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These days, competition for the most desired jobs is steep. With so few openings available, it’s important to make the best impression you can at every stage of the recruiting process, from your application materials to your in-person interview with the company’s hiring manager.

Chances are, you’ve practiced your interview responses and picked out your clothes in advance. But half the battle is the impression your body language is conveying, intentionally or not. Fidgeting? Bone-crushing handshakes? Even these little mistakes can make a hiring manager think twice.

Six coaches from Forbes Coaches Council share the most common nonverbal mistakes that could cost you the job if you’re not careful.

1. Fidgeting

Being nervous is natural in a job interview, but fidgeting can leave a lasting impression that ruins an interview. Keep your interviewer free from distractions so they can focus on you instead of your twitching leg, tapping pencil or constant impulse to try and check the push notification on your cell phone. Practice and video recording your practice interview so you can let your qualifications shine. — Jessica Miller-MerrellBlogging4Jobs

2. Giving a Blank Stare

Remember, the interviewer is trying to sell you the company as much as you are trying to sell yourself. When you give a blank stare, the interviewer can’t take a read on you. Rather, make affirmative motions: nod your head in agreement and show positive reactions by smiling. This communicates positive feedback in the interview rather than neutral or negative feedback. — Will EatonCoachly

3. Giving Too Much or Too Little Effort

Not too much and not too little, aka the “Goldilocks” approach, means a handshake is firm but not bone-breaking, eye contact includes looking directly at your interviewer but also looking away, and gesticulating is made for emphasis but not out of habit. You want to aim for a happy medium in the nonverbal cues you send. — Caroline Ceniza-LevineSixFigureStart LLC

4. Appearing Closed Off

When seated or standing during your interview keep an open position. Keep your hands by your sides or even folded behind your back and keep things like books or purses off your lap. Allowing the front of your body to be open and without a barrier sends a message that you are confident and not attempting to protect yourself or hide something. — Carmen BolanosCarmen Bolanos Coaching

5. Not Smiling

No matter where you are (reception, coffee shop, etc.), what you’re wearing, whether you’re sitting or standing — the one thing that can convey confidence, enthusiasm and patience is a smile. Don’t be present with a blank stare or frown, waiting to smile until the person you need to meet shows up. Be that happy, optimistic person during the entire experience. A smile goes a long way. — Cha Tekeli, Chalamode, Inc.

6. Not Being Present

Looking at your watch during an interview implies you have better things to do. It is a quick killer of the interest your interviewer may have held in you moments before. A seasoned interviewer will see and understand a measure of nervousness. However, if you are giving off cues that you would rather be somewhere else, you won’t be getting a callback or offer. — Jen KelchnerJen Kelchner | Kelchner Advisory

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