3 Reasons Not to Yawn In Interviews

You have been rehearsing late at night for your interview and you didn’t get a good night’s sleep as you knew you had an interview first thing in the morning. In the middle of the interview you get a huge urge to yawn and a voice in your head goes “go ahead and yawn, you will feel better”. Next you let out a loud yawn. There are raised eyebrows looking at you in disbelief. You try to explain yourself by saying you were burning the midnight oil in preparation for the interview. Does this situation sound familiar?

Below are 3 reasons not to yawn in an interview:

Reason #1   It can highlight poor time management

If you must explain that you were still up at 2am researching the company, it displays poor time management. Your interviewer will not be impressed by you leaving everything to the last minute and this does not augur well for the future.

Reason #2    It can be interpreted as you taking the interview lightly

By being so relaxed and laid back in an interview, you let out a yawn, the interview can interpret this that you are not taking the company or the interview seriously.

Tip #3           A yawn may cause offence

Picture this. Your interviewer is in the middle of saying something that they feel is very pertinent and relevant to the role and they expect your full attention. You commence a yawn as they are speaking. Your interviewer is likely to take offence and may think that you find what he/she is saying is boring.

The best advice is to avoid yawning in interviews by conducting your research well in advance and getting a good night’s sleep the night before your interview. If all else fails, a strong coffee just before your interview should do the trick.