Body Language at Work

Learn the Secret Meaning Behind Every Move

• Publisher: Adams Media
• Year: 2011
• ISBN:
  9781440534584
• Topic: Betriebswirtschaft
• Subtopic: Unternehmenskommunikation

Raised eyebrows, rubbing one's chin, angled shoulders - what's it all mean? Master the art of nonverbal communication and you'll unlock these secrets and more. Body Language at Work is your quick course in interpreting office place body language. Now you'll know just what your bosses and coworkers are thinking - without them having to say a word.

Chapter 1

Acing the Interview

There are people who are trained in the art of assessing what you’re saying with your eyes, posture, and handshake. Some of these people happen to be employed by the FBI and the CIA; others happen to be ordinary businessmen and women who are on the lookout for promising job candidates. Before you head into your next job interview, you should know all the ways in which you’re being evaluated!

Take One for the Team

Some people are seemingly born knowing how to win over potential employers. These men and women know how to flash the smile, shake the hand, nod at the right times, and land any position they go after. And then there are those who suffer through every job interview (and suffer is not too strong a word).

The first group has a handle on how to behave professionally, even if they actually have no clue as to what they’re doing in any other part of their career. The latter group either doesn’t know about playing the part or doesn’t put much stock in it. In fact, these people often feel that their unwillingness to go with the flow is what sets them apart from the other candidates and is the very thing that’s going to win them the position they’re after! Unfortunately, they’re often wrong.

When in Doubt, Conform

When you’re vying for an entry-level position in the corporate world, conformity is often your best shot at landing the job. Don’t worry — you’ll have plenty of time to make your mark once you’ve set up camp inside the company, but first you need to show the powers that be that you’re a team player. And every member of the team displays a few common characteristics through his body language.

An Exception

In an extremely creative environment, where conformity is synonymous with poor job performance, it’s often wise to take the I’m-a-complete-original stance. In fact, the “interview” may be a look at your portfolio and an assessment of just how eccentric you’re capable of being.

When you sit down with an employer, you want to send the following unspoken messages:

• I’m interested in this company.
• I’m confident I can do this job well.
• I’m eager to be part of the team.

While it’s important to be articulate during your time in the hot seat, it’s just as important to back up your words with the correct gestures. You can tell your interviewer how confident you are, but if you’re gnawing at your fingernails while you’re saying it, you’re sending him a definite mixed message. Nail biting may be the thing you do to pass the time, but it’s perceived as a nervous habit.

Part of the message you want to convey with your body language is that this is where you plan on hanging your hat for the next several years (even if you have absolutely no intention of staying longer than six months). Companies don’t want to spend money training an employee who isn’t going to stay with them.

Rise to the Occasion

Remember when your grandma would say, “Stand up straight!” as she smacked you between the shoulder blades? Your grandma knew that good posture conveys a positive message to the outside world. When you stand or sit straight up — as opposed to slouching — you look bigger. You appear ready to take on the world. When you sit up straight in an interview, you show that you’re alert, interested, and eager. This may sound like a minor detail, but it might be the thing that sets you apart from other job seekers.

Posture is part of projecting confidence, and confidence is vital to landing a job.

Put Me In, Boss!

Every office deals with crises and stressful situations. Your interviewer might specifically be looking for someone who can handle situations with ease (someone who’ll drive a hard bargain with business contacts) and not succumb to the pressures associated with doing business (you won’t allow clients to take advantage of you or your company).

Good posture gives you an instant attitude and sends out an unmistakable message to other people. Slouchers tend to be viewed as less confident, more nervous, less outgoing people. In an office setting, good posture makes you look like you’re capable; poor posture makes you look world-weary.

People who stand tall appear to be comfortable in their own skin. They’re ready to meet challenges head-on and tackle any problems that come their way. When you sit tall in an interview, you project the image of confidence — something your potential employer wants to see — even if you’re shaking in your high-heeled boots (or loafers).

Be There and Be Square

Posturing yourself correctly in an interview begins with your spine and ends with your legs. Sitting up straight is a good start, but if you let your lower body go wild, no one’s going to notice how confident your upper body appears to be.

When you seat yourself in an interview, you want to square your shoulders and angle your body toward your interviewer. This simply means that you want your body to be facing him. It’s not such a difficult task, actually; you want to avoid sitting so your head is turned toward the interviewer but your lower body is turned away from him, a position that can make you appear uninterested or shy. Angling yourself away from another person is an attempt to distance yourself from him and is seen in situations from which there’s no immediate escape (like a job interview). You can’t increase the physical distance between yourself and the other person by pulling your chair to the other side of the room, so you angle yourself away from him instead.

Angling your lower body away from a person while your upper body is angled toward him is an awkward position to be in while you’re in the middle of a Q&A session, for one thing; for another, it can come off as looking far too casual.

What about those legs? Should you cross them or leave both feet flat on the floor? You want to avoid looking too comfortable or too on-edge. It’s all right to cross your legs, but don’t jiggle your foot around. That tells your interviewer that you’re nervous (or worse, bored). You should not stretch your legs out in front of you at any time during a job intervie...