“Although our body language governs the way other people perceive us, our body language also governs how we perceive ourselves and how those perceptions become reinforced through our own behavior, our interactions, and even our physiology.”
In a Personal Interview at SSB, the Interviewing Officer makes his opinion about the candidate in the first 90 seconds, although the Interview will go on for 45-5- minutes or so. What happens in the first 90 seconds decides whether the Interviewing Officer makes the right opinion about you and gives you further opportunities through his questions to show him the appropriate side of your personality. So what exactly impresses the Interviewing Officer in the first 90 seconds?- it can be how you enter the Room, greet the Officer, move closer to the chair and when told, sit down on the chair offered to you. During this time, the Interviewing Officer would have a look at you, see you walking inside, answer your greeting and take note of the way you sit down in the chair.
It is what you show the Interviewing officer through these gestures in the very beginning which tell him about your whole personality, without uttering a single spoken word: The BODY LANGUAGE.
Also known as the non-verbal language, it forms 70% of our communication, while only 30% of our communication with others is through the spoken word. Hence it is important to know more about what your body is speaking before you open your mouth. This will include your eyes, your lips, your chin and neck, hands and legs. Let’s have a look at the most important aspects of non-verbal communication using one’s body parts and movements:
- Eye Contact: The Interviewing Officer gets most of the information about a candidate through looking into their eyes. The eye contact gives him the most accurate information about the candidate and his state of mind. A candidate who fails to look into the eyes of the Interviewing Officer directly shows a lack of self-confidence and is not likely to be trusted by the Officer. It is suggested that while listening to the questions asked by the Officer and for most of the part of the answers told by the candidate, s/he needs to look into the eyes of the Interviewer and respond. Especially if the candidate does not know the answer of any question, s/he need not to look down or up at the ceiling or walls of the room. Keeping a firm gaze shows the determination and ability to influence others with one’s answers. This doe not mean one needs to constantly stare at the Interviewer, although. There is a difference between constant staring and gazing. One needs to practice looking at strangers and talking with them about yourself, freely without much nervousness.
- Facial Expressions: While entering the room, sitting down and answering the questions, one needs to keep the chin up, with a straight, pleasant face. There need not to be a broad smile all the time on one’s face, neither is there a need to keep a serious face with raised eyebrows. You can also nod your head, once in a while in agreement with something that the Interviewing Officer has said or as part of your answers.
- Sitting Posture: In the very beginning of the Interview, it is suggested that the candidate should sit only when told to do so. Once seated, candidate should not become too comfortable or casual and start spreading the limbs all over the chair. One should try to sit with arms rested firmly in front or sideways on the chair and try to sit erect throughout the interview. Sitting on the edge or sitting too comfortably, shifting the weight on the chair, fiddling with the arm rest or ones’ clothes or the chair needs to be avoided. Give the Interviewer an impression that you are interested in answering the questions asked by him. If you are really interested, your body posture will show it with every move.
- The Limbs: Show your cool, calm resolve with an equally relaxed hands and legs. Avoid sitting cross-legged or folding the hands again and again. Keep the arms rested straight in front of you on your lap or to your sideways, whichever is comfortable. Under no circumstances, fold or fiddle with your fingers or hands. Open arms show open mind. Open mind will definitely show more Officer like qualities.
- The Hand gestures: Avoid making too many hand gestures while answering any question, one odd nod of the head, smile or thumbs up is fine if it came out naturally, rest every word need not to be supported with a hand gesture too.
In addition to these points, it will be good to work on your gait, style of walking and shaking hand, if required. A candidate should walk in straight with head held high, chin up and shoulders rolled back smartly before entering the hall. If asked to shake hand, offer a firm handshake and do not do so, if not offered. Keeping in mind the basic principles of Social Distancing due to the Covid 19 Pandemic, it is better to greet while entering with reference to the time of the day: Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening sir/ma’am.
Keeping these simple suggestions in mind, a candidate can acquire the right body language at the Personal Interview in SSB.
Know more about Mastering Outdoor Tasks at SSB in my next blog.
