Power posing: Succeed in job interviews with effective body language

The way you deliver a message is often as important as the message itself, especially when battling nerves in an interview.

The statistics on how much we communicate through our body language are widely known – one well-known study believes it accounts for 55 per cent.

Your posture, body language and how animated you are all show how interested you are in the job and can be the deciding factor for a hiring manager.

Power pose your way to success with 4 easy steps.

What is effective body language? 

Dress the part. 

• If it’s an office-based interview, then wear business professional attire.
• If it’s a video/online interview, then dress professionally on the top and casual on the bottom.
• If you are visiting a site, ask if you need to wear safety clothes.
• When in doubt, you can never go wrong with a blazer.

Be aware of how positive your facial expression and body language is. 

Keep eye contact with the interviewer, lean into the conversation and if you tend to talk with your hands, aka use hand gestures, do so here. All of this will show you're paying attention and help portray you as engaged and interested in the conversation.

Practice in a mirror or in front of someone

This is a great way to check and correct nervous ticks, word repetition and fillers such as ‘erms,’ ‘umms’ etc.

Tackling telephone or video/online interviews

On a telephone remember to give verbal ‘nods’ to acknowledge you understood and are following the conversation. Convey your passion by keeping your tone enthusiastic.

Top tip: It's a good idea to record yourself answering a question or two and study the video. Are you fidgeting, swinging in your chair or touching your hair (which can be distracting)?, Or perhaps your arms are crossed, which can be seen as an aggressive/ or bored stance? While you want your genuine self to come across in the interview, be mindful of these gestures and body movements.

A final thought

Even if you are not feeling confident, you can give off the impression that you are by adapting a positive body language. Sitting up straight, communicating clearly, maintaining eye contact and smiling are the main pillars of body language interview success – your power pose.