Smiling during interviews

the more the better.

what if you have a ugly smile? should you still smile?

smiling is extremely helpful, along with laughing that is somewhat respectful and whanot

i smile/laugh a lot in general, and i swear this is just a great natural thing to have...plus it is a decent indicator of your attitude i think

As dosk points out in his blog, one of the tips he had for summer analysts was to always be smiling: no matter how much work you have, no matter how tough the questions, etc. maintain that smile and people make judgements on your attitude: good ones. Check his entry on advice for SAs.

I agree. I think smiling not only projects a good attitude, but gives off the suggestion that even in the designed high presure environment of the interview process, you're keeping cool. That suggests you've done your homework, and have come well prepared not just with what to say, but with your reasons for being there.

Agreed...smiling make's the person interviewing you feel comfortable, as though you're enjoying the experience. The more you can turn the interview into a discussion vs Q&A, the better. Smile and relax...you'll be suprised at how well the interview goes.

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/personal/06/24/how.2b.optimist/index....

Agreed, smiling naturally makes you calm down and sound more natural. Even if you are doing a phone interview, smile and it will change the way you sound even though the interviewer cannot see you.

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Smiling is good and fine, but don't overdo it. Interviewer might think you're drunk or not being sincere. Use only when appropriate.

I always make sure I have a pleasant demeanor when I'm interviewing. I smile naturally when I speak to people in general, and not only in interviews. It exudes a sense of relaxation and confidence. In this business, good appearance is a powerful supplement to good intellect. Body language counts as much as the words you speak.

You should try working on the body language component. So often, there's a preoccupation with the "techincal" skills on this board that people forget about what really matters, which is personal presentation. You guys are so serious when you're interviewing for jobs. I can relate to your situation because I used to be that way in college -- I had thought to myself, "Wow, I'm interviewing at an investment bank -- this is some serious sh!t." But really, it is and it isn't. It is serious, and you want to maintain composure; but at the same time, it isn't that serious because both you and the person interviewing you are most likely ordniary people. You need to learn how to live, breathe, and smile like a normal person if you want to get the job.

The smile actually works most effectively when you're faced with a question you don't know the answer to. Oftentimes, people freak out when they're stumped; next time you're asked a question that you don't know how to answer, try smiling and saying, "I really have no idea since I haven't seen anything like it before, but maybe you can help me walk through this because I'd like to at least give your question a shot." The strategy has always worked well for me; either the interviewer *will* take their time to walk you through so they can see what your thought process is, or they'll ease up on you and not haze you because you're being such a pleasant person about things.

As a final tip, the smile seems to work best with female interviewers. Don't be cheesy about it -- just be yourself.