It starts with the first shake<\/h2>\n
One of your first opportunities to impression-manage at an interview is when you first greet your interviewer with a handshake. It will send an immediate message and you want it to be a good one \u2013 so that means no dead fish and no vice-like grip. Ensure you shake the hand of every person on the interview panel, looking each interviewer in the eye as you do so.<\/p>\n
![\"Shaking](\"https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-ap-v2i.applyflow.com\/hudson-main-site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/shaking-hands.png\" "\\"It")
<\/h2>\nKnow how to use your hands<\/h2>\n
Just as a handshake is important, so is the use of your hands throughout the duration of the interview. Avoid fidgeting or nervous gestures; instead, simply rest your hands in an upright position in your lap if you\u2019re unsure of what to do.<\/p>\n
Keeping your hands in check may be difficult for some but if nothing else, avoid finger pointing at all costs.<\/p>\n
Learn the value of a smile<\/h2>\n
A job interview can be a serious business but don\u2019t be afraid to smile, and even laugh if the situation calls for it. By doing so, you\u2019re likely to loosen up and be more comfortable for the remainder of the interview. It will also help you build a connection with your interviewer<\/a>.<\/p>\n Robert Provine, Professor of Psychology at the University of Maryland, studied the effects of smiling and laughing and showed that they can be used as valuable relationship building tools. He also discovered that smiles are almost always reciprocated, which in turn creates positive feelings in participants. So smile at your next interview and you may have even more reasons to smile afterwards if they offer you the job.<\/p>\n Make sure you sit in an upright and attentive position for the duration of your interview. While it may be a comfortable position for many, resist the urge to fold your arms and cause unnecessary barriers between you and your interviewer.<\/p>\n Crossing your arms can give off the wrong impression, but there\u2019s more to it than that. Not only is this gesture blocking you physically, a study documented by Pease International showed that subjects who listened to a series of lectures with their arms folded retained 38 per cent less information than those who listened with their arms unfolded. In other words, uncrossing your arms also unblocks your mind \u2013 so at your next job interview, don\u2019t forget to keep your arms and mind open.<\/p>\nAvoid arm-crossing at all costs<\/h2>\n