Eye contact is an important form of nonverbal communication. It can be used to establish rapport, show interest, and demonstrate sincerity. People who don’t make eye contact can be seen as shy and nervous or worse, dishonest and less trustworthy.
The importance of eye contact is that it communicates interest and attention in the other person and what they are saying. Eye contact is one of the most powerful ways to show you care about what someone else is telling you during a job interview.
Eye contact also helps to build trust between two people and helps them feel more comfortable with each other. Establishing eye contact and mutual comfort with the people who are interviewing you at an early stage is a great way to start your interview and begin an open dialogue. Research found suggests that keeping eye contact for just 30% of an interaction is all that is needed for participants to significantly remember what they remember from a conversation.
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Why is eye contact important during a job interview?
In most cultures, eye contact is a sign of respect and attentiveness between two people who are talking with each other. In most cases, making eye contact during an interview will make the interviewer feel more comfortable and confident about your answers, skills, experience and qualifications.
Communication is one of the key things needed in order to have a good job interview. Betterup.com lists these five reasons why eye contact in communication is important.
Bonding with others – building instant rapport with your interviewers is a great way to demonstrate to them that you will be a great fit into their team and work well with their existing team members.
Displays honesty – people want to work with people they know they can trust. Don’t give them a reason to suspect otherwise during your job interview.
Increases your resistance to persuasion – interviewers want to hire people capable of making their own opinions and solutions to problems. When challenged on a subject it is important to be able to fight your corner and defend your opinions. Of course, if you are wrong, there is also respect to be earned in acknowledging when you are wrong.
Improves understanding between people – when we understand the job interviewers and what they are telling us about the job role, we can begin to have an open and honest conversation about the job and what you feel you can bring to it. It also gives the interviewer a greater understanding of what you have to offer and begin to formulate better-judged opinions on whether you are the right person for the job.
How to Improve Eye Contact in a Job Interview
The best way to maintain eye contact is to look at the person’s eyes and not their eyebrows, nose, or lips. This will make it seem like you are looking them in the eyes and not just staring at them.
Focus on one person at a time rather than jumping from person to person as you talk. One of the most common mistakes that speakers make is jumping from person to person as they speak. This can be confusing to people who are not speaking, so it is best to focus on one person at a time.
A person who keeps their chin up and maintains eye contact when someone else is talking projects a confident and assertive presence. They are showing that they are engaged, interested, and listening intently to the other person. Maintaining eye contact when you are talking is important, but not offering the same when others are talking can be seen as rude.
You should also try to avoid distractions in the room, like a TV or phone, while you are talking with someone else. If you find it hard to make eye contact with people because you feel nervous or uncomfortable, then try practising with friends and family before trying it out in public situations.
How To Practice Eye Contact for an Interview
Eye contact is one of the most powerful tools in your social arsenal. It’s so important, in fact, that it’s worth practising how to do it effectively.
The first step is to focus on what you’re saying and not what you’re thinking about while talking to someone else. This will help you keep your attention on them instead of getting distracted by other thoughts or things happening around you.
The next step is to look at their eyes for at least three seconds before looking away or looking down at something else. This will show them that you are interested in what they have to say and want them to know that they have your full attention.
For other job interview tips, check out our article 13 Top Job Interview Tips – The Definitive Guide and The Ultimate Guide On How To Prepare For A Job Interview.
