Essential For Your Next Job Interview – The Art of Maintaining Eye Contact

Should you look into his eye? Would he think you are staring? Is it okay to look away once in a while?

If someone mentions the words eye contact before an interview, these things would surely come to our mind.

If you make the right amount of eye contact in an interview, it levels up your chances of bagging the job to a great extent.

In the past, many people have made statements as to how one’s eye and facial movements are being constantly judged. The messages processed by the brain depend by a great deal on your body language.

Quick Tip:

The eye acts as a window to your interest level, confidence and professionalism during an interview. By establishing eye contact, you help the other person in deciding whether he likes you or hates you.

While we all know how important eye contact is, you should know that it is a very tricky art to master.

Your eye contact can be aggressive or soft or inviting! There are possibilities that the interviewer would judge you if you do not maintain proper eye contact.

Maintaining an Eye Contact is the First and the Biggest Step to Being Confident!

Too much eye contact might seem intimidating while too little eye contact would seem like you are disinterested in the conversation.

An HR professional we know says that eye contact plays a pivotal role when communicating with other people. While it is one of the most important skills, it is also one that is often overlooked and underutilized.

Some of the most successful salespersons, politicians and public speakers have been successful solely because of their mastery in eye contact.

Doesn’t it give you a sense of assurance when a person maintains eye contact while speaking to you? Aren’t you much more confident about what he is speaking? I am sure you are! Well, the magic of eye contact.

Thank-me-later Tip:

Maintaining a strong eye contact does not mean staring blindly at the person interviewing you. When going for an interview, just think as if you are conversing with a friend of yours. Hard, I know, but it would make you look less rigid.

Why is an EYE CONTACT important for your interview?

1. Displays confidence

By maintaining eye contact, you can assure your interviewer that you are confident about the job. On the other hand, if you are looking away or here and there, it would depict your nervousness and self-consciousness.

2. Reveals interest

You eye contact and movements show how carefully you are listening to the interviewer. Even if you don't understand a word of what he is speaking, make sure your eye contact does. If not anything else, the interviewer would feel you are interested in what he is speaking and how respectful you are of him.

3. Reflects honesty and knowledge

Proper eye contact not only reflects your confidence but also shows how knowledgeable you are.

When you are in a class and you do not know the answer to a particular question, what do you do? Remember? Avoiding the eye of the teacher was the one thing we did to not get noticed. But the teacher always pinpointed the person looking away.

Similarly, if you are in an interview and are lying about something, the interviewer would find out in a jiffy. So make sure you maintain eye contact to avoid such a situation.

4. Active listening

When you are speaking to a person, what is the sole thing they want? They want to be sure that you are listening to them. One way to make them believe so is by maintaining proper eye contact.

If the interviewer feels that the candidate is listening to them, it gives them an impression that the person is sincere about anything and everything.

Think about it! If you are staring over his head or at the projector or at anything else in the room as he talks, or even as you talk, what would the person sitting next to you think?

Your interviewer is probably an MBA in HR who knows very well the parameters to judge you and active listening is the most important.

Some tips and tricks

By now, I am sure you know the importance of eye contact and how it impacts the chances of you getting selected. Since, we all can’t master the art, here are a few tips and tricks that act as an absolute savior:

1. Maintaining eye contact seems tough? Pretend to be taking notes! It gives you lots of reasons to look away without seeming uninterested while the interviewer is impressed.
2. Nod in agreement when the interviewer says something relevant. It helps to break the monotony during your
3. If there is a team interviewing you, make sure you look at everyone and do not concentrate on only one person.
4. Practice the art of making eye contact before going in for an interview. Ask someone to take a mock interview and ask them to review your They would be able to judge your performance to a great extent.
5. The Golden Rule: Be yourself and speak the truth. It always helps! ALWAYS!

One must know that mastering eye contact is no easy job. It takes time and requires plenty of effort to be put in.

Making proper eye contact in an interview does not guarantee you get the job if you do not have the required experience. However, it always acts as a plus point against your competition if you have the right kind of skills.

After all, employers are looking for all-rounders and not people who are limited to the job assigned. Besides experience, they also want the interviewee to possess basic communication skills and make sure they are confident and sincere about their job.

Whatever experience you carry, if your eye contact indicates that you are not sincere, confident or knowledgeable, your chances of landing a job all go in vain.

Author Bio:

Ms SahibaSadana is a professional Content Editor and an avid literature reader. She is the Content Editor at Sharda University, a University that welcomes and encourages diverse ideas, beliefs, and cultures for a collaborative learning environment.

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