‘Creepy’ Eye Contact: Avoid This Job Interview Blunder - East Idaho News
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‘Creepy’ Eye Contact: Avoid This Job Interview Blunder

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GETTY B 022412 JobIntvw?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1352376797286iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — When it comes to doing your best at a job interview, you might already know the basics — dress the part, learn about the company and industry beforehand, ask questions and, of course, make eye contact.

Lauren Ferrara of Creative Circle Staffing told ABC’s 20/20 that eye contact and a smile are the first things she looks for when meeting with job applicants.

It’s “as simple as that,” she said.

But not all eye contact is created equal — and for some, this seemingly simple, non-verbal form of communication can be easy to botch.

Job interview coach Pamela Skillings listed, “Thou shalt make non-creepy eye contact,” as one of her “10 Commandments of Job Interviews.”

Skillings wrote that maintaining “steady, natural eye contact conveys confidence and sincerity.”  But what you don’t want to do is fire up an “intense, over-compensating stare.”

Other eye contact don’ts include: shifty looks, staring down, cleavage glances and eye rolling.

So how does one, so to speak, keep their eye on the prize?  As with anything else, Skillings recommended practice.

“[I]f you tend to be nervous or shy with people you don’t know,” she wrote, practice with a friend.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

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