Body language: noun “the conscious and unconscious movements and postures by which attitudes and feelings are communicated.”

Okay, so you are in an interview for your dream job; you are chewing a piece of gum to mask the smell from the cigarette you just had outside. You are crossing your arms and slouching a bit because you want to seem “chilled”. You can’t seem to look the interviewer in the eye, as this makes you nervous. Chances are, you are not getting the job – all of the above is very negative body language.

So what would classify as a positive body language?

1. Posture

Your posture should always make you appear open and approachable. Remember the basics; keep your shoulders back and never sit with crossed legs and crossed arms, as this makes you appear distant or closed to interaction. When meeting with the interviewer make sure to look him or her in the eye and always introduce yourself with a firm handshake.

2. Eye Contact

Maintaining eye contact with your interviewer will show that you are confident and that you are listening to what he or she is saying. You don’t have to stare and not break eye contact once…that would be freaky, but, looking at the ground or at your hands while talking will indicate that you are very nervous, that you are hiding something or that you aren’t really serious about the interview.

3. Hand Gestures

Using your hands or arms while talking can be a good thing, just make sure to keep the movements small and subtle. Gesticulating while explaining a scenario or telling a story will show that you are passionate or excited. Tip: Refrain from using symbols such as the thumbs up, pointing of finger etc. This can land you in hot water when meeting with different cultures or nationalities. What we see as a positive sign of encouragement can mean something totally different in another culture or religion. While we are on this subject, you should definitely NOT fidget. This nervous energy will distract the interviewer from what you are actually communicating. Fidgetting includes; chewing gum, touching your face, biting your nails, putting your hair behind your ear, rubbing your neck. All of these are big no-no’s.

4. Voice delivery

Avoid speaking in a monotone. Vary your tone, speed and pitch. Don’t overdo this though, you might come across as being overly emotional or excited. When speaking make sure that you don’t rush your words, rather slow down a bit and make sure that the interviewer can hear you loud and clear. Before answering a question, take a breath and think of how you are going to answer first. Your tone of voice should portray that you are strong, confident and equal to the interviewer, not that you are feeling sorry for yourself and trying to win points by laughing at everything they say.

This might sound like a cliché, but the interviewer will judge you by the first impressions he or she gets from you. This means that he or she may have an idea within the first 5 minutes whether they will be hiring you or not. So make sure that you are prepared. If you don’t prepare you will start fidgeting and avoiding eye contact. NEVER chew gum during an interview, this is considered rude and unprofessional. Focus on your posture and keep eye contact with the interviewer. People tend to mirror each other in situations like these, so make sure that you are friendly, confident and approachable.

Good luck and remember, the human body is the best picture of the human soul.

More than one:

I find it hard to believe that in today’s working world there are people who aren’t on LinkedIn. Why wouldn’t you want to be reachable about international opportunities, let your dream employer stumble across you​​ (and your impressive list of awards) all while keeping up to date and connected with people in your industry.

You ​can have a well put together CV on your website or portfolio site, a LinkedIn Profile a​s​ well ​as a ​PDF CV that you can share with recruiters and prospective employers ​ – the point I’m trying to make is that today you can and should have your information in multiple formats, ready to be found, ​to ​sen​d​, or ​to ​grab the attention of anyone who comes across it.

Relevance:

Make sure that every piece of information listed on your CV is relevant. If this rule applies – there’s no need to worry about the length. You want to highlight your talents and experience, and peak someones interest – not make them sift through a short novel to find the details relevant to them.

It’s a balancing act of information – give them enough so they have a good understanding of who you are, but still feel intrigued enough to call you for further discussion. Bringing me to another important point – Contact details. Always make sure these are on the first page and easy to find, many people hide these on the last page or cease to put them in at all – not a good idea.

Layout:

Whilst gimmicky CV ideas can grab attention, just make sure the content holds up.​ ​If you’re in a situation where you think something personalised to the company would give you an added point by all means go ahead, perhaps just follow up with an easy to read, well written and chronological version.

The problem with overly-creative CV’s is that sometimes as a recruiter or client you just want to get down to the nitty gritty. How many years experience does this person have, and from where, working on what, did they win anything for it or who has had something good to say about them. Content is key.

You can show your creativity in more subtle ways (and let your portfolio do the ​hard work), for example use a beautiful easy to read font, with precise kerning, perhaps a colour palette and ​simple ​info-graphic. Or add a quirky tone or voice to the text. But CV’s that have you doing puzzles and turning your neck at odd angles just to read it are more o​f a pain than a help​. And always spell check, intact double spell check!

There are so many platforms that you can look at to help you with your CV format – here’s a good one to get started with: http://creddle.io/