HR Managers Wary of Fidgeting Job Candidates

July 29, 2010 (PLANSPONSOR.com) – Job seekers with shifty eyes, reluctant smiles, or fidgety limbs during an interview may be hurting their chances of landing a job.

A new CareerBuilder survey of more than 2,500 hiring managers reveals that failure to make eye contact (67%), lack of smile (38%), and fidgeting too much (33%) would make them less likely to hire someone.  

When asked overall what additional body language mistakes would make them less likely to hire job candidates, hiring managers pinpointed:  

  • Bad posture – 33% 
  • Handshake that is too weak – 26% 
  • Crossing arms over their chest – 21% 
  • Playing with their hair or touching their face – 21% 
  • Using too many hand gestures – 9%  

“In a highly competitive job market, job seekers need to set themselves apart in the interview stage,” said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources for CareerBuilder, in a news release. “All that pressure, though, may have some job seekers making body language mistakes that don’t convey a confident message.”  

The survey was conducted online within the U.S. by Harris Interactive on behalf of CareerBuilder.com among 2,534 U.S. hiring managers. 

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