By: Jimmy Sweeney
Often, the emotions that come with a big job interview are a lot of hype and excitement. Slowly but surely, as the day of the interview nears, that wave of positivity turns into anxiety. During the interview itself, you’re already a nervous wreck, with the interviewer getting ready to shove you right out the door and into unemployment.
Don’t beat yourself up over it; it’s very common for any potential employee, however qualified, to get nervous when applying for an important job. Here are four things to remember when handling an interview:
Try to have a genuine conversation: If you take away the suits, the imposing room, the big chairs, “hard-pressed” job interview questions are suddenly just questions. It’s a matter of perspective. To you this might be the hardest thing you’ve done in your life. You want to get the job, but you’d be happy just to get through it.
But to the interviewer, you’re just one of the dozens of applicants he’s screened through today. It’s his job and he’s used to it, plus, nothing is at stake for him so he’s not worried the least bit. The interviewer just wants to get on with the interview.
The trick is to take the interview for what it is. It’s a conversation between two people. It’s the secret to job interview preparation. Keep calm, and center yourself. You are just talking to another person about why they should hire you. If comfort allows, ask a couple questions yourself. Just loosen up and try to enjoy the experience.
Just be yourself: We are often told that in a job interview, we should always put our best foot forward. This means selling yourself in an effort to convince the interviewer that they should hire you. You have to appear beyond your usual capabilities, become exceptionally confident and reserved.
The problem with this is not all of us are good actors. You’re likely to not get called back for a job interview follow up if in attempting to put your best foot forward, you succeed only in annoying your interviewer. Just act natural; it’s okay to bring your general appearance and attitude up a notch but don’t overdo it. Sincerity is the keyword here.
Silence is normal, so don’t sweat it: Awkward silences don’t have to be awkward at all. Silence is part of any conversation, it’s when you can think of a good thing to say, and the interviewer can see which questions to ask you.
Stop trying to fill in the silence with even more awkward personal stories and anecdotes, boring and pretentious conversation, small talk, or corny jokes. Those will get you nowhere fast. Instead, use the silence to think and observe how the interviewer is responding to your words and actions.
Stop worrying: What most people forget when giving job interview tips is this: Just stop worrying. Think about it, why are you being interviewed in the first place? Because you’re qualified for the job. You just need to pace yourself, relax, be natural, and prepare for the words: “You’re hired!”
Aricle Source: Article Maniac
