Motivation-Based Interviewing: Body Language and Relaxing Your Candidate

​This article is excerpted from Chapter 6 of Motivation-Based Interviewing: A Revolutionary Approach to Hiring the Best (SHRM, 2018) by Carol Quinn. 

Part 1: Motivation-Based Interviewing: Stop Asking the Wrong Interview Questions

Part 2: Motivation-Based Interviewing: Body Language and Relaxing Your Candidate

Part 3: Motivation-Based Interviewing: When Candidates Blame the Environment 

The way the interview begins can have a dramatic effect on information gathering and on the entire interview. The importance of starting the interview off right isn't emphasized enough. Giving nervous candidates extra time to relax before jumping into your interview questions takes conscious effort, but it's a habit that's well worth the effort. Setting the stage for information to flow freely is not difficult to do. Interviewers who assign too little importance to this step will reduce their bounty.

Here's how it works: A candidate erects a wall to keep some information from escaping, just as if they were preparing for an interrogation. It's possible for this wall to stay up during the entire interview. This defensive shield begins to lower when there are no signs or reasons for apprehension. It is lowered even more when feelings of congeniality and rapport develop.

So, how long does it take to relax a candidate? It can take just a few minutes, or in some cases it may take 10 minutes or more. It varies because every person is different. Each candidate comes to the interview with a different comfort level. Don't make the mistake of assuming that the most confident one will necessarily do the best job. High performers can feel just as nervous as anyone else. Some candidates are comfortable during an interview simply because they've had a lot of practice interviewing. This has no bearing on job performance. The goal is to hire the candidate who will do the best job, not the one who just interviews the best.

I'm also not a proponent of using body language to predict future job performance. A long time ago when I owned and operated my own recruiting agency, a sales manager once told me he would never hire anyone who had a wimpy handshake. From that point forward, I coached every candidate I sent to that sales manager on how to give a firm handshake. My point is body language can be taught and consciously controlled during an interview in order to project a false impression to the interviewer. Furthermore, I don't believe there is certain body language or other physical clues that are exclusive to high performers or low performers.

That being said, interviewers can use body language as a good indicator to determine a candidate has relaxed and settled in enough for the interview to proceed. Tense or nervous people often look like they have a rod in their spine, resulting in an upright and rigid appearance. This cause their shoulders to be in more of an upward position. As they begin to relax, the spine curves and the shoulders slowly drop into a more relaxed, natural position. They become less rigid and sit in a more casual and comfortable manner in their chair. Hands are another clue. When a candidate's hands are tightly clenched together or the candidate is fidgeting, you can assume there's some level of tension and nervousness. When the candidate first sits down, mentally note their body language and stiffness. Everyone has a different comfort level while being interviewed. We're not looking for a specific level of relaxation that everyone achieves, rather we're looking for signs of change. That change may not be dramatic. Some people will walk in the door more relaxed than others will ever become, and that's okay.

This is nothing more than a visual clue to help the interviewer know when to move deeper into the interviewing process. This is by no means an indicator of who should be hired and who shouldn't. Look for these clues and adjust your approach as warranted.

Start out with small talk. Remember, some candidates take longer to warm up than others do. A college student or someone who has not interviewed in a long time may feel more apprehensive at first. Adjust the warm-up time on the front end of the interview until you notice that your candidate begins to relax. Regardless of how long this takes, it's crucial to see it through. The payoff can be significant, and that's why you are doing it.

Here are some tips for relaxing the candidate and maximizing the flow of information.

• Begin the interview with good eye contact and a genuine smile. Smiles work wonders to break the ice and befriend a person.
• Start off by easing into the interview gradually. Spend several minutes making small talk about the weather, traffic, getting to the interview site, and so on. Avoid anything political or controversial.
• Offer the candidate a beverage if possible.
• Interview in a distraction-free environment. Turn off any mobile devices, and forward the phone in the room to voicemail. Leave instructions not to be interrupted. Interruptions can make the candidate feel less important.
• Explain the interview format, which is that you will be reading questions and taking notes.
• Ask the candidate to hold any questions until the end of the interview. Explain that you will be happy to answer any questions they have at that time.

During that final question-and-answer session where they are asking you questions, you'll want to be prepared to provide a realistic timeline for when a decision will be made on filling the job and any next steps (the sooner the better in a tight labor market). 

Carol Quinn is CEO of Hire Authority and a national speaker with more than 30 years' experience in interviewing and hiring. She has taught thousands how to hire High Performers using motivation-based interviewing. 

Please visit the SHRMStore to order a copy of Motivation-Based Interviewing: A Revolutionary Approach to Hiring the Best by Carol Quinn.