is non-verbal. During your internship interview, you will have a face-to-face encounter with people who are already professionals in assessing, criticizing and observing job applicants in order to winnow out the few who will actually be offered positions.
You should now be aware that your body language plays a critical role in how you are perceived during your internship interview. It can reveal your personality in spite of what you may be trying to project through your words. Because it is so self-revelatory, most employers give it considerable weight as they assess their interviewees. Thus you should be aware of your body language during an interview.
There are basically two types of body language: positive and negative. Obviously, the positive types are the ones that reflect some good qualities about you. These are also the ones most employers are looking out for to give merit on your profile. By contrast, the negative types are those movements or positions that generally reflects a poor personality.
Be Conscious, Be Positive!
Being conscious of your body as part of you rather than merely a container to be lugged into place and concentrating on positive body movements can be your cutting edge during your interview. So here are some of the positive body languages that you should have when being interviewed.
The best positive body language you have is eye contact. Making good eye contact with your interviewer is vital to projecting both confidence and forthrightness, since a person who avoids eye contact with an interlocutor is often perceived as being either excessively shy or dishonest. However, you shouldn't hold eye contact to the point of locking gaze, since it can come across as aggressive, hostile or even inappropriately sexualized.
A firm and friendly handshake is another important bit of body language that is easy to observe. When you grip too hard, you can be thought of as arrogant, even brutal. But if your handshake is too limp, you risk being perceived as weak and lacking in self-confidence.
Another good bit of body language is keeping your chin up. Although it is usually meant metaphorically, tilting your head upward slightly (but not so much that you appear to be looking down your nose at your interlocutor or give the impression of being a bantam rooster) can actually help project confidence. Try smiling with open lips along with tilting your head slightly in order to show attentiveness.
Making your palms visible is also another gesture that will create positive emotional vibes. Doing so suggests to your employer your sincerity and openness. Touching your fingertips together can also convey a sense of authority, but this can look like a nervous habit if it is overdone.
Body Language To Avoid
While you concentrate on your positive body languages, you should also be aware of certain negative body language that you should avoid during an interview.
First, avoid crossing your arms, since this can convey defensiveness. Also, repetitive gestures such as tapping fingers or toes can convey nervousness. Other signs of nervousness to be avoided include locking your ankles, playing with your hair, fidgeting or even biting your nails. Even more importantly, avoid gestures that convey boredom such as slouching, resting the forehead or chin on a hand or letting the gaze wander aimlessly around the room.
Avoid gestures that can be perceived as arrogance or overconfidence during an interview. Being confident is good but appearing pushy about it is bad. Avoid walking too stiffly erect or overly briskly as if you were trying to take over the situation. You want to project confidence, but also recognition that you know your place in the hierarchy.
Putting your hands on your hips or placing your fists on the table and pointing can show aggression, which is a really bad thing when applying for a job. Nobody wants a powderkeg waiting go to off in the workplace.
Lastly, avoid rubbing your nose or eyes; doing this can express doubt, which can make your interviewer feel that you are not quite sure if you really want the position or not. Also, some people find such gestures to be unsanitary, and you do not want to disgust the person you are trying to impress.
By being aware of your body and the messages you are sending with it, you also communicate that you are a person with good self-management skills. Employers want people who are in control of themselves, not ones who are buffeted about by circumstances and emotion.
