Job interviews have often been termed as one of the most nerve-racking experiences. No matter how prepared you are, there is always a panic button just under the surface that can accidentally turn on. The mind is anxious and the heart races to the uncertainties. Things can go wrong. What matters most now is the illusive confidence that can get you through this experience with a positive outcome.
Use these four tips to overcome the interview jitters:
In a world where email and instant messaging have become the most common forms of communication, we forget how difficult it can be to actually talk to someone you don’t know. Or even someone you know. Talk to a friend, share your apprehensions and share experiences.
On the networking front it is good to plan on some informational interviews to know more about the company or job. Try to get in touch with someone you know or your friend knows who is an employee of the company you are applying for. Contact them through email or phone and be direct in asking for help. It doesn’t have to be long, just tell them who you are, where you found the job placement and that you have applied for it. Make sure your telephone etiquette is professional and try to keep it simple.
If you don’t believe you’re good enough to be awarded the job you are interviewing for, then how do you expect your prospective employer to think so either? You need to demonstrate in your interview that you feel confident you’ll be an asset to the company and can deliver a good job. Professional poker player Lee Davy wrote an interesting article about the importance of self-belief in a profession where confidence is everything. And even when things don’t go to plan, it’s important to keep a cool head and retain an inner confidence. If you’re not offered one job don’t let this induce self-limiting beliefs. Move on and try again. Similarly in football, post match interviews are great examples of the importance of self-belief. Coaches, managers and players are all trained to answer questions with a positive spin. Very rarely would you hear a manager speak negatively when asked if his losing team had performed well that day. Instead, you will hear an answer like, “There were a lot of positives out there today, and although we didn’t get the right result, I’m sure with a few changes we will produce an improved performance next time.”
It’s not just what you say in an interview that gets noticed, your body language and posture are also very important. Someone slumped over the table with their hands under the desk doesn’t give off the “confident and hard-working” vibe. Once again, we can look at sporting examples to see how we can use body language to portray a positive attitude. Boxing is an environment where you can’t afford to show any signs of weakness and you must show yourself as confident and unbeatable. The perfect example of this was Tyson Fury in the build up to his World Heavyweight Championship fight against Wladimir Klitschko. Fury knew he had to try and talk himself up as much as possible in the build up to the fight, as well as unsettle the Champion, who had held the belt for almost a decade. The months building up to the fight were full of bravado, showmanship and astonishing antics on the part of Fury, including turning up to a press conference dressed as Batman. The result was that Klitschko was beaten before he even stepped foot in the ring and Fury’s self-confidence and personality saw him walk away with the belts.
The best way to get better at interviews is by attending interviews. Some job sites like Monster offer a virtual job interview. This will offer an insight into the interview process, but it doesn’t put you under the same pressure a real interview would. A good idea would be to look through job listings and find any local opening that you are remotely qualified for. Whether you actually want the job or not doesn’t really matter. Use this experience to hone your interview skills, practice projecting positive body language and it even gives you a great opportunity to work on your appearance and punctuality. “No opportunity is a wasted opportunity”, so as long as you go into it with the right attitude, these experiences will stand you in good stead for the future.