Five Tactics To Keep You From Panicking Before Your Interview
By Ruoro Kairu
Have you been stressing over how your interview will turn out? Most job seekers are anxious about interviews, and with good reason, interviews can be tough –even after you’ve been to several of them. Your levels of anxiety could determine how the interview turns out.
If you want to ace your interviews, you will need to manage stress levels. Being overly stressed will likely sabotage your interview success chances. There are a few tactics you can use both pre-interview and during the actual interview to help you manage levels of anxiety.
Tactic #1: Prepare!
Thorough preparation is key to any interview success. Before you attend the interview, spend the time identifying what your strong skills are, come up with a few examples based on your previous experience that showcase these skills in application. You can also pull up examples from your academic, volunteer, and co-curricular experience. Illustrate how these skills bore fruits that furthered the cause to roles assigned.
Tactic #2: Research
Do your research about the company you’re planning to interview with. Ensure you have all the facts that may come up during the interview. Also, research on your role, read the responsibilities and qualifications of the post before attending the interview. Do not ask the interviewer what the job entails, these are details you should know prior to the interview.
Tactic #3: Practice
As you’ve heard before, practice makes perfect! The same goes for interviews. While you may not have practice grounds for interviews, you can always conduct a mock interview with your friends. Practicing time and again will help you have ready answers to common interview questions as well as calm your nerves.
Tactic #4: Positivity
While attending an interview, you need everything to work for you, not against you. Focus on being positive both before and during the interview. Positivity will help you get rid of anxious thoughts and feelings.
Through the interview, choose positive words to relay your message.
For instance, instead of saying “If I got this job, I would look for ways to increase your sales.” You can phrase it in a more positive manner, “I believe we can increase the sales over the next three months by…” The latter statement shows you’re willing to join the company, and can already project what to do once you get there.
Tactical #5: Breath
This inarguably one of the most simplistic yet effective tactics on the list. It’s easy to panic minutes before you’re interviewed. To avoid getting a full-blown panic attack, try taking in deep breaths. This can be done a few minutes as you wait to be interviewed, or even during the interview. Focus on what is happening and not the other dozen thoughts crossing through your mind.
Keeping calm is a key part of the interviewing process. It’ll help you communicate your points effectively, listen to the interviewer more intently, and show your interest for the position you’re applying to.
Quick read>>> 4 Surprising Benefits Of Interview Coaching For Your Career
If you would wish to ace your next interview, you can engage us for a one on one interview coaching session. The session will focus on tailored aspects you need to factor in for a successive interview.