8 Common Body Language Mistakes to Avoid During the Interview

From eye contact to posture to the way you fix your hair, avoid these 8 physical slip-ups in your next job interview.

Muovo would like to share with you the following article, first published by Forbes, outlining the eight most common body language mistakes that you should avoid during the interview.

1) Bad Posture

Leaning back is lazy or arrogant, leaning forward is aggressive and slouching is just lazy. Instead, experts say to aim for a neutral position, sitting tall as if a string were connecting your head to the ceiling.

2) Breaking Eye Contact

"Hold eye contact one extra eyelash", says charisma coach Cynthia Burnham. She says we tend to feel uncomfortable holding eye contact once a personal connection has been created. Don't stare, but try to hold your interviewers gaze for one extra second before breaking away. "Do this especially when shaking hands", she says.

3) Crossed Arms

"Arms crossed over your chest signal defensiveness and resistance", says Karen Friedman, communications expert. "When they're open at your sides you appear more approachable".

4) Excessive Nodding

"Sometimes we undermine how powerful or in focus we are by nodding like a bobble-head doll", says Burnham, a habit that's particularly common in women. "Nod once or twice with a smile of agreement. But find your still centre and stay there".

5) Fidgeting

Fidgeting may emit a sign of anxiety. This nervous energy is likely to distract the interviewer. So keep him or her focused on you and what you have to say, rather than the coins in your pockets!

6) Mismatched Expressions

"If your tone isn't matching your facial expression you could find yourself in hot water," says communications coach MAtt Eventoff. "If someone asks what you're most passionate about and your face is in deadpan while you answer, it's not going to translate well".

7) Shifty Eyes

Friedman says distracted or upward eye movements can suggest someone is lying or not sure of themselves. "It's important to look someone directly int he eye to convey confidence and certainty".

8) Staring

"It's important to be confident and look the interviewer in the eye", says Amanda Augustine, job search expert at TheLadders. "But then break away. Locking eyes with someone for an extended period of time can be interpreted as aggressive, not to mention creepy".

Nikita Pisani at Muovo

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When would be the best time to send your emails?

As a job seeker you would be, of course, contacting your potential recruiters, namely through sending emails to your recruiters. The following are 6 top reasons listed by Career Hub:

1. To ask for a job interview
2. To ask for an informational interview
3. To ask for a meeting
4. To send a thank-you email after an interview
5. To inquire about the status of an application
6. To follow up on a letter they mailed

In each case, you would want your email to be opened (right?!)

There is a high chance that it will. However, an appealing subject line will definitely make a difference. On top of this, the day of the week and the time of day are also bound to affect your recruiter's response.

Interestingly, marketers are usually highly attentive to statistics regarding the openings of emails and clicks through rates at different times of the week.

Carrer Hub mentions Buffer.com which has reviewed a number of studies on open and click through rates for email marketing. Here are some of Hubspot's findings Buffer reports on:

10 p.m. - 6 a.m.: Known as the dead zone, as hardly any email get opened.

6 a.m. - 10 a.m.: Consumer-based marketing emails are best sent early in the morning.

10 a.m. - Noon: Most people are working, and probably will not have time to open your email.

Noon - 2 p.m.: News and magazine updates are popular during lunch breaks.

2 p.m. - 3 p.m.: After lunch lots of people buckle down and ignore their inbox.

3 p.m. - 5 p.m.: Property and financial-related offers are best sent in the early afternoon.

5 p.m. - 7 p.m.: Holiday promotions & B2B promotions get opened mostly in the early evening.

7 p.m. - 10 p.m.: Consumer promotions are popular again after dinner. Picking which of these match most closely the type of email you might be sending would suggest that:

To sum up:
10 p.m. - 6.am, 
10 a.m. - noon,        
2 p.m. - 3 p.m.,
3 p.m. - 5 p.m., 
and 5 p.m. - 7 p.m. are the times to AVOID.  

Meanwhile,
6 a.m. - 10 a.m., 
Noon - 2 p.m., 
and 7 p.m. - 10 p.m. would be BETTER times to send your email.

Other studies suggest that Thursday is the best day and early Monday morning is also a good time.

So start planning when to send your emails now! This applies not just for marketing, but to other areas, including when to send emails to your recruiters or current employers.

Good luck!

Nikita Pisani at Muovo

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Boost your job prospects with a good reference letter!

 "You will find it a very good practice always to verify your references, sir!"                                                                                               (Martin Joseph Routh)

At some point in the job application process, a potential employer is likely to ask you to provide some references. You might be asked to bring these references for the interview, or at times, submitting them with your application, or even after the interview, where a job offer may be conditional on the references.

Potential employers will expect you to give the name of your current or previous employer and at least one other person, who could be a 'personal' referee. A personal referee may be either a friend, colleague, family member or someone with whom you have worked and had close, professional associations.

Choose your referees wisely.

The following are three questions that you should keep in mind when choosing your referees.

• Are they willing to write the letter?
  Not everyone enjoys this task, and some do consider it as most arduous. Make sure you ask your referee politely whether he or she is willing to be your referee first.
  
  
• Are they reachable?
  Some people are just impossible to track down. They are either too busy, have too many mobile phones, or are just simply the type not to answer the phone after the first 100 rings. As your referee, you really want someone who is easily contactable as a delay on their part might ruin a potential job offer for you.
  
  
• Can they give you a full picture of your personality and work?
  Make sure you choose someone who can give a clear view of you as an individual, and of your performance at work. 

You can include the names and contact details of your referees on your CV or cover this item with something like, 'details of references upon request'. It is also essential to indicate on your application whether these referees can be contacted prior the interview. (You may not want your current employer to know that you are looking for another job, for example...!).

The standard layout for giving a reference is:

          Mr James Borg  (current employer)

          Director of Studies

          ABC School

          56, Tower Road 

          Sliema

          Mob.: 77556688

          Email:  [email protected]

Many employers would like to talk personally to your referees, so providing a mobile number and/or an email is useful.

Make sure that all the details provided - thereby the address, mobile number, email and any other information is correct and updated. Remember, the company might have moved their premises to another town or possibly changed the name of their company, or even closed down, the telephone number of the referee and email address could also have changed over time. 

If you have any questions, send us an email on [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you!

Nikita Pisani at Muovo

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3 Tips To Make Your Work More Fulfilling

Muovo would like to share with you the following article, first published by Greater Good Blog.

1. Accept Confusion.
If you're feeling confused about your next career move, the good news is: you're not alone. If you take a quick look at career websites, you will find well over 12,000 different jobs. Confusion, it seems, is natural. Accept it. Confront it. And, eventually, build your way up to overcome it.

2. Don't Pigeonhole Yourself. 
Many people are enticed by personality tests, which claim to be able to assess your character then point you towards a job that is just right for you.

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), the world’s most popular psychometric test, which places you in one of sixteen personality types is argued as an unreliable source of test. Try retaking the test after five weeks. You will be amazed to find that there is around a 50 percent chance that you will be placed into a different personality category.

Don't let anyone tell you what you can and can’t be on the basis of a personality pigeonhole they want to put you in.

Watch this interesting talk by Roman Krznaric on how to find fulfilling work. (Filmed at the TSOL LIVE tour in May 2012.)

3. Look at work as a life-long experiment.
Changing career is a frightening prospect. But ultimately, there is no avoiding the fact that it is a risk.

Ask successful career changers how to overcome the fear and most say the same thing: in the end you have to stop thinking and just do it. That may be why nearly all cultures have recognised that to live a meaningful and vibrant existence, we need to take some chances—or else we might end up looking back on our lives with regret.

Nikita Pisani at Muovo

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Yes, Facebook Could Help You Find a Job!

Have you ever considered Facebook as a job board?

Probably not!

Facebook is highly unlikely to be considered as a career resource. Few users, especially from the younger generations, add a job title next to their Facebook profile. This can be, perhaps, to a variety of reasons. 

One of them may be that, at a younger age, users may not have a permanent job, and therefore do not feel the need to include a temporary position as part of their online status.

Others may disregard Facebook as a professional space and unfortunately, they tend to separate their 'social' selves from their professional life.

• Facebook can be an online resume: First, add your current and past job titles. If you have recently changed your job, make sure that you update your profile.

Then check out Facebook’s recent design changes, which make your work history even more important. The redesigned profile is more than a new look; it presents a timeline of each user’s life, with past events ordered chronologically and easily accessible.

Remember that Facebook is not just a place for you to offer information. You can also gather precious details about possible employers and co-workers, which can be helpful during a job search.

In the end, using Facebook to your advantage in the workplace should fit well with the entrepreneurial spirit of GenY. Among those who did list a job title, the fifth most popular entry is 'owner'.

Courtesy of Brazen Life

Nikita Pisani at Muovo

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Present Yourself to Your Best Advantage

Presentation is key. Remember that interviewers are looking for someone that would be an asset to their company. Just as you would not want to buy a really expensive item without putting much thought into it, a company is unlikely going to pay a fair amount of its income without considering all the aspects of the person that are employing.

Take note of the following:

a) Body Language!
Sit up straight, smile, be alert and attentive to the people interviewing you. You will create a much better impression that you would if you just slouch onto your seat, squeezing your hands and looking at the floor. Be aware of your BODY LANGUAGE.

b) Ask Questions
Interviewers want to see that you have done your homework. This often comes through the amount and type of questions that interviewees will ask at the end of the interview.

c) State your Interest
It is good to state, at some point, how much the job really interests you. A lot of people go for interviews half-heartedly, not really knowing whether they want the job or not. An appropriate time to say this would be when you are asked if  you have any questions.

d) Be Different
It is, like always, good and vital for your success to stand out from the crowd. Try to find something different or funny say that will mark you out from other candidates.

If your interview was arranged by a recruitment agency, don't forget to phone them up and let them know how it went. Also fill them in of anything that surprised you, such as a large interview panel or any tests that you had to take as port of the interviewing process. Agencies do the best they can, but are at times not told what the interview will contain.

Nikita Pisani at Muovo

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