4 Major Body Language Signals to Look Out For During Interviews

You have all heard the expressions “actions speak louder than words” and “it’s not what you say, it’s what you do.” These expressions exist for a reason. Body language experts explain that from how we cross our legs to where we look, and even the way we swallow, we are sharing way more about ourselves and how we are feeling than we think. Why is this an important fact for hiring?

Because studies show that 40-60% of people tell at least one lie per day. So 50% of the population will lie at least once during 24 hours. If you interview six people for a position, there is a good chance that three of the six will lie to you in some way shape or form. This does not mean that people will tell huge, detrimental lies to you - it can be simple white lies or exaggerations, or simply omitting facts. Regardless or the type of lie, this means that in our hiring practices we need to be cognizant of the fact that our prospective hires are keeping things from us.

As discussed in a previous article, when conducting interviews it is an HR best practice to have another leader present and not be by yourself. The importance of having another leader is to get someone else’s point of view, to protect yourself from accusations and also to have someone else help you ask questions, take notes and pay attention to the applicant’s body language. One frequent habit leaders have, is to interview applicants in their office, at a desk, or at a table. If you want to promote an open and honest environment and you want to be able to read someone’s body language, you need to be able to see the applicant. Remove physical barriers, place a table to the side and keep your chairs 1.5 meters apart to not invade someone’s personal space.

EYE CONTACT: 

One of the most important things you should exhibit (and look for from the applicant) is eye contact. Hopefully, you have two people interviewing the applicant and hopefully the applicant will be making contact with both of you. Eye contact demonstrates that the applicant is engaged, interested and paying attention. This does not mean that the applicant needs to be staring at you! What you are looking for is a break in eye contact and looking down; which is an indication of fear, anxiety and lying. Keep in mind that it is not always a lie, but it is an indication that you can zone in on the last statement they made and ask further questions.

FIDGETING & BODY MOVEMENT: 

Playing with one’s nose can be a sign that an applicant is lying, as blood vessels in the nose making them itchy. Rubbing the side of one’s nose can mean the person disagrees with what is being said. Touching hair, braiding it, twisting it, or twirling it is a sign of nervousness. When someone is grabbing or touching their ear, it can represent “hear no evil” so they do not like what they are hearing, or it’s a protective reaction because what they are saying is not truthful and they do not want to process it. Legs and feet facing the door means the applicant is anxious and may want to leave, legs crossed could be a protective gesture, legs and arms crossed could mean they are withdrawn from the conversation.

An ideal candidate would be facing you, leaning forward slightly with their arms relaxed on their legs or on the table. You want someone whose body is telling you that they are engaged, interested and open.

MOUTH: 

After eye contact, the other most important part of an applicant is their mouth. Someone’s smile - or lack thereof - affects all parts of the body and mind. An open mouth smile usually means the person is sincere and honest, and a closed mouth can mean the person is shy, being polite, reserved or perhaps hiding something. When someone is interested, engaged and open, they will smile naturally with the flow of conversation.

LANGUAGE: 

When someone starts a sentence or uses the following words they are usually not being truthful: “It’s obvious / Just so you know / I’m not going to lie to you / This may sound strange / I know you’re not going to believe me."

Look at their face, hands, and legs when using these words. The person may be touching their ear, nose, have their legs crossed, feet facing the door, feet wrapped around each other, or getting an “itch” somewhere. These actions are the body’s natural reaction to “not telling the truth”. If someone was telling the truth, they would not need to use these words.

My personal favourite is: “I’m not going to lie to you.” When someone uses this expression, I like to reply with: “Then don’t lie to me (ha-ha).” I like to catch people off guard and see how they do.

All of this information as a tool to validate your gut instincts not to be used as facts alone because even body language experts say that in analyzing movement, facial expression and language these methods are not 100% accurate 100% of the time. I always refer to myself when providing an example of how this doesn't work because I prefer to smile with my lips closed as I have one tooth that is slightly crooked. It bothers me, even though most people would never even notice my crooked tooth.

This is why having two people in an interview is so important. One person picks up on things that someone else might not and vice versa. It is also important to have someone to break down the interview with afterwards. In analyzing a candidate ensure that you base your hiring decisions on the whole package: experience, knowledge, their interview, your instincts and of course, their body language.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Josée Larocque-Patton assists organizations to develop their people and train their leaders. She guides leaders when their employees are not following procedures and policies and act as a consultant when organizations experience legislative infractions.

Josée Larocque-Patton | Founder and CEO of The HR ICU | www.thehricu.com | email [email protected]