People Who Come Across As High Status & Competent Often Do 4 Casual Things At Work
Anatoliy Karlyuk | ShutterstockYou only get one chance to make a first impression, as the saying goes, and what that first impression says about you can be a make-or-break factor in situations like business meetings or job interviews.
But what if you're a giant ball of nerves and anxiety? Can you "fake it till you make it" and still project poise and power even if you're anxious inside? Science says yes.
Grace McCarrick, a career coach and workplace expert, is an authority on the concept of "soft skills," the parts of our working lives that involve everything from human interaction and problem-solving to psychology and emotional intelligence. Basically, the non-technical, non-nuts-and-bolts part of work.
Even if we aren't necessarily adept at these skills, we're always interacting with and assessing them, especially in job interviews. One key way they come into play is through status assessments. The status we project is a major part of the first impression a person forms of us.
"Whether you like it or not, status rules a lot of how we behave," McCarrick explained in a TikTok video on the subject. "Our brains are literally status detection machines." Our brains are built to suss out whether the person we're interacting with is high or low status, and where they fall on the continuum of power, influence, and credibility.
"Status is what psychologists call an ultimate motivation, meaning it's a deep evolutionary cause of a lot of our beliefs and behaviors," McCarrick went on to say. It is even part of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, the famous (and somewhat controversial) theory of what every human being needs to achieve their full potential and self-actualize.
Because status is such an intrinsic part of who we are, we not only give it major weight in a situation like a job interview, but we also measure it almost immediately. A 2006 Princeton study found that it takes just one-tenth of a second to form a first impression, which includes a perception of our status.
So, how can you project high status even if you aren't the most powerful, influential person in the world? McCarrick said research has shown there are "certain actions and gestures that make people think someone else is high status." She shared four of them to add to your arsenal so that you can mold people's perceptions of you in your favor.
People who come across as high status often do a few casual things at work:
1. Being facially expressive
A 2024 study at Nottingham Trent University in Nottingham, U.K., found that people who were more facially expressive were perceived as more agreeable, easier to read and understand, and more well-liked overall. They were also better negotiators.
2. Not fidgeting
"People who touch themselves, fiddle with their hair, or their clothes less are seen as higher status," McCarrick explained. This is because fidgeting looks like nervous energy to observers and conveys anxiety and a lack of self-assurance.
Psychologists say the overall message given off by fidgeting is "I'm not threatening"; definitely not an impression you want to give in a job interview.
3. Having a relaxed, open posture
Like fidgeting, relaxed, open body language conveys confidence and competence. Folding your arms across your chest, for example, can make you seem closed off and perhaps defensive. Keeping your posture open and casual shows you're relaxed and comfortable in your surroundings, which psychologists view as both confidence and trustworthiness.
4. Using a steady vocal tone
Obviously, speaking quickly and frenetically conveys anxiety and a lack of confidence, but research also shows that humans change their pitch depending on the perceived status of the person they're speaking to.
Raising your pitch suggests you think the person is higher status than you, whereas lowering it suggests the opposite. Keeping your voice steady in rhythm and tone, maybe even lower, can signal to an interviewer that you are high status.
McCarrick used herself as an example of how she pulls this all together when she's in an interview or a meeting: coat off, hair pulled to the side or pulled back so there's no need to touch, a loose, casual posture with one arm up on the chair beside her, an even, modulated voice, and plenty of expression in her face.
Roll it all together, and you're conveying that you're confident, aren't intimidated, and know what you're talking about. And that's an image that just might have a job interviewer thinking they need you more than you need them.
John Sundholm is a writer, editor, and video personality with 20 years of experience in media and entertainment. He covers culture, mental health, and human interest topics.
