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Making myself not only sound but look and act professional with proper posture, polite demeanor, and other forms of subtle nonverbal language will help greatly in impressing my interviewer.

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Are you getting ready for a job interview? Here's how to make an interviewer feel dubious about your candidacy: slump in your seat, avoid eye contact, and crack your knuckles before answering tough questions.

Appearance counts during interviews-not only how you dress, but also how you carry yourself. Even if your responses to questions are flawless, the wrong body language can send the wrong signal and sour how you're perceived.

Follow these recommendations for men and women to project poise and confidence-not jitters and arrogance-during your next job interview.

Before the Interview

Put on your confidence even before the interview commences. In the waiting area, have good posture while standing and sitting. Keep your back straight, and your chin parallel to the ground. While you may not have met your interviewer at this point, it's still possible that the receptionist or potential future co-workers are observing you.

When you sit down to wait, place your briefcase or purse to the left side of your chair-that will reduce awkwardness when you have to shake the interviewer's hand and grab your personal items.

During the Interview

While first impressions do count for a lot, it's during your conversation that interviewers will have an extended time to take you in. Your answers to questions are important, as is your stance while listening and responding. Keep these body language tips in mind:

Posture and Sitting Style

First and foremost: No slumping. Keep your back straight. Lean forward slightly to indicate interest. Do not recline back into the chair fully; this can make you seem bored or disengaged.

Avoid crossing your arms or placing items in your lap; these habits indicate defensiveness, nerves, and a need for self-protection when what you'd ideally convey during an interview is confidence.

Avoid Crossing Your Legs

Most experts recommend against crossed legs. With a long interview, you might need to re-cross them because your leg is falling asleep. This could come across as fidgeting.

Try Not to Appear Restless

Speaking of fidgeting, if you're a nail-biter, knuckle-cracker, hair-twirler, or leg-tapper, don't allow these habits to make an appearance during the interview. All will appear unprofessional and convey nerves. Plus, most of these actions are generally considered impolite.

Use Your Hands

Do you naturally talk with your hands? Go ahead and let them move during the interview. Stopping your natural gestures may lead to an awkward appearance. Just make sure your motions don't become so enthusiastic that they distract from your words.

Make Eye Contact

It's important to make eye contact during your interview, but don't mistake that for a directive to make constant eye contact. That can be disconcerting and considered aggressive.

At the same time, avoiding eye contact entirely comes across as untrustworthy and distant-it could make it seem like your answers are dishonest. Balance it out: Aim to make eye contact as you listen and respond to questions, but allow it to break occasionally, and let your eyes wander.

Practice Your Body Language

You should practice your body language as much as you rehearse your answers to common interview questions. Natural tendencies tend to take over when you're nervous, so you have to learn to consciously overcome them.

Practice with friends or an interview coach to ensure you're fully aware and in control of your body when the time comes for the interview.

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Body Language Tips for Your Next Job Interview

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Are you getting ready for a job interview? Here's how to make an interviewer feel dubious about your candidacy: slump in your seat, avoid eye contact, and crack your knuckles before answering tough questions. Appearance counts during interviews-not only how you dress, but also how you carry yourself.

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Starting the interview with the same nonverbal language and professionalism that it started with will help imprint myself on the interviewer's memory and help ensure that I am kept in consideration in the future.

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Reacting to the interviewer in mild ways to show that I'm listening may have a more desirable affect than consistently using easily noticeable nonverbal communication.

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To ensure the interview goes the way I want, I can ask questions and prompt my interviewer to lead into situations where I can impress them with something I had prepared.

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Ever get all excited for an interview, only to be frustrated that it didn't go as well as planned? Maybe your experience wasn't portrayed in its best light, or your many accomplishments weren't valued. How can you avoid this outcome, and take control of the interview?

It's really not that hard....partially it's how you approach the interview, and partially how you employ some interview tactics.

Change your approach:

So how do you change your approach to gain control of an interview? Stop being defensive - most job candidates take a defensive interview stance and answer questions that the interviewer asks. The stronger candidates go on the offensive...they interview the company.

So take a strong offense in your interview approach. As a candidate, interview the company to see how the fit is for you. Get a feeling to see will your skills will be valued? Do you see a mentorship relationship with anyone you've interviewed with? Does the company "feel" right? Can you succeed here? Does the company's management style and culture fit your personality comfortably? Is there growth potential for the company, and for your career?

Change your tactics:

Most candidates rattle off their life story, going through every job they've had since they delivered papers in Junior High. Not only does this not help you demonstrate subject matter expertise in an interview, it bores the interviewer to death. Worse yet, it wastes valuable time for you to interview the company and make an impression as a leader. If you could take control of the interview, would you try a different tactic?

So how do you interview the company? Ask questions - Lots of them. Especially ask questions where you already know the answer, based on your research. For instance, let's say you're a Director of IT, interviewing with a public company that stated in its last 10Q that they plan on growing 25% per year. Could you ask "If your President predicts 25% annual growth, how does that affect IT systems? Are your internal systems prepared to handle that growth? What implications does that growth have on IT, on IT security?"

Of course, you'll want to make some advance guesses to the answer, so that you can next comment "Oh that's interesting, I solved that problem at Company X by doing Y". Do that 2 or 3 times, and you've uncovered a company's top initiatives, problems, and risks. Better yet, you've subtly shown that you've been there and done that. All of a sudden, you're the leading candidate, because you've shown foresight to anticipate the companies issues....and, by the way, you've already solved their problems for prior employers.

If the interviewer tries to gain control of the interview, take it back. Answer the question very quickly, don't go into details, and quickly ask a related question back to the interviewer.

Let's say you get a pat interview question (hiring managers use these as filler, HR use these because they don't always know detailed technical questions to ask) like "What's your greatest professional challenge?" As long as you're not going for a job in PR, you could answer something like "Public speaking - I'm taking classes to improve. What are the companies (or department's) greatest challenges?" Or "I see that industry reports project a downturn in your markets. What is the company doing to prepare? What implications do those plans have on department X? If you aren't able to pull off this strategy, what's plan B? What are the implications if this strategy doesn't work?"

Of course, you're not going to ask these kinds of detailed questions of HR, unless you're interviewing for an HR job. So what do you take control of an interview from a HR interviewer who asks "Where do you see your career in 5 years?" Here's a time when can work to answer a question with a question. Could you try... "It depends...where do you see the company in 5 years?"

In an interview you can own it, and set the tone of your leadership...or let the interviewer own you.

Which works better for you?

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How To Take Control Of The Interview - Ivy Exec Blog

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It's really not that hard....partially it's how you approach the interview, and partially how you employ some interview tactics. Change your approach: So how do you change your approach to gain control of an interview? Stop being defensive - most job candidates take a defensive interview stance and answer questions that the interviewer asks.

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The below linked article gives examples on how tone can be used in an interview to impress the interviewer. I tend to be more casual than I should or trip over my own words. I can pace myself and maintain a polite and professional demeanor by paying attention to accent.

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While the word "tone" often refers to the voice, more broadly it refers to the way you sound when you speak and the feeling people get about you. Your tone is an expression of vocal and word patterns. It's a subtle (but crucial) reason why an interviewer might be turned off and not hire you-or why they might be drawn to you and make you an offer. Follow these six guidelines and you will come across as a polished, confident, and compelling candidate.

1. Be assertive, not aggressive

This distinction can make all the difference in an interview. Being assertive means that you can confidently affirm your ideas; being aggressive means that you have a fighting attitude. (In fact, the word "aggressive" comes from the Latin word aggressio, meaning "attack.")

Women often tell me they're afraid of sounding too aggressive, which is understandable, given the frequency with which people still fall back on stereotypes about women in the workplace. Regardless of your gender, your interviewer can easily be turned off if you come on too strong.

To avoid this, stay away from edgy expressions like "I feel you'd be making a mistake if you pass over me" or "I have other options, of course." Also make sure you don't sounding aggressive toward your last boss or company, as in "I didn't like my boss," or "The culture was Neanderthal." Be assertive and simply present your ideas and your value clearly and confidently ("I feel I'd be a great fit.")

2. Be confident, not self-important

Here, too, there is a fine line that you must walk. Being confident involves showing your strengths clearly and convincingly, but if you push your credentials too far or too emphatically you'll come across as self-important.

For example, a job applicant will sound confident if she says, "I believe I have the background to succeed in this role," whereas an applicant will sound self-important if he says, "I've got everything you're looking for; when do I start?"

The confident person presents her credentials and leaves the decision in the hands of the recruiter. The self-important person overstates his credentials and makes the assumption that he will be hired. Remember, no one wants to hire a know-it-all.

3. Be forthcoming, not rambling

To show you are open and authentic, share a few personal stories, moments of achievement, and even some of the most challenging episodes in your career. Let people have a behind-the-scenes look at you.

Such stories, however, can easily lead to rambling. So when you bring in personal anecdotes, keep them short, and make sure they have a point. Also make sure that when you answer questions, you don't go on endlessly.

4. Be prepared, not scripted

If you sound programmed or scripted, you'll never get the job. But that doesn't mean you should skip the prep work. The best way to do this is to write out the key things you want to convey. Specifically, make sure you have a main message about yourself and some supporting points that show your strengths and credentials for the new role. Also write out (in bullet point-form) your answers to some of the questions the interviewer may ask.

Go over these key messages until you feel very comfortable sharing them. That way, when you deliver them, they'll sound spontaneous, but polished. Your interviewer will think you're a bright, confident communicator-and you'll feel more confident because you're prepared.

5. Be gracious, not fawning

Good manners in a job interview are a must, but don't overdo it with obsequiousness. Being gracious is a necessary art-it allows you to show appreciation to your interviewer for inviting you in, for giving you the honor of being among the candidates, and for providing the opportunity to present your credentials. Graciousness goes a long way to building the relationship.

You should, however, avoid fawning or overly gracious statements that make you sound like too much of a subordinate. Such comments come in the form of expressions like "I can't thank you enough for this interview," or "It has been a humbling experience to talk with someone like you who is such a strong HR leader." Be warm and grateful, but don't be too humble.

6. Be excited, not anxious

It's normal to be nervous, but the people who are best at interviewing are able to channel that energy into something positive. Talk about the opportunity and how thrilled you would be to take on the new role.

Make sure you don't overdo it, however. No interviewer wants to hire a candidate who can't stay grounded during a job interview. Stay cool, and focus on how prepared and excited you are about the opportunity.

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6 ways to strike the right tone in your job interview

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While the word "tone" often refers to the voice, more broadly it refers to the way you sound when you speak and the feeling people get about you. Your tone is an expression of vocal and word patterns.

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Supplementing professional and practiced speech with nonverbal communication or signs of agreement (nodding, gesturing, eye contact) makes it clear to the interviewer I'm listening.

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Why is interview body language important? Non-verbal communication accounts for over 90% of the message you are sending in your job interview so it is essential to get it right.

Your interview posture, what you do with your hands, how you make eye contact and the way you speak such as your voice tone are as important as the actual words you use in your job interview answers.

8 Essential Interview Body Language Tips

Non-verbal communication tips for job interviews.

What is the best posture in an interview?

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 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.

2. Mirror the interviewer's body language

It is important to pay attention to the posture of your interviewer. 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.

3. Interview body language - what to do with your hands

If you are unsure of what to do with your hands, rest them loosely clasped in your lap or on the table in front of you.

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 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.

Lots 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.

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.

Over-using direct eye contact when you are speaking can come across as 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.

6. What about facial expressions during your interview?

Interview anxiety can make candidates appear distracted and unenthusiastic. Making a conscious effort to smile is key to overcoming this. Smiling will help build rapport and create a friendly and confident impression.

However in order for the smile to appear genuine and for it to be appropriate, let your smile come and go and smile at the right time. Don't discuss serious or difficult issues with a grin on your face.

Sometimes frowning or pursing your lips is an unconscious response when you are thinking about a question. However this can be interpreted as annoyance, incompetence or disapproval. The best thing you can do to avoid this is to pause and look away for a few seconds, this will demonstrate that you are considering the question and your answer.

7. How to monitor your voice delivery

Speaking in a clear and controlled voice conveys confidence.

Avoid speaking in a monotone by varying your tone and pitch, however don't overdo it and come across as overly excited or emotional.

Breathe and pause before answering a question, this gives you time to react in a considered way and it ensures that the interviewer has finished the question.

You should interact with the interviewer as an equal, not a subordinate. Ensure that your voice tone is not apologetic or defensive.

8. Avoid displaying too much emotion

Generally it is advisable not to show too much or too strong emotion during your job interview. Smile and nod at appropriate times but don't overdo it. Avoid intense facial expressions, gesticulations and erupting into laughter on your own.

How to read the interviewer's body language

Watch for these interview body language signals from your interviewer to read the message they are sending you.

Body language cues that can indicate boredom include resting head on hand, fiddling with hands and losing eye contact. If this happens wrap up what you are saying and move on by asking the interviewer a question such as: "Is there anything else you would like to know about that topic?"

Drumming fingers and rubbing the face can indicate irritation. Clarify that you are answering the question with the information they want and not frustrating them with an off-the-point response.

If the interviewer crosses arms or leans away it could mean that they are feeling uncomfortable. Consider your interview body language. Perhaps you are leaning in too close and invading their space in some way.

Be aware of personal space. If there is not a table between you that creates a safe degree of personal space, keep a distance of about two to three feet, this is a comfortable amount of personal space for most people.

Send the right message with your interview clothes

What message do your interview clothes send? Know how to dress for an interview and make the right first impression.

Practice with this mock interview

Preparing for your job interview includes not only knowing what to say but how to say it. The best way to be aware of your interview body language and the way you are coming across is to practice in front of a mirror. This way you can be confident that you are sending the right message in your job interview.

Use the mock job interview to help you.

Quick Links to Top Job Interview Tips

Be ready for any interview question you may have to answer. Go to these sample job interview questions

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The right interview body language. How to sit in an interview, what to do with your hands, how to use your voice and how to build rapport with the interviewer.