In a viral Instagram submit, content material creator and creator Ankur Warikoo defined why so many job interviews fail, even when the candidate has all the suitable solutions. He additionally shared the ‘7-38-55 rule’ to crack any interview.ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW VIDEO
In keeping with Warikoo, success in interviews relies upon far much less on what you say and rather more on the way you say it and who you look like whereas saying it. “Comply with this 7-38-55 rule to ace your interviews!” he captioned the submit. The 7-38-55 rule is an idea from communication psychology, which explains how phrases, tone, and physique language mix to form notion.
It was first proposed by psychologist Albert Mehrabian, who discovered that when verbal and non-verbal alerts battle, similar to when somebody says ‘I’m positive’ however seems sad, folks rely extra closely on tone and physique language. In keeping with this framework:
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Solely 7% of that means is conveyed by way of phrases.
38% comes from tone, readability, and vocal confidence.
55% is dependent upon physique language, posture, facial expressions, and gestures.
Warikoo defined that these figures completely seize the high-emotion, high-stakes setting of a job interview. “Solely 7% of your interview success is dependent upon what you say. The remaining 93% is influenced by non-verbal cues, with 38% coming from tone, confidence and readability of speech, and 55% from physique language.”
He famous that many candidates focus solely on rehearsing solutions — the ‘what’ — however ignore two important parts: the ‘how’ and the ‘who’. Frequent errors embody poor eye contact, weak posture, extreme hand gestures, or monotone supply. Statistics cited by Warikoo recommend that 67% of rejections stem from lack of eye contact, 45% from extreme motion, 30% from weak handshakes, and 40% from poor posture.
However, how do tone, physique language, and facial expressions affect an interviewer’s notion, and why do these elements typically outweigh verbal solutions
Psychologist Rasshi Gurnani tells indianexpress.com, “Tone, physique language, and facial expressions activate the emotional centres of the mind, notably the amygdala, influencing how reliable, competent, or likeable an individual seems. A gentle tone conveys composure and management, whereas inconsistent pitch or rushed speech alerts anxiousness. Equally, open physique language — relaxed shoulders, upright posture, and measured actions — suggests self-assurance and readiness. Facial expressions, particularly real smiles or attentive eye contact, construct unconscious rapport by triggering mirror neurons within the interviewer, fostering a way of ease.”
Methods to enhance these non-verbal cues naturally, fairly than forcing confidence
Gurnani means that grounding strategies, similar to aware respiration earlier than getting into the room or consciously feeling one’s ft on the ground, stabilise the nervous system and scale back seen anxiousness. Sustaining reasonable eye contact (round 60–70% of the time) initiatives attentiveness with out intimidation. Resting palms flippantly on the lap or desk prevents fidgeting, and mirroring the interviewer’s gestures subtly creates psychological alignment.
“Practising these in mock interviews or every day interactions helps them develop into instinctive fairly than rehearsed. The aim is to seem calm since you are calm, not since you’re making an attempt to look it,” states the knowledgeable.
