I Shouldn't Be Telling You This: Success Secrets Every Gutsy Girl Should Know by Kate White Read Free Book Online

body language to communicate, often without realizing they’re doing so. It can speak volumes and is often far more accurate than what’s being said verbally. You’ll have the upper hand if you not only learn how to read it but use your own strategically.
    Of course, when you’re interviewing for a job, you’ve got a lot of balls to keep in the air, and you may feel the last thing you can do is concentrate on your body language. But you’ll come across far more confidently if you’re conscious of certain details. I learned about many of them from Janine Driver, a body language expert I’ve worked with frequently and the author of You Can’t Lie to Me: The Revolutionary Program to Supercharge Your Inner Lie Detector and Get to the Truth.
    Your handshake. This is one of the first ways the interviewer connects with you, and you need to do it right. Driver says to make certain the web of your hand is positioned in the web of the interviewer’s and that you point your thumb to the sky. Also, tilt back your hand a little—that’s what Driver calls “the pauper’s handshake.” It acknowledges the other person’s power, she says. You’re saying, “I know who’s in charge here.”
    Your sitting position. Once you’re sitting down, Driver recommends you move the chair about thirty degrees, so it’s slightly off center. Being directly face-to-face often makes the other person anxious.
    Your head and your eyes. Keep your head level when listening. Janine points out that lots of body language is literal and holding your head level translates as—yes, you got it—levelheadedness. Most people, she says, are comfortable with eye contact about 60 percent of the time, so don’t overdo it. She recommends that you occasionally glance away while speaking, giving the other person a break, and look to your bottom left—it signals that you’re having an internal dialogue or, in other words, considering what the interviewer is saying.
    Your legs and feet. I can’t help it—I often check out a job candidate’s feet and legs, and from what Janine says, so do many prospective employers. Do not cross your legs, she advises. Keeping both feet on the ground signals that you, well, have both feet on the ground.
    Pacifiers. These are body gestures we use to calm ourselves. Hands can be terrible offenders—they sometimes flail and fuss when we’re nervous. Driver says that women rely on two pacifiers in particular. One is touching the dimple just below our necks, especially when we’re asked an awkward question such as “Why is there a six-month gap in your résumé?” Driver suggests instead grabbing your chin between your thumb and forefinger (it looks thoughtful). The other bad pacifier is playing with your cuticles. Getting a manicure the day before the interview can help you resist the tendency to do that. Driver says that if you feel the urge to move out of nervousness, do some toe crunches since the interviewer won’t notice those.
    I have to add one more nervous habit: playing with your hair. I’ve had young women right out of college practically give themselves new hairstyles during interviews. If you know you do this, consider wearing your hair up or back.
    Your manners. BE ON TIME. That’s critical. Almost 60 percent of the managers in the Cosmo survey viewed lateness as a major problem/deal breaker. I once sent home an editorial assistant candidate without even conducting the interview because she was ten minutes late. Who wants an assistant who can’t be on time?
    Do not arrive with any kind of beverage. I feel I should say this because at Cosmo we once had a guy who was applying for an assistant position show up with a jumbo-size iced coffee and sip it through the interview. Before taking a chair, wait for the interviewer to sit down first or gesture for you to do so. And turn off your damn cell phone. It’s so lame when someone’s phone rings and they have to fumble for it in their bag.
    And while we’re