How to Master Body Language in Your Office and Commercial Job Interview

August 22, 2024

Body language is more important than most people realise When we speak to someone, we’re not just paying attention to their words. We also evaluate their tone, posture, facial expressions, and movements.

In fact, according to a study conducted by Albert Mehrabian, only around 7% of any “message” we send to someone during a conversation is conveyed in our words. The rest comes from our body language. This makes it crucial for anyone in the Office and Commercial industry to think carefully about how they present themselves during an interview.

Mastering body language improves your chances of building an emotional connection with your interviewer and ensures you’re conveying information effectively. Used correctly, it can significantly boost your chances of walking away with a job offer.

The Importance of Body Language in Communication

Body language can complement or contradict the words we speak. For instance, if you’re sitting in a Office and Commercial job interview telling the hiring manager how excited you are about the opportunity but constantly fidgeting, frowning, or checking your watch, that sends two different messages.

Being aware of your body language is how you ensure you make a positive impression on your interviewer and strengthen your chances of a job offer; it can influence:

How Interviewers Perceive You

In an interview, hiring managers often form first impressions of a candidate in seconds. Part of what contributes to their perception of you is how you hold yourself (or your body language). Sitting straight, making eye contact, and smiling shows professionalism, enthusiasm, and confidence, improving your chances of success.

Your Ability to Build Rapport

While interviewers don’t decide who to hire based exclusively on which candidates they like the most, they’re unlikely to offer a job to someone they don’t feel comfortable with. Your body language helps to build trust and rapport, making interviewers feel more comfortable around you and increasing your likeability.

Conversation Clarity

Your success in a Office and Commercial job interview is based on your ability to communicate effectively with an interviewer. You need to demonstrate your strengths as an employee, and appropriate body language can support this. It can help improve your message clarity and show employers how effectively you communicate.

Top Tips for Effective Body Language in Office and Commercial Interviews

Mastering body language for your Office and Commercial interviews can be more complex than it seems. It takes practice to ensure unconscious behaviours aren’t getting in the way of you making the right impression on your interviewer.

Fortunately, there are certain things you can focus on to improve your chances of success.

1.    Be Mindful of your Posture

Posture has a significant impact on the impression you’ll make to a potential hiring manager or employer. It instantly sends an interviewer a message about your attitude and personality. For instance, sitting up straight with your shoulders back shows confidence, while slouching can demonstrate disinterest.

Avoid crossing your arms or hunching, as this can make you look defensive. Remember, your posture should stay strong throughout the interview, whether sitting down, standing up, or even conducting an interview over a video conferencing platform.

2.    Maintain Eye Contact

Maintaining regular eye contact during a Office and Commercial interview can be tricky. You don’t want to spend the entire conversation staring at your interviewer. However, establishing regular eye contact helps convey attentiveness and sincerity.

If you look away from your interviewer, be careful not to look at clocks or your shoes, as this can make you look less confident and disengaged. If your interview occurs via video conference, look at the camera to establish eye contact as much as possible.

3.    Watch Your Facial Expressions

A smile is incredibly valuable during a job interview. It shows your potential Office and Commercial employer that you’re happy to be there, confident, and engaged in the conversation. It can also help to build rapport, paving the way for a positive relationship with the interviewer.

Smiling regularly conveys warmth and approachability, but ensuring your smile appears genuine is important. It’s also worth paying attention to when you should be smiling and when you might want to adjust your facial expression to show thoughtfulness or sincerity.

4.    Control Your Hand Gestures

Sometimes, hand gestures are a valuable form of body language. They can emphasise points, illustrate ideas, and show enthusiasm. However, excessive and erratic movements can be distracting and confusing in some interviews.

Use your hands purposefully throughout the conversation, and know when to place them on your lap and keep them still. Avoid allowing yourself to fidget during the interview, as this can make you appear nervous.

5.    Rethink Your Clothing Choices

Dressing professionally is important in any Office and Commercial job interview, but finding the right balance between professional and comfortable attire is crucial. Discomfort can distract you and the interviewer, leading to unconscious behaviours like fidgeting.

It might seem like a great idea to buy a new belt or pair of shoes for your interview, but if you’re uncomfortable with them, it can make it harder for you to focus.

Using Effective Body Language at Work

Mastering body language is essential to boost your chances of success in a Office and Commercial job interview. However, your focus on nonverbal communication shouldn’t disappear when you’re offered a job. Remember to keep working on your body language throughout your career.

In the office, prioritise an open and inviting posture to help build beneficial relationships with your team members. Sit up straight when you’re working, as slouching can make you seem disengaged from managers and the rest of the team; it’s also bad for your back and posture!

Use your body language to strengthen rapport when working with other team members. Show engagement during conversations with active listening strategies like nodding occasionally, maintaining eye contact, and adjusting your facial expressions to suit the topic.

Consider using mirroring and matching techniques to simulate others’ body language. This will help to establish an emotional connection between you and your colleagues.Match their energy level and gestures for a harmonious interaction.

Finally, ensure you’re cautious about respecting personal space and boundaries. Maintain an appropriate distance during interactions, and pay attention to how people respond to your behaviours to avoid making anyone uncomfortable.

Master the Art of Body Language

Using body language to your advantage is a valuable way to improve your chances of getting job offers in the current market and build stronger relationships with your colleagues. Whether preparing for an interview or looking for ways to enhance workplace interactions, being mindful of your nonverbal cues can work wonders.

Practising everything from displaying a confident posture to controlling your facial expressions can help to strengthen your chances of success throughout your career.

Remember, practice does make perfect. The more you pay attention to your body language and look for ways to improve, the more effective you’ll be at nonverbal communication.

How to Become More Proactive in Your Legal Role

August 8, 2024

In the competitive Legal space, getting ahead at work and achieving your career goals demands more than an ability to meet your performance expectations. The dynamic and unpredictable world we live in means employers are prioritising candidates who demonstrate adaptability, resilience, and intuition, which means you will need to be proactive to thrive.

Proactivity is valuable, ensuring you can anticipate and overcome challenges as they emerge, consistently demonstrate the right skills to your employers, and stay one step ahead in an evolving industry.

In fact, several research studies show proactive employees have greater job satisfaction, more successful careers, and a reduced risk of burnout.

Understanding Proactivity in the Workplace

Being proactive means taking a self-initiated, future-focused approach to everything you do. It’s not just about ensuring you’re always busy in the workplace or taking regular risks. Proactive employees are reflective and strategic about every action they take.

Proactive people know how to recognise challenges before they emerge, solve problems creatively, and constantly develop their skills to remain productive.

Rather than simply responding to situations as they arise, proactive employees actively look for opportunities to contribute to the workplace and drive progress positively. They’re curious and confident and embrace personal agency in their roles.

The Importance of Proactivity in Your Legal Role

A proactive approach can benefit both your personal and professional life. When Legal employees are proactive, they will be more satisfied with their careers because they constantly search for valuable opportunities. They don’t just wait for promotions and new responsibilities to present themselves; they map and implement their path to success.

Proactive employees are more valuable to employers, too. They can positively impact business results, helping organisations to overcome challenges rapidly, remain agile, and explore new methods for growth.

Embracing a proactive personality can:

Differentiate You From the Competition

Proactive people stand out because they regularly innovate, solve problems independently, and show their value to existing and prospective employers. Fact: Proactive people are likelier to access excellent job offers and promotions than competing candidates.

Enhance Resilience

The Legal space constantly evolves, presenting new challenges and opportunities to employees. As a proactive person, you can pre-empt changing dynamics and prepare for them more effectively. You’ll be better equipped to change and evolve consistently, seize opportunities, and remain agile in your role.

Unlock Leadership Opportunities

Proactivity is a common characteristic of effective leaders. Showing proactivity at work can boost your chances of accessing greater responsibilities. One report from the Journal of Applied Psychology found that proactive people are more likely to be promoted to leadership roles and make more money.

Strategies to Develop Proactivity

While your upbringing can impact how proactive you are as a Legal employee, proactivity is still something you can build yourself. Some of the best ways to nurture your proactive skills include:

Taking Ownership

Embracing personal empowerment is a significant factor in proactivity. You can’t be proactive if you don’t take ownership of your career and work. Rather than waiting for opportunities to present themselves or reacting to things as they happen, actively look for opportunities.

Embrace chances to take ownership of tasks and projects and act as a leader for other members of your Legal team. Take accountability for your actions and the outcomes of projects, and regularly review your strengths and development areas to find growth opportunities.

Predict and Anticipate Needs

Part of being a proactive Legal employee is nurturing a future-focused mindset. You’ll need to develop a habit of anticipating challenges and opportunities, even before they arise.

There are various ways you can do this.

Tuning into industry trends, tracking market changes, and staying updated on developments by following industry leaders can help.

Another way to become more future-focused is to envision your goals and what you want to accomplish and work backwards from there. Identify your company’s and personal goals, and ask yourself what you will want to accomplish or overcome.

Be Solution Focused

Anticipating challenges is useful, AND to be proactive, you also need to take action. Don’t just present problems and opportunities to your manager or team members; propose creative ways of approaching them. Look at issues from multiple angles and collaborate with colleagues to drive positive results effectively. Learn from your previous strategies and grow.

Don’t wait for someone else to step in and offer a solution. Make it a priority to confront challenges and handle problems before they escalate.

Commit to Continuous Learning

Proactive Legal employees are constantly evolving. They know the importance of developing new skills as the market changes, whether technical skills are linked to A.I. and automation or soft skills like emotional intelligence.

Rather than relying on your employer to offer the right training opportunities, look for ways to develop skills yourself. Seek out courses and certifications, find a mentor who can help you hone your abilities, or network with other experts in your industry.

Proactivity: Steps for Success

Developing a proactive personality isn’t enough; you must also constantly demonstrate that attribute to your Legal employers and colleagues. Here are some of the ways you can present a proactive mindset.

1. Make Long-Term Plans

Proactivity is all about looking ahead. With this in mind, think about your future in terms of long-term and short-term targets. Ask yourself where you want to be in your career five or ten years from now. Do you want to be part of another Legal team or lead your own?

If so, which skills will you need to develop, and how will you show your employer that you deserve these opportunities?

Do you need to take on more responsibilities, volunteer for difficult projects or learn new skills?

Organise your plans with SMART goal setting. Break the steps you need to take down into simple targets that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound.

For instance, if your goal is to become a Legal team leader, you may need to start by developing better time management and organisational skills over the next few months.

Keep track of your progress and record your proactive contributions, including successful initiatives, problems resolved, and outcomes.

2. Organise Your Time Effectively

When you take control of your schedule, you can plan activities and ensure you’re spending your time in a way that drives you towards the results you want. Part of being proactive is identifying what you can and can’t control in your life and career.

Determine what you can take ownership of in your Legal career and what you need to prioritise to reach your goals.

3. Communicate and Collaborate Consistently

Good communication is crucial to success in the Legal workplace. Communicating and collaborating regularly with team members will help you to examine your work from different perspectives, solve problems more creatively, and anticipate a wider range of challenges.

Collaborating with team members will also allow you to showcase your proactive nature to your employers by volunteering for cross-functional projects, mentoring other team members, and sharing your skills. Additionally, effective communication will ensure you can keep everyone informed of your initiatives and accomplishments.

Ask for regular meetings or performance reviews so you can show how your proactive approach has made a positive impact on the team. Ask regularly for feedback to become more self-aware and in tune with your strengths and development areas.

4. Be actively Involved in the workplace

Studies from Harvard Business Review show that quiet, reserved employees are often overlooked for promotions and opportunities, regardless of how effective they are in their roles. As a proactive employee, you must find opportunities to show Legal managers and leaders how involved you are in the workplace.

Subscribe to internal newsletters to keep track of upcoming business opportunities and offer assistance in launching new initiatives. In meetings, speak up and deliver contributions; don’t blend into the background.

When challenges and opportunities emerge in your work, be the first to raise your hand and ask to contribute. Even if a challenge is outside your comfort zone, showing a willingness to contribute will help to highlight your proactive nature.

5. Develop a Growth Mindset

Finally, remember that being proactive is often associated with having a growth mindset. Proactive people don’t give up when they face a challenge or something goes wrong. They learn from their mistakes and commit to constant improvement.

Allow the success of other employees to inspire you rather than make you envious. Regularly use self-reflection to assess your weaknesses and look for opportunities to grow. See negative feedback as a chance to improve your work and become a more valuable Legal employee.

Be a Proactive Legal Employee

Developing your proactivity muscle in the Legal workplace ensures you can make a lasting impression on your employer and team members. Embracing a proactive mindset demonstrates your value as an employee, helps you to innovate and adapt faster, and ensures you’ll be first in line for new promotions and opportunities when they arise.

Look at your current work strategy and ask yourself where to apply proactive strategies, whether proposing new ideas in meetings, seeking additional training, or offering to take the lead on a new project.

You might even decide the path to proactivity starts with finding a better role in an environment more suited to your needs. In that case, your journey could begin by contacting a Legal recruitment company like ourselves.