What not to do

• Mumbling.
• Crossing your arms.
• Sitting rigid or slouching.
• Nervous gestures like tapping your feet, playing with your hair or crossing and re-crossing your legs. These can all be taken for boredom, nervousness or impatience.
• Using your hands too much when talking.
• Bitting your nails or lips.
• Shrugging your shoulders, frowning or yawning.
• Fiddling with pens or paper — or anything else.
• Touching your face.
• Appearing distracted. i.e looking around the room or outside the interview area.

Preparing for an interview

Test your body language by holding a mock interview with your partner or friend. Get them to note how you react to certain questions, paying particular attention to your facial expressions, movements and posture throughout the interview. Videoing the interview, so you can watch it back, is a great way to observe your own body language.

Think about how your body behaves in nervous situations. Do you bite your nails, play with your hair? Once you know your weaknesses, you can try hard to avoid them.

The perfect handshake
Firm or light? Most body language experts agree that a firm grasp while maintaining good eye contact is vital when it comes to sealing a job interview.