We all get nervous when called for an interview and clients are always asking me, “What if I bomb it?”. The anticipation can always cause big jitters and may lead to an interview failure. At times, acknowledging your anxieties is the first step to dealing with them and paving the way to your success.
Here are some tips we share with clients to help calm those interview jitters:
Who are you? Think of yourself as a professional person. Maybe you are an engineer, teacher, labourer, administrative. Don’t let “job hunter” become your new identity.
Why are you being interviewed? There is a good reason why you have been called for this interview – you have the skills and experience they are looking for – now the prospective employer wants to see if you are a good fit. Feel confident in your abilities.
You are the ultimate expert on yourself. Your task is to share that self-knowledge in a way that portrays you as the answer to the employer’s problem – be strategic when answering behavioural questions. Don’t just answer the question by telling about a situation – strategically think beforehand what skills you want to highlight. Present the facts with a certain amount of authority. If you are well prepared, you can enter any interview with a measure of self-confidence.
Imagine yourself in the new role. Can you envision what success looks like? Think about what you would like to accomplish in this new role and imagine that you already have the job. Begin to make a plan on how to handle the responsibilities and how you will assist in meeting the employer’s goals. When you can visualize this success, the interviewer will begin to see you in that way as well.
What are some of your fears during an interview? Can you identify them, deal with them and put them to rest?
by Carole Marinier, Resident Blogger for Agilec
