Regardless of their experience on the job market, most candidates tend to get anxious about job interviews. No wonder – with limited time on their hands, they strive to make the most out of this opportunity and show themselves in the best light.
If you’re facing a job interview, there are a couple of things you can do besides practicing your answers and researching the company. Here are 7 tips to help you feel more prepared to bring the calmest and most confident version of yourself to the table.
1. Try breathing techniques
Relaxation is your focus before a job interview. That’s why you should try some breathing and mindfulness exercises. By focusing on your breathing, you’ll stay present and calm your nerves before an interview.
When we experience anxiety, we enter fight or flight mode and as a result our cognitive functions can suffer. We all want to be at the top of our form when making the first impression on recruiters.
Slow, deep breathing will bring more oxygen to your brain, helping you to think clearly and enable you to be more present.
2. Visualisation – Picture yourself succeeding
This is an easy and effective strategy for giving yourself a boost to your self-esteem and confidence.
Before going in, visualise yourself during a successful interview. Imagine how you walk into the room, shake the interviewer’s hand, answer the questions with confidence, and represent yourself as a perfect combination of charm and professionalism.
If you strongly believe that you’re the best candidate for the job, you’ll be able to calm your nerves and relax into the blissful state of confidence. Recruiters find it hard to deal with overly-stressed candidates, so you’ll be making their lives easier too.
3. Remember all the nice things people said about you
Perhaps your friends admire your logical thinking and ability to quickly come up with solutions to problems? Maybe your colleagues mentioned how well you work under pressure?
Focus your thoughts on these positives, and remind yourself of all the work-related compliments you’ve received in the past. Sure, it sounds a little self-absorbed, but you can definitely use an ego boost before your interview.
All this will help you present yourself more confidently during the interview. Embrace your strengths and allow them to shine.
4. Rehearse your answers out loud
If you enter the interview room with prepared answers to the most common questions, you’ll feel more at ease. That’s why you should rehearse your answers out loud with a friend.
Consider your skills and qualifications – think of examples which show how you developed them and how you’ve used them at your previous jobs. You’ll instantly feel calmer and more confident.
5. Release energy in sports
If you’re feeling stressed, nervous, or anxious, sweating it out in the gym or football field is your best strategy for releasing all that emotional energy and gaining a sense of peace.
The night before your interview, go for a run, throw some punches at a punching bag, or exhaust yourself at an exciting dance class.
If you’re not up for any physical exercises, you can still release all your energy by singing or yelling at the top of your lungs. It sounds a little crazy, but this type of physical release works wonders for getting all of that stress out of your system.
Break a sweat, and you’ll be sure to return to a calmer and more confident place, plus tiring yourself our physically will help you to sleep better the night before your interview.
6. Aim to connect with interviewers
Instead of focusing on impressing recruiters, try to come across as someone at ease in their own skin and ability to take on the job at hand.
Your confidence should serve to build a rapport with the interviewer. Don’t try to desperately impress them. Instead, do your best to put them at ease. This is the best way you can use your confidence.
Your performance is just part of the game. Meaningfully connecting with people is far more important in this context, so smile and prepare yourself for an honest and pleasant interaction.
7. Don’t forget that recruiters are human too
You’re not going to a job interview because recruiters want to see you fail.
You’ve been invited because your resume and cover letter caught the eye of the hiring manager. Recruiters want to get to know you and learn more about the experiences they’ve seen in your application.
Recruiters want to hire someone who could add value to the team and company. You’re there because they think you might be the right match – and that alone should make you feel more confident.
Use these 7 tips and you’re bound to make a great impression on recruiters during your next job interview and boost your chances at landing your dream job. Good luck!
For more information on Tess’s work check out opencolleges.edu.au
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