How hormones can help you land a job

28 Days by Gabrielle Lichterman

 Everyone knows that what you say can be the difference between getting a job and getting shown the door. And nonverbal communication can also play a huge role in whether or not you are viewed by potential employers as a good candidate for a job. But did you know that even your hormones can help you with your job search?

According to health journalist Gabrielle Lichterman, author of 28 Days: What Your Cycle Reveals about Your Love Life, Moods and Potential, although you don’t actually have control over your hormones and how they may influence your moods, being cognizant of their effects can reduce the chance of making a misstep during a job interview.

“The great thing is, once you know how your hormones and other brain chemicals affect you, you don’t have to be a slave to them,” says Lichterman, who founded Hormonology, a horoscope based on hormone cycles. “You can be aware of how they affect you and then play up the strengths and compensate for the weaknesses.”

In order to compensate for the weaknesses that may be caused by hormones, Lichterman suggests the following tips for women going on job interviews during different points in their menstrual cycle.

Days 1 through 3. Lichterman says that these are not the best days to have a job interview because estrogen and testosterone levels are low. As a result, your energy is low during this time and you’re not as mentally sharp as you would be during other times of the month.

“Go in knowing that you have to pump up your energy and think a little bit more before you speak,” says Lichterman. “You should probably give yourself a little bit more rehearsal time and go over your facts and figures before you leave the house.”

Days 4 through 14. Lichterman says that this is the best time to schedule a job interview because on these days, estrogen and testosterone levels make you more eloquent, and increase your memory and ability to think on your feet. Also, during this time, you will smile more and have more confidence.

Additionally, on these days you are radiating pheromones—scentless chemicals that we transmit through sweat—which, Lichterman notes, can be helpful if the interviewer is male.

“If you have a male interviewer, these pheromones will actually make him more interested in what you have to say,” she says.

Days 15 to 28. In the last half of your cycle, your estrogen is declining as your progesterone is rising—which Lichterman says can have a negative effect on your ability to concentrate and express yourself verbally. During these days, she suggests that you spend time really preparing for your job interview and mapping out exactly what you want to say.

Part Two: Advice for men: How hormones can help you land a job (continued)
Part Three: How to use your job interviewer's hormones to your advantage

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Nonverbal behaviors during interviews
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