How to Sit During Your Interview | NoBSJobSearchAdvice.com

Let's look at posture during a job interview. Speaking with a friend of mine who works for another recruiting firm or was with another recruiting firm until he retired, he was of the opinion that you sit there for the interview, you sit are fairly formal position. Seated forward in her chair, leaning slightly forward, looking intently at the interviewer.

I am of a different opinion. I sort of the premise that I want you to be comfortable. What I would like you to do is sit down comfortably in the chair, one leg crossed over the other. Whatever version of that is comfortable for you, but you don't want to look sloppy or casual.

For women, it is obviously different than for men , but all simply say one leg crossed, hands on the armrests, I don't want you holding them like you gripping the armrests of the plane is about to crash with fear. I just want you to sit casually and never drape one arm over the back of the chair.

The ideas that I want to look comfortable; I want you to be comfortable. Somehow, the idea of sitting forward in the chair and looking like, to me, an obedient schoolchild in the 3rd grade class trying to look intently at the teacher doesn't seem to work for me. I want to be able to sit there comfortably for 45 minutes to an hour or longer. Unless you need something to wake you up, you don't need to sit for in that way.

What I would rather have you do is sit back, relax, crossed one leg, hold the armrests casually, and, as you speak, I want you to feel free to use your hands to emphasize points, but never want to cross your hands and further face. Always try to use your hands as emphasis points but never have to go across the face line. Always keep them chin level and down because, in this way, if you're trying to emphasize a point, it's something that culturally, at least in the US, is a very comfortable thing for people to see and demonstrates strength, power and enthusiasm.