August 04, 2010
--- Job seekers with shifty eyes, reluctant smiles, or fidgety limbs during an interview may be hurting their chances of landing a job. ---
A new CareerBuilder survey of more than 2,500 hiring managers reveals that failure to make eye contact (67%), lack of smile (38%), and fidgeting too much (33%) would make them less likely to hire someone.
When asked overall what additional body language mistakes would make them less likely to hire job candidates, hiring managers pinpointed:
- Bad posture - 33%
- Handshake that is too weak - 26%
- Crossing arms over their chest - 21%
- Playing with their hair or touching their face - 21%
- Using too many hand gestures - 9%
"In a highly competitive job market, job seekers need to set themselves apart in the interview stage," said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources for CareerBuilder, in a news release. "All that pressure, though, may have some job seekers making body language mistakes that don’t convey a confident message."
The survey was conducted online within the U.S. by Harris Interactive on behalf of CareerBuilder.com among 2,534 U.S. hiring managers.
Fred Schneyer