Common body language mistakes in interviews

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What speaks more than words in an interview? Body language is the answer.

Have you noticed how you warm to someone who looks you in the eye, and feel threatened when someone leans back and fold their arms?

Job hunting season is now open and some experts say a good chunk of the interviewer’s impression of you will come straight from your body language.

Even if it was only 20% body language and the rest based on your words, then great body language that helps you get noticed could be the boost that you need in the interview.

That’s right. Simple things such as sitting upright and uncrossing your arms will make your interviewer more inclined to like you.

This applies just as much for first jobbers as it does for executives, says Richard Wynn, regional director at Michael Page. “Irrespective of what you say in the interview you will be given points for your handshake, your body language and your eye contact,” says Wynn.

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Should you include a photo with your resume?

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IT’S the new trend job seekers are being encouraged to embrace to stand out from the crowd — a professional photograph of yourself to accompany your resume.

But is this something you should be jumping on in your effort to land your dream job? Or are there bigger risks to this practice?

This week, online job seeker site OneShift released information that showed only 14 per cent of applicants included a photo of themselves with their resume.

If that figure seems high to you, keep in mind it’s not representative of the entire Australian population. It was from a survey conducted among people from its own database of users so the actual figure is likely to be much lower.

OneShift founder Gen George said including a photo was common practice in some European countries and it’s something Australians should be doing more.

“Candidates that include a photo, these days, have a clear advantage over those that don’t,” she said. “The profiles that get the most attention from prospective employers are always the ones with professional looking photos attached, and this goes the same for your resume.”

Ms George’s argument is that prospective employers are going to Google you anyway so you may as well control their first visual impression.

However, making photos the norm in the initial stages of job applications is also fraught with risk. Employment industry experts warned that adding photos to resumes could increase your risk of being discriminated against.

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Interview questions of the weird kind!

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YOU’RE in the middle of a perfectly respectable job interview, talking about your work and career aspirations. Then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, you’re thrown a curveball:

“Name the seven dwarfs from Disney’s Snow White”.

You ask yourself, what does that have to do with anything?

Some employers are starting to ask prospective employees curly questions to see how they’ll respond. How you answer these types of questions gives interviewers insight into your thinking style, how quickly you react on your feet in unexpected situations and your personality, and how you are able to manage a tough situation.

Some other type of questions mentioned in recent articles on the subject:

• One a day-to-day basis, what number do you think of the most?

• What would you expect to see written on your gravestone?

• Are there wolves in Australia?

• How would you move three chairs from one end of the room to the other?

• What fruit best describes you?

• If you inherited an island, what would be the top three rules of the island?

OneShift founder and chief executive Gen George said: “Many employers are using these oddball questions to suss out if the candidate is quick on their feet. “They’re looking to get a feel for analytical thinking skills, how you respond under pressure, and what your general view of the world is.” Ms George said the trick to dealing with the questions is to take your time. She said the answer isn’t always the most important part, rather, the interviewer is looking for your process, so explain your rationale.

5 Questions to ask at a interview to make it happen

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So, you’ve applied for your dream job, and scored an interview. The interview’s been really positive, and you’ve got a good feeling now it’s wrapping up. Then the interviewer asks, “Do you have any questions for me?” If your answer is no, you may have just wasted a golden opportunity. If you really want to impress your potential employer, here are five questions to ask in your next interview:

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Why salaries shouldn’t be kept secret

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Very few people like to talk about how much money they 1Win make — especially not people who earn a lot of money.

Since companies tend to be run by people who earn a lot of money, the result is a culture of silence and secrecy when it comes to pay. Such a culture clearly served theNew York Times ill in this case.

If the salaries of senior New York Times management had not been a closely-guarded secret, then Abramson would not have been shocked when she found out how much Bill Keller made before her, and Arthur Sulzberger would not have reacted badly to Abramson’s questions about pay.

Indeed, secrecy surrounding pay is generally a bad idea for any organisation. Ben Horowitz has the best explanation of why that is: it can’t help but foment poisonous internal politics. But there are other reasons, too.

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