Humans can produce over 70,000 signs, 5,000+ distinct hand gestures, more than 250,000 facial expressions and over 1,000 different postures. That is a lot of different ways to communicate non-verbally. Spoken words are just the tip of the iceberg and often not enough to know a person, at least during an interview. In this blog we’ll see 5 rules of body language analysis that can help you get deeper insights about a candidate and in turn, hire better and faster.Why is it important?Stephanie is the star recruiter of her company. She knows all the job roles and keeps herself updated with the latest happenings in the industry. Polite, welcoming and no-nonsense- she is all the three. But like many of you, she faces a dilemma during many interviews. Although, everything about a candidate is right, something ‘feels off’. She quickly pushes the thought aside thinking her ‘intuition’ means nothing and hires the candidate.Now, if you have done this, you’d know it doesn’t take long to see your intuition was right.
About 50 years ago, Albert Mehrabian conducted a set of experiments to study the nature of interpersonal communication and concluded that what we say is often not enough to understand the ‘real intentions’. That and many other famous psychological studies have highlighted the importance of positive body language in interpersonal communications.
5 rules to make you a better body language reader1. Studying the face is important but not enough.Growing up teaches us many things and masking feelings is one of them. Candidates can ‘pretend’ to be interested and other polite deceptions. For most part of it, it is best to not solely rely on facial signs.2. No, don’t ignore the face completely.Instead, learn to read the micro-expressions or the occasional slippage of emotions through the mask. Again, easier said than done, these are fleeting expressions and you’ll need a lot of practice to master.3. Body language gives away intentions, not exact meanings.Like most things in human psychology, there are no fixed meanings of signs. However, assessing body language helps you understand emotions pretty accurately. Research shows the body ‘feels’ something first, followed by our conscious mind.4. Looking for non-verbal cues is natural. Don’t overthink.‘Intuitions’ are not baseless. As humans, we have an innate quality to study other people’s thoughts. Don’t limit yourself only to what you read or heard about body languages. Your unconscious expertise is your best friend.5. You cannot benchmark inferences. Much of what experts say, fail.The biggest misconception is that one gesture represents one singular emotion. Crossed hands during an interview may mean arrogance, fear, discomfort and much more. Except for what experts call ‘emblems’ (specific gestures like the thumbs up, peace sign etc.), gestures can be ambiguous.
The recruitment industry is changing. Where does it stand today?A study by SHRM, says that the average time needed to fill a position is 42 days, the longest in a decade. With over 9.8 million jobs projected to be added in the U.S. from 2014 to 2024, recruiters are faced with the challenge of mass hiring like never before. There are lots of positions that need to be filled.But fruitful recruitment (right candidates with lesser attrition rates) takes time. So, does that mean recruitment at scale comes at the cost of quality? No, that is too much to lose. The solution, like most other things in businesses these days, lies in AI.Intuition + AI is THE answerWith the recruitment domain growing and advancements in AI technology, there’s an AI-powered solution for every step in the recruitment funnel, even for the part where you study a candidate’s body language! There are some good reasons why AI assistants like Gecko can help you recruit the best candidates and do it real fast.The Words They Don’t SayGecko detects body language with more than 90% accuracy. It’s body language and sentiment analysis engine scans for the telltale signs - a small smile, hesitation, restlessness and engagement to score candidates just like a human recruiter, providing all the attention of a real HR without the strain on the resources.
Gecko is designed to give a helping hand to human recruiters. It understands your need for a faster, and unbiased interview process.To be a great recruiter, it requires you to master in many functions of Human Resources. Not just the resume, a candidate’s body language speaks volumes about him or her and is an important factor to consider for positions that require more than just skills. With the combination of chatbot technology and AI, you will never have to compromise on quality of recruits while successfully recruiting at scale.