Diversions

Hiring Managers Wary of Fidgeting Job Candidates

Job seekers with shifty eyes, reluctant smiles, or fidgety limbs during an interview may be hurting their chances of landing a job.
Reported by Fred Schneyer

A new CareerBuilder survey of more than 2,500 hiring managers reveals that failure to make eye contact (67%), lack of smile (38%), and fidgeting too much (33%) would make them less likely to hire someone. 

When asked overall what additional body language mistakes would make them less likely to hire job candidates, hiring managers pinpointed: 

  • Bad posture – 33%
  • Handshake that is too weak – 26%
  • Crossing arms over their chest – 21%
  • Playing with their hair or touching their face – 21%
  • Using too many hand gestures – 9% 

“In a highly competitive job market, job seekers need to set themselves apart in the interview stage,” said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources for CareerBuilder, in a news release. “All that pressure, though, may have some job seekers making body language mistakes that don’t convey a confident message.”

The survey was conducted online within the U.S. by Harris Interactive on behalf of CareerBuilder.com among 2,534 U.S. hiring managers.