Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Hiring by reading body language?

I was reading an interesting article today about how to rad body language, but it was in reference to using that skill to hire employees. Is this a good way to do business?

I've always prided myself on being able to read people. I may be a bit more trusting than most, and try to give people the benefit of the doubt in personal matters, but when it comes to hiring people I am typicaly spot on. Looking at body language has always been one of the things I have tried to take notice of. Shifting eyes away when someone is speaking to you, laying back in a chair like you could care less, or someone that looks you straight in the face when they talk. These are just a few examples of things that I usually take into account when talking to a prospective employee. If they tend to shift their eyes away from you often when answering questions about themselves, many times I get the strong feeling that they are either lying, or not telling the whole truth. Slouching down in the chair and acting nonchalant when trying to get hired tends to show me that this individual is not much of a team player and that they quite possibly have problem with listening to their boss.

I'm not saying that you can hire someone based upon these little things, but I think as part of an interview it is something a person should learn to recognize. Taken with what their resume says, you may be able to figure out if it is really true to what this person acts like.

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