(MENAFN- Live Mint) Ever walked out of a job interview thinking that you nailed it, only to be hit with a rejection email? You are not alone. The common culprit in such cases is not the content of your answers, but rather the powerful, often-ignored aspect - body language - where most people fail.

That is the insight Indian entrepreneur and content creator Ankur Warikoo shared in a LinkedIn post, explaining that the words candidates repeatedly rehearse before an interview actually contribute a surprisingly small fraction to their overall success.

@AnkurWarikoo post

“You can rehearse your words a hundred times. But if your body language doesn't align with your responses, it doesn't make an impact,” he wrote in the LinkedIn post.

Warikoo's take on getting guaranteed success

The entrepreneur, who has also authored books such as Make Epic Money and Build and Epic career, shared a breakdown of the factors that influence an interviewer's perception.

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“You think your interview went well. But then you get rejected. Why does that happen? The 7–38–55 rule of interviews explains it perfectly,” he noted. He gave the following pointers:

- Only 7% of a candidate's interview success depends on the verbal component (the actual words you say).

- 38% is based on the vocal component or how you say it (your tone, confidence, and clarity).

- The remaining 55% is purely based on the candidate's body language.

The rejection hot zone

The 55% portion of the interview, dedicated to body language is where most people fail, hence sabotaging their own well-prepared verbal responses, Warikoo noted. He also cited some major“red flags” for interviewers, which includes:

- 67% of rejections happen due to lack of eye contact.

- 45% due to excessive hand or body movements.

- 30% because of a weak handshake.

- 40% because of poor posture.

In conclusion, Warikoo suggests that the goal should not be to simply look confident - a performance that often falls short. The master tip is to“feel it, so your body naturally follows,” he said.

The entrepreneur also added a picture with a motivational quote in the post, which read,“confidence isn't about pretending you belong, it's realising you already do.”

Netizens react to the post

Warikoo's post received thousands of likes and hundreds of comments. While some appreciated his thoughts, others also pointed out to the discrepancies in the job market.

An user commented,“The timing of this post is insane! But do you think ghosting people after an interview is justifiable? would be so much better to just send an email explaining the reason to reject.”

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Another person wrote,“You can prepare every answer, but if your body language doesn't match your words, it breaks trust instantly.”

An user also noted how it's not possible to fake confidence by stating,“This is so true. I think the biggest problem is the misalignment between what we say (7%) and what our body (55%) is communicating. You can rehearse words easily, but you can't fake the confidence that makes your body language genuine. It all comes back to feeling ready.”

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