The largest online job site in the U.S., CareerBuilder recently published the results of an employer survey that the revealed the most common mistakes candidates make in interviews.
Among these, the top 10 ranked as follows:
- Failure to make eye contact
- Failure to smile
- Fiddling with an object in their fingers
- Poor posture
- Fidgeting in their seat
- Crossing arms over chest
- Playing with hair or touching face
- Weak handshake
- Too many hand gestures
- Rough handshake that is too strong
What’s so great about all these interview faux pas? Every single item in CareerBuilder’s top 10 list is topic addressed in Leap to Confidence!
During the 7-week women’s empowerment course, participants practice and discover the importance of everything from eye contact, a winning handshake and smiling to sitting up straight and hand gestures.
CareerBuilder’s report goes on to recommend additional advice such as rehearsing with a friend and researching the company prior to an interview, all things also covered in Leap to Confidence. Their final tip: “Just Breathe—Last but not least, remember to breathe. Taking a few deep breaths prior to the interview can help relieve some of the anxiety that leads to fidgeting and other nervous tics later on.”
This advice directly corresponds to two exercises taught in Leap to Confidence called the Arriving Technique (a stress management technique which involves deep breathing and body scanning) and the 3 Step Process (a short sequence to use for grounding in situations like an interview or public speaking).
Why are we so exited?
CareerBuilder’s survey report confirms that the concepts covered in Leap to Confidence are exactly the soft skills needed for creating important connections with future employers. It’s further proof that this women’s empowerment course teaches relevant life tools, provides participants with essential interview and employment skills AND, most importantly, Leap to Confidence truly works. No wonder, in a recent survey conducted by program staff, more than 50% of Leap to Confidence students reported getting hired after attending the course.
