Dear Sue: I was interviewing at a financial firm and had a series of interviews among different areas of the firm. The Director of Human Resources was the third person that I would meet with.
I was very appropriately dressed in a black suit with a white top; the skirt came a little below the knee. The interview took place in a conference room. I was placed at the head of the conference table and the director sat to my left. I turned my body slightly towards the left so I would have better eye contact. I crossed my legs at the knee and folded my hands on my lap. In the middle of the interview he said, "You know that it is not proper etiquette to cross your legs in an interview." Now, I agree that it may have been better to have my knees and ankles locked together and tucked under my chair. However, was it more inappropriate for him to make this comment in the middle of the interview? And, is it "inappropriate" for a woman to cross her legs during an interview?
Jen
Sue Says: Body language plays an important role in an interview; what we communicate nonverbally (through our bodies) is a language more honest than our spoken words. People who are adept at interviewing have learned to pay attention to any and all nonverbal cues they pick up on in an interview as a means of reading people more accurately. Some nonverbal behaviors are obvious, while others are not. Most people realize that making eye contact when talking with someone is important...
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