After the long, exhausting journey of searching for and applying to new jobs, you’ve just been rewarded with a golden ticket—an interview.
But after a brief moment of celebration, the panic sets in: Your heart is already pounding, your palms are beginning to sweat, and you’re wondering: Are hiring managers like sharks—can they smell fear?
A great way to overcome the anxiety interviews produce is to begin feeling good about the process.
Need help getting there? Here are five ways to build confidence for an interview.
1. Use breathing techniques to boost confidence
At the heart of confidence is feeling relaxed, so breathing and mindfulness exercises are helpful, adds Wood. “Staying present by focusing on your breathing just before an interview should help calm nerves,” says mindfulness teacher Gelong Thubten.
Business psychologist Dr Sarah Connell, agrees: “When we are anxious our blood flows away from our brains as we are in fight or flight mode, and our cognitive functions can suffer.” So slow, deep breathing will bring the oxygen back to your brains and help you to think clearly.
2. Conduct Research
One great way to build your interviewing confidence is by conducting plenty of research on the company you’re applying with and the position it’s offering. A common question interviewers ask is, “Do you know anything about our company?” Most times, candidates are forced to answer “No.”
If you’re able to share the company’s background information and showcase knowledge of its future goals for the position in question, you’ll undoubtedly catch the interviewer off-guard, in a great way!
3.Make Eye Contact
One of the best ways to fool a hiring manager into thinking you’re more confident than you feel is to keep steady, natural eye contact throughout the interview. Mary Griffin, a Human Resources Director for a national healthcare company says, “A key giveaway of a nervous Nellie is a lack of direct eye contact—looking down, looking away, and not looking the interviewer directly in the eyes. A more confident interviewee appears to be engaged with the interviewer.”
One way to remind yourself to make regular eye contact is to focus on a spot between the interviewer’s eyes. You can even imagine a colorful bulls-eye there—whatever it takes to keep your eyes from wandering too much.
On the flip side, you don’t want to stay so intensely focused on making eye contact that youend up sending out a creepy vibe! So remember to take natural breaks, like looking down at your resume every once in a while. It’s a balancing act, so just keep practicing until it feels comfortable.
4. Locate Sample Interview Questions
There are many sample interview questions floating around the Internet that can help you gauge the types of questions you could be asked. Take time to review those questions—and come up with great answers—to ensure the actual interview flows fluidly.
5. Practice Often
A great way to build your confidence for the interview is to practice before the big day. You can do this by answering questions in front of the mirror to read your own facial expressions and body language, or have a friend act as the interviewer to help you simulate the actual environment.
6. Make Sure You Have No “Skeletons”
An important step in preparing for your interview is being able to recall your own career history and discuss prospective goals with the company and in your professional life as a whole.
But as you look back over your career, be sure to research yourself online to ensure there are no skeletons on the Internet that could be brought up in your interview.
Remember, companies conduct background checks often via search engines, so it’s up to you to ensure your social networking profiles are professional, or private.
7. Decide What The Job Is Worth
You may assume that this tip refers to the amount you expect to be paid for the position. In fact, you may be asked about salary expectations, so it’s good to prepare an answer.
But aside from salary, it’s important to decide whether the job is worth handing over your password to a social networking site or other personal site, something that has become a trend for some employers.
Do you feel that sharing private information is worth it? Give this some thought before arriving at the interview.
In addition to taking the above steps, it’s great to find a professional outfit you feel comfortable wearing. Feeling good in your clothes and knowing you’ve fully prepared can work wonders in boosting your confidence before the big day.
