So, let’s set the scene, you’ve arrived crazy early sitting in the waiting room, contemplating whether your heart is literally about to beat out of your chest, a ton of bricks couldn’t prevent your leg from shaking at this speed and there isn’t enough water in Niagara Falls to quince your dry mouth. Yes, you’ve guessed it, you’re at a job interview.
We’re here to offer assistance and expert guidance on interviewing and strategies for overcoming those nerves.
How to hype yourself up for an interview
1. Nerves are the norm
You may think you are on your own, but nerves sometimes highlight your desire for the job. The fear of the unknown is an aspect that affects most people. Nerves are more than usual, a certain level of interview nerves are absolutely normal and most job seekers experience some level of ‘Although I’m really interested in this company and this position I’ll still be glad to have this interview done and dusted’.
2. How to feel calm before an interview?
There are times when nerves can completely get the better of a person, and have a negative effect on the individual’s performance during the interview. With lots of practice and knowledge in the area, one of our recruiters says “My message to you is that you are certainly not alone, I have come across many individuals in the same situation in my career as a recruiter and coach, and the good news is that it really is possible to overcome these nerves.”
3. How do I get a positive mindset before an interview?
Along with the deep breaths, begin setting your mindset optimistically from the get-go, our recruiter suggests, “On your way to the interview, keep reminding yourself of your career successes to date, positive feedback that you have received and past interviews that secured you a new role.” As well as this remember it’s not an exam, you are there because the interviewer genuinely feels that you have skills and attributes that will make a difference to their business.
4. Remind yourself that your interviewer is human
Your interviewer was once in the hot seat themselves, so if anything should put you at ease it’s knowing they feel your pain. Remind yourself that the interviewer is a normal person like yourself with their own busy work and personal life. They have invited you for an interview for a reason and they want you to succeed.
5. Stay calm, you’ve done it before
In the case where a previous interview experience has been positive, we suggest asking yourself what feedback did you receive? Did you secure a new role as a result of any of your interview experiences? If so, focus on this real-life evidence – you may have felt nervous at the time but you went through the interview process and managed to impress the interviewer/employer enough that they offered you the role.
6. Focus on the future
It is also recommended to try to improve on any feedback you have received in the past, meaning unheard feedback or self-criticism won’t help. Our expert recruiter says “Do yourself a favour and don’t focus on these experiences! There could be a myriad of different reasons as to why you did not secure the role that are not personal to you – the role may have ended up being put on hold or offered to an internal candidate, maybe in fact you did a good interview but there was one other candidate in the mix with slightly more relevant industry experience. Don’t dwell on the unknown, look at the real evidence that you have.”
7. Fake it till you make it
Practice and preparation are key. If you can convince a family member or friend to play the part of the interviewer so you can practice answering questions this is a great method of verbalising your answers. What we say in our heads can sound completely different out loud so it really is worthwhile practicing this.
For more interview tips, visit Allen Connects (our exclusive Linkedin page for candidates) or explore our numerous blog posts filled with job-seeking resources. A great place to start is our STAR preparation guide, which will help you shine in your next interview: Interview Preparation – become a STAR.
About Allen Recruitment
Allen Recruitment is an international recruitment consultancy business with offices in Ireland, the UK, the Netherlands, Spain, France, Sweden, Belgium and Poland. A full-service recruitment consultancy offering temporary, permanent, contract and contingency roles in a variety of industries such as IT, Tech, Finance, Telecom, E-commerce, Engineering and more.
Posted in: Job Seeking Resources
