It happens to everyone and you are definitely not alone; interview nervousness. The way I always looked at it was if you’re not nervous for an interview, then you really don’t care about the job. If you are nervous about the interview, that shows that you really care and it’s something important to you because you want to do your best.
How Do You Overcome Interview Nervousness?
Preparation
It’s all about the preparation you give it. For example, how much are you researching the companies you are interviewing with? Do you know their slogan, motto, office locations, revenue/profit, CEO, philanthropy, products, services, current news, etc. These are just the basics that you need to know, not including all the little things!
Just by going through the motions of researching the topics listed above, you will find that you are learning more about the company you’re about to interview with. By doing this, it will help give you the necessary confidence you are seeking.
Get Dressed Up
There’s only so many occasions in life where you can get dressed up and an interview is one of them. When we get dressed up, it tells our brain, “hey, this is something important, this is serious!” Because of that, it creates the nervousness however, it also creates confidence. It’s just simply which one you will be exuding. When we are dressed to the nines, we feel like a million bucks. So let that confidence show, use it to your advantage!
Memorization
Big red flag if you are doing this!! People feel that if they can memorize all the perfect answers, they will nail the interview. The problem with that thought-process is when you are asked a question that you didn’t prepare for! You cannot memorize answers and don’t try too! You have to be “yourself” because that is who the employer is buying… you! not your memorized answers. Any good interviewer will be able to see through your rehearsed answers and adjust accordingly to ask questions you might not have prepared for.
Practice
As with anything else in life, the more you practice, the better you will become. Most people feel that the more interviews they go on, the better they will become. This is true! Without a doubt. However, why take the chance to lose out on your dream job because you didn’t practice enough prior to the interview? There are resources available to you to practice interviewing; why not use them? We offer mock interview services at an inexpensive price so you don’t have to break the bank to land your dream job!
Get Pumped Up!
Simple enough… go in guns-a-blazin’ and knock their socks off! You have to be in the right mindset when interviewing. Everybody is different and that is fine, but do whatever gets you pumped up. I loved watching the episode of “The Office” when Dwight prepares for a sales meeting. It shows the character Dwight getting pumped up to make a sales pitch; he’s getting in the right frame of mind. You can tell that all he is thinking is “close, close, close”. The same goes for you, except, you should be thinking, “job, job, job”!
