Personal Interview
A FEW TIPS OF BODY LANGUAGE TO BE ADOPTED WHILE ATTENDING SSB PERSONAL INTERVIEW
- Poised candidates have relaxed, balanced, upright postures. As you sit down, don’t slough. You may sit slightly forward when asked a question indicating interest and friendliness on your part.
- Maintaining good eye contact. But this does not mean that you constantly stare at the IO. Instead look elsewhere (preferably into ‘nothing’) while you are thinking and re-establish eye contact when you continue talking.
- Keep a friendly smile to show your enthusiasm, but make sure that you don’t go to extremes. Don’t look too eager for the job or too relaxed as if you don’t care. Try to project a serious and professional image to your interviewers.
- Speak clearly and relatively slowly. Stop speaking when you are thinking of appropriate replies. But don’t pause too long or too often in the middle of your answers. Also, don’t fill your gaps with “Uhh or Umm”.
- Don’t cross your legs. Sit straight up in the chair, facing your IO directly. Crossed legs indicate a defensive position.
- Don’t cross your arms across your chest. It demonstrates nerves and a degree of inapproachability.
- Use ‘affiliation body language’. For example, if you nod your head slowly in acknowledgement of a point put across to you, it will show your interest in what the interviewer is saying and make him feel that a ‘connection’ has been made between you.
- Avoid touching your nose or rubbing your eyes.