Identifying the right talent for your team, part 5

So much of what we communicate isn’t actually to do with the words we speak. Eye contact, body posture, smiling, tone of voice, even the clothes we wear can communicate interest or disinterest in the situation.

Looking for these non-verbal cues can help you understand the candidate more, though be careful not to make too many assumptions! Also be careful to make sure your non-verbal cues are giving off the right message.

Some things we would advise considering include:

• What is their posture like? Are they sitting up straight or are they slouching in their chair? Do they seem interested, or do they seem bored? Are they fidgeting? Having a poor posture or fidgeting too much can be a sign of disinterest or lack of confidence. Leaning back in the chair can be a sign of arrogance or disinterest, whereas leaning forward shows engagement and a willingness to learn.
• Are they making eye contact with you or are they barely glancing at you? Good eye contact can convey openness and interest, while a lack of can convey anxiety or insecurity.
• Excessive nodding. While everyone nods as an affirmation to something that’s been mentioned, doing it excessively can be a sign your candidate isn’t actually listening to what you’re saying.
• Interrupting you. Ok, so an interruption is a verbal action, but the non-verbal cue is that whatever they have to say is, in their opinion, more important than what you are saying, which could signal potential future issues with the management of this person.

Allowing a certain buffer for nervousness is ok, but if the candidate is clearly disinterested or throwing off some other vibes, maybe they’re not the candidate you’re looking for.

In some cases it can be appropriate to ask them about these non-verbal cues, because rather than assuming their body language means one thing, it could be that it means something else in their culture, for example. This can also give you an idea how they might react under stress. Don’t overdo it though, you don’t want to totally put the candidate off if they are otherwise great!