Thursday, September 26, 2013

How much to smile?

I thought about this in the morning. How much should one smile while on an interview?

We have all heard that apart from your research and other credentials search committee is also looking for a good colleague and manner et. al are also part of the interview. I am generally a happy person so in my normal life I smile and laugh a moderate amount (at least this is what I think).

But I wonder if smiling a lot in an interview gives the impression of non-seriousness? incompetence? of-a-pleasing-personality (not in a good way)? or something more sinister?

On the other hand not smiling at all will give an impression of non-approachable. Also smiles can be of different kinds and would be perceived in different way by different people.

The wise blogosphere I ask you. What do you think about the effect of smiling on the search committee in general and what is the "right" amount of smiling and the "right" kind of smiling?

2 comments:

  1. This is all about the people you come across. Some people (I'm looking at your, angry mean-heads) just don't smile that much. The amount is a piecewise function the bigger the smile or frown lines the more smiley or stoic you should be. The deepness of said lines should also give you an indication of whether you want to work in that department. I turned down two jobs because they didn't look as happy. In this situation (where you know you won't accept), it's time to put on the creepy smile and never let go. They definitely won't extend the offer. :)

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