FSU Voice

Issue date: 11/4/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Brandi Berry Career Fair

Media Credit: Brandi Berry Career Fair

In the movie "Hitch", Will Smith's character explains that "60% of all human communication is nonverbal, body language; 30% is your tone, so that means 90% of what you're saying ain't coming out of your mouth." This principle not only applies to dating, it applies to job interviews as well. On September 22nd Fayetteville State Broncos were given the opportunity to make their best first impression on potential employers at a Career Fair in Capel Arena. While students may think they conducted a great interview, their nonverbal communication might have recruiters forming a different opinion.

Appearance is everything. Every recruiter agreed that when a person shows up in so called street clothes that person is not taken seriously. People often feel they must interview in a full suit or be pristinely dressed. According to the recruiters this is not the case. "You don't always have to wear a suit but a shirt and tie is very important," said Karen Habenstein of BB&T. She does suggest if a candidate is called back for a second interview that he or she may want to invest in a suit. The suit is another nonverbal that will set the candidate apart from the competition.

A job search will not always be conducted at a Career Fair. The most traditional method is mailing out resumes. In this case a resume is the first impression made on an employer. "I've had recruiters say to me that if the resume has grammatical errors they automatically don't consider the person," said Helene Cameron, the Director of Career Services. This may sound harsh but as Ms. Cameron pointed out, if a recruiter is hiring for 50 positions and receives 1500 resumes the company needs a way to get that number down to a workable selection of candidates.

Noise is a factor that drives recruiters crazy. "While you are not communicating your cell phone communicates for you," said Kaniche Cezar of Enterprise Rental Car. Extra items in pockets can be a distraction. Loose change, car keys or a cell phone can make noise and disrupt your interview.

In an interview process the employer and the candidate both are trying to keep an open mind and learn about each other as well as the job. The experts say the best way to give a good interview is to reduce as many chances for miscommunication as possible. Verbally, a candidate wants to speak clearly, have proper diction and be prepared to talk about the position he or she is interviewing for. Nonverbally, a candidate needs to eliminate any scenarios that may cause the employer to focus on anything other than how perfect he or she is for the job, just like the character did in Hitch while trying to get a date.

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