Employing Proper Body Language

Most offices come standard with that one employee who makes everyone else look great. The bully. The loudmouth. The prankster. The slacker. The gossip queen. The one with no inner monologue. These are all professional folks clearly partaking in bad practices. But beyond these obvious soon-to-be casualties of downsizing, there are many more employees -- maybe even you -- who are doing subtle things to make themselves look bad. Or worse, to make others look bad. But if you're not bullying, screaming, pranking, slacking or gossiping, what could you be doing wrong? While you may be careful about keeping your verbal language PG-rated and in check, you might not be minding your body language. Everything from shrugs to eye movements to sitting positions at the desk or in a meeting could be saying even more than any comment or email message. Check the bodies of these articles for some clues about body language and how to improve upon in it the office or on an interview. [BusinessWeek] [CareerJournal] [Monster]