Have you ever walked away from a job interview thinking you nailed it, only to receive a rejection email? You are not alone. The common culprit in such cases is not the content of your responses, but rather a powerful, often overlooked aspect – body language – where most people fail.
That’s the insight Indian entrepreneur and content creator Ankur Warikoo shared in a LinkedIn post, explaining that the words candidates rehearse repeatedly before an interview actually contribute a surprisingly small fraction to their overall success.
Post by @AnkurWarikoo
“You can rehearse your words a hundred times. But if your body language doesn’t match your answers, it won’t have any effect,” he wrote in a LinkedIn post.
Warikoo is guaranteed success
The entrepreneur, who is also the author of books such as Make Epic Money and Build and Epic career, shared a breakdown of the factors that influence the interviewer’s perception.
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“You think your interview went well. But then you get rejected. Why does this happen? The 7-38-55 interview rule explains it perfectly,” he noted. He gave the following instructions:
— 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.
Hot rejection zone
The 55% body language portion of a conversation is where most people fail, sabotaging their own well-prepared verbal responses, Warikoo noted. He also cited some major “red flags” for interviewers, which include:
— 67% of rejections happen due to lack of eye contact.
— 45% due to excessive hand or body movement.
— 30% due to a weak handshake.
— 40% due to poor posture.
In closing, Warikoo suggests that the goal shouldn’t simply be to look confident—a feat that often falls short. The main 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 realizing you already do.”
Netizens react to the post
Warikoo’s post received thousands of likes and hundreds of comments. While some appreciated his ideas, others also pointed out the irregularities in the labor market.
One user commented: “The timing of this post is crazy! But do you think it’s justifiable to justify people after the interview? It would be much better to send an email explaining the reason for the rejection.”
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Another person wrote: “You can prepare every answer, but if your body language doesn’t match your words, it immediately erodes trust.”
One user also noted that it’s impossible to fake confidence by stating, “This is so true. I think the biggest problem is the mismatch between what we say (7%) and what our body communicates (55%). You can easily rehearse the words, but you can’t fake the confidence that makes your body language genuine. It all comes back to feeling prepared.”
