Crossing Your Arms, Fidgeting, and Covering Your Mouth Named Gestures to Avoid in Job Interviews

Body language can have a significant impact on the way you come across, especially when meeting someone for the first time. To help job seekers prepare for their next interview, AI career hub Kickresume teamed up with organizational psychologist Dr Vadim Subbotin to create a list of top body language tips.

The key findings were that candidates should use body language that makes them look confident, friendly and open, such as sitting or standing up straight and holding their heads up high. On the other hand, fidgeting and clenching your fists in an interview could make you look frustrated or impatient. The report also covered how to decode your interviewer’s body language, with red flags to look out for including rapid blinking, a sign of discomfort.

Peter Duris, CEO and Co-Founder of Kickresume, comments:

“We found Dr. Vadim Subbotin’s insights fascinating. Small things like closed-off body language, too much—or too little—eye contact, or even nervously tapping your fingers can seriously affect how an interviewer perceives you.

“On the flip side, confident body language—including the way you sit, speak, or make eye contact—can work wonders and help you land the job more easily.

“While our focus was on body language in job interviews, these findings apply to plenty of other workplace situations too, like meetings with clients, senior management, or other stakeholders. And it’s not just about how others see you—carrying yourself with confidence can actually boost your own work-place mindset and performance, too.”

First, Kickresume asked the psychologist to identify common gestures that people should avoid in a job interview. He said that fidgeting or tapping your fingers on the table could make you look bored or impatient. Clenching your fists should also be avoided as it can give the impression that you are frustrated or even angry. Crossing your arms or legs can make you seem closed-off or defensive, so he also recommended avoiding this position.

The psychologist also identified two gestures involving the mouth that interviewees should be careful to avoid. Biting your lips might make you seem stressed or anxious. If the interviewer asks a difficult question, covering your mouth with your hand can suggest that you are hiding an emotional reaction.

Kickresume also created a list of five gestures that could help you give a good impression, based on information from the psychologist. One important part of body language is eye contact – and the best amount of eye contact to hold is different based on whether you are speaking or listening. According to the expert, it’s best to keep eye contact 70% of the time while you are listening and 50% of the time while you are speaking. While eye contact indicates interest and confidence, too much can seem too intense or even threatening.

An ‘open posture’ where your arms and legs are not crossed and do not cover the front of your body can help you look friendly and open. Another gesture that suggests openness, which may be useful for presenting during an interview, is holding your hands out with the palms up.

Standing straight with your hands by your sides can help make you look more confident, as can holding your head up high. Research has suggested that standing in a confident position might help you feel more confident too – and a study from Iowa State University found that ‘contractive poses’ where you make yourself small are associated with higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

The psychologist also shared some tips on how interviewees can interpret their interviewer’s body language. One good sign is if they are leaning towards you, as this indicates they are interested in what you have to say. If they are resting their head in one hand, this could also suggest interest – however, if they are resting their head in both hands, they might be tired or even bored.

Another negative sign is if the interviewer is blinking rapidly, which can be a sign of discomfort, stress or nervousness. Lastly, a smile that doesn’t reach the eyes might suggest that your interviewer’s seemingly positive reaction is not genuine. While they might just be tired after conducting lots of interviews, it could also mean that they are not that impressed.

Kickresume and Dr Subbotin advised that people looking to improve their body language and gestures should practice ahead of their interview, in front of a mirror or recording themselves on video and watching it back.

Dr Subbotin said that you should not take a gesture, expression or other aspect of body language out of context, as there are many factors that could influence how someone comes across. For instance, while an interviewer with crossed arms might seem closed-off, it could also just be cold in the meeting room. When you take everything into account, body language can be a powerful tool to help you come across the way you want to, or interpret how well your interview is going.

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