|
|
 Home  Xml
Feed  Submit Articles  Editor Login  Contact us |
 |
 |
|
|
In the job search process, you are representing a salable product: YOU. The way in which you walk, speak and appear makes an impression. What’s Your Sales Pitch? What is your body language saying? Do you look trustworthy, confident, and competent, or ill-at-ease and timid? Much has been said about the importance of body language when greeting people, yet examples abound every day of people getting it wrong. Here are a few things to remember when greeting people. First Impressions Are Key Studies show that many managers make hiring decisions at the initial handshake. In that brief moment, it is not what you say that matters most but often what your handshake says about you. A limp, sweaty, or weak handshake leaves someone with less confidence in you. A firm handshake with two or three slow but steady shakes usually meets the need. Please avoid squeezing too hard. Maintaining eye contact and smiling (if appropriate), while shaking hands is almost always advisable. Making eye contact is very hard for some people. If done right, it is associated with being trustworthy, confident and sincere. If done poorly, it can make a person feel very uncomfortable. How do you feel when in a group setting and the person talking to you is continually looking around the room for someone else? This makes people feel less important. The goal is to make people feel as though you are having a one-on-one conversation with them. Eye Contact To maintain appropriate eye contact makes people feel included and important. Look at the eyes of the person you're speaking to. If you are addressing a small or large group, mentally break the room into three parts. Find one individual in group #1 and focus on them for 4-5 seconds, then shift your gaze to someone in group #2, etc. People sub-consciously will feel you are including them. Keep Your Hands Inside the Box Some people use hand gestures to punctuate virtually everything they say. Vigorously using both hands while conversing with people can be distracting for your listener if done to excess. When talking in general or discussing your professional resume, it is OK to use your hands in a way that feels natural. If gesturing while speaking, try keeping your hands within the “TV box” (i.e., roughly where you would see someone’s hands if they were delivering the news on television), Gesturing that is outside the TV box may be too wild, and a distraction to the point of discomforting for someone you are greeting. Good Posture = Good Impression Poor posture almost always telegraphs a lack of enthusiasm, confidence, and ability. Staying balanced on both feet, standing tall, with your eyes ahead sends the right message: strong and confident. If seated, do not slump or lean the chair back on two legs. Either of these behaviors is distracting to the listener and gets in the way of your message. Please remember to practice these basics and close the "sale" every time leading to that new job and next step in your career.
About the Author:
|
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Make Best Impression In Job Search Meetings
