Body language and facial cues can let the interviewer know whether you are confident, deceiving, afraid, uncertain, trustworthy, aggressive, and even whether you are really listening to what they are saying. Rather than leaving your first impression to chance, practice using your body language as if it were another aspect of your resume. Like your resume, it helps a prospective employer know who you are and what kind of an employee they will get if they hire you.

Professionally trained interviewers will almost always project a confident, attentive, non-threatening persona during the interview, and this is what you should strive for as well. Attentiveness can be shown by sitting forward on your chair, and leaning in toward the conference table just a little bit. Not too much though, if you lean too far toward the interviewer you can seem overbearing or aggressive. Fidgeting or fumbling with a pen or other object gives the appearance of impatience and boredom, as though you can't wait for the other person to stop talking. Your attention should be firmly focused on the interviewer. A slight smile and nodding in agreement when the interviewer makes a point shows that you care about what is being said, without signaling aggression. Nodding as the interviewer finishes a question, can signal that you have thought about this issue and are prepared to answer, implying competence and attention to detail.

Nobody likes to be stared down, but maintaining eye contact is important. Good eye contact will show confidence and honesty, especially when you are talking. If you are constantly averting your eyes or have difficulty looking the interviewer in the eye when answering a question, the interviewer may note this as a sign of deception, dishonesty, or extreme lack of confidence in whatever you are saying. If your eyes are darting down and to the left, this is almost universally recognized as a sign of deception. If you must look away, looking up and to the right signals that you are searching your memory or processing a thought, but is still not as effective as maintaining solid eye contact.

If you fear that you seem too aggressive or overbearing, recent raised eyebrows with eyes wide open is subconsciously interpreted as a submissive gesture and can help put the interviewer back at ease. This works best when reacting to something the interviewer is saying in a sort of "oh, really?" expression. Smiling whenever you can work it in to the conversation naturally is one of the best tools you can bring to the interview. Smiling is a confident gesture, and makes you seem more friendly and approachable. Salesmen smile because it induces trust in clients, and it'll help you close the deal with an interviewer in the same fashion.

It's important to practice these techniques so that they appear natural. Use them in conversations outside the workplace and make sure you are getting the reactions you expect. Obviously artificial gestures or expressions will make you seem shallow or aloof. If you can't pull it off in a natural manner, then don't try it in an important interview. Keep practicing, though, and eventually you'll be able to use body language as a key part of your conversations in any situation.

Finally, the first chance you'll get to use body language to your advantage is also the last impression that you leave with the interviewer- the handshake. No matter whether the interviewer offers you a "break your hand" squeeze or a "wet noodle" handshake, you should meet their gaze with a friendly smile during the handshake. Offer a firm, but not overbearing grip. At the close of the interview, the final handshake is your opportunity to thank the interviewer for their time and ask when you might expect to hear from them for the next step in the process. Your body language will tell a story about you in an interview, if you pay attention to details, that story is much more likely to end happily.

Author: Brad Sylvester