Job interviews can be anxiety inducing for even the most confident of candidates. You’re being judged and evaluated by a person in power, and your career may even hang in the balance. So it’s natural to have some fear. Fortunately, this is something you can overcome by following these tips.
Prepare
You can eliminate a lot of your anxiety by being adequately prepared. This begins with doing plenty of research on your potential employer. Learn about their history, culture, job expectations and so on to get a feel for what they’re like and what they’re looking for in an employee.
Make sure you have all the necessary documents ready like your resume, cover letter, portfolio and references. You may even want to familiarize yourself with some common interview questions so you’ll know how to answer them. Check out this resource from Fairygodboss for a list of 40 interview questions along with potential answers.
Slow Down Your Speech
“People interpret fast talking as a sign of nervousness and a lack of self-confidence,” explains speech and presentation coach Sims Wyeth. “Your fast talking can make it appear that you don’t think people want to listen to you, or that what you have to say is not important.”
You can calm yourself down and feel more confident by simply slowing down your speech. Embrace the pause, and think it through before answering a question. This is something that recruiters expect, so don’t rush it. Doing this will prevent you from stumbling over your words and leave you better positioned to answer complex questions.
Think Positively
The mental approach you take to a job interview will often affect the outcome. If you’re thinking that you’re going to tank and the interview will be a disaster, it can be a self-fulfilling prophecy. But if you think positively and believe you’ll succeed, you’ll be more confident and things are likely to go much smoother. So try to keep any negative thoughts in check. You may even want to give yourself “a pep talk” right before to get into the right headspace.
If you find yourself worried before a job interview, relax. You’re not the only one. Using the strategies mentioned here should help you overcome your fear and put any negative thoughts to rest. That way you’ll go in more confidently and should make a better impression on your recruiter.
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