How to be less nervous on your next interview!
No matter how much work experience you have, a shot at your dream job is likely to make your heart pound and your palms sweat. Try out these tips to reduce your anxiety and boost your confidence for that extra edge.
1) Prepare. The more prepared you are, the less worry you will have. Work with a career coach or friend in advance and practice answering questions your interviewer is likely to ask. Have your responses loosely memorized, so you sound conversational, but also know this information well enough to avoid using words like "uh" or "um."
2) Research. The more you research the company, their mission, and what the position will be like, the better informed you will be. A lot of nervousness comes from a lack of information. Ask other people in your network if they've heard anything about this company as well.
3) Work on yourself. People don't become more confident in a vacuum. They do so by practicing skills and gaining a sense of accomplishment (from both successes and failures). Take action to improve your life, and you will build your confidence. If you don't feel you're a competitive applicant, work to improve that. Take classes, learn on your own, network, or go back to school. Do whatever you specifically need to do to improve your unique situation, and you will improve your confidence.
4) Self development. You can become a more attractive candidate by developing yourself. Employers value employees who can problem solve, who have good common sense and professionalism. A needy, unconfident employee, rather, will ask their boss to solve every problem -- which is a drain. When a problem comes up, can you ask yourself good questions like, "How can I resolve this?" or "How can I find out the missing information? Who can I ask in another department?" or do you turn to someone else to solve your problem for you? Working on your self development will increase your confidence and independence, so you learn to become a leader and problem solver. This will help you shine in an interview, as employers want to hire someone who can get the job done.
5) Ask yourself why you're afraid. It sounds so simple, but often, we focus on "trying to not be nervous," instead of addressing the reason we are nervous in the first place. Ask yourself what your nervous feeling is about. Do you feel unprepared? Are you reminded of a job you didn't get in the past, that you still feel bad about? Do you have trouble speaking slowly, and worry you'll mess up your answers? Are you afraid if you don't get this job, you can't pay the bills? Simply getting down to the root of why you are nervous, will help you embrace the problem at hand. Have empathy for yourself, and tell yourself that it's okay to be nervous. Address the real reason for your fears.
6) Avoid black-and-white-thinking. It's common, in stressful situations, to jump in the fallacy of black-and-white-thinking. We say things like, "If I don't get this job, I'll be out on the street!" Or, "This is my one and only chance to re-enter the workforce after my layoff." This isn't realistic, and it places too much pressure on us, resulting in anxiety. Instead, be realistic. Nothing is ever black and white. It's a great opportunity, but there will be other opportunities as well, if you keep working hard at your job search. All won't be lost if you miss out on this one job. Thinking this way will give you a more confident and relaxed demeanor.
7) Practice your entrance. I always have clients practice walking into the room, greeting the "employer" and shaking their hand with a smile. This moment creates the first impression, and it sets the tone for how the interview will progress. Practicing this with someone who can give you feedback is important, as you may not realize your handshake is too firm, or not firm enough, or perhaps your smile doesn't appear natural. Continuing to work, you'll find an entrance you're happy with, and then you'll be off to a great start!
8) Focus on making the interviewer comfortable. Many people who need to interview employees are not used to doing it, and they may feel uncomfortable asking you questions. Seeing the situation from this perspective, and focusing on helping them feel more comfortable, with help you dramatically. When I was in high school, I got the highest interview score out of all high schoolers in my state (this was in a business club), after a full day of panel interviews, because my goal was to make each interviewer feel comfortable, relaxed, and liked. I remember one woman was very stern looking and seemed unhappy, but I didn't let up on smiling at her, until she surprised herself (and me) by smiling back. I then realized that people who look the most intimidating are often the most in need of feeling accepted.
Put these tips together, and go get that dream job all! <3 -julie="" p="">
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