Remove the Pressure: Build Yourself Up Before Your Interview

It is difficult enough talking to a total stranger at a social event or even the grocery store, and it becomes increasingly difficult when you are being interviewed. More often than not, the pressure is even greater during an interview, as you have to impress this person with hopes of getting the job. This pressure gets increasingly worse when you are unemployed and the family is counting on you to put food on the table. With all of this pressure, how can you do well?

The key to doing well is to have confidence in yourself. Confidence is what you are selling when you are in an interview. Not your years of experience or your skills, but confidence. You are selling confidence in yourself and your ability to do the job. It is no secret that employers are looking for people who can perform under pressure, as it is not a strange and unusual requirement. When a deadline is a week away and the project is worth $1 million, employers don’t want to know that you are going to cave under the pressure, but rather that you would produce results.

An interview serves two purposes: to meet the impressive person that was displayed on the resume, and to ensure that you will be a good fit for the company/project/team/etc. So you see, the interview is your opportunity to make a second first impression. The effective resume that you crafted already sold the potential employer on your experience, skills, accomplishments, etc. The interview is your opportunity to impress them once again by providing vocals to what was written on paper, and displaying the confidence that you have in yourself and your abilities. Not only are you selling self-confidence, you are also selling or building the confidence that they have in you. You received the interview because the employer felt confident that you can do the job according to what they saw on your resume. Your interview is simply a means for the employer to ensure that their assessment was correct.

With all of that being said, how do you build up your confidence?

There are several ways that you can build up your confidence before your next interview, and I want to discuss three of them. These three are not ranked in any fashion, but each of these are known to bring about a confident and relaxed demeanor.

Know your stuff: There isn’t a more confident person in the world than the person who knows exactly what they are going to talk about. Do you remember back in school when you had a class that gave an open book exam? You felt more confident than if you didn’t have the textbook to refer to. You felt even more confident when you reviewed the chapters because you knew that you could find the answers easily and quickly. Well the interview is no different. It is an open book test that you can study for ahead of time, but what should you study? I know it has been a long time since you looked at your resume, but make sure that you know everything that is on there. There is nothing worse than when you are asked a question about one of your experiences and you can’t remember anything about it. Also, find out as much as you can about the company. The more you know about the company, the more you have an idea about the work culture, the environment, its successes and failures. In today’s social networking environment, you can find out information that is not listed on a potential employer’s website that can help you. Lastly, search the Internet for popular interview questions. Having an idea of the questions that may be asked is invaluable. It’s like having the answers to the test.

Get good rest and eat well: A mind is truly a terrible thing to waist and yours will not be any good if you aren’t well rested and had a filling meal prior. Consider this: if you are tired or hungry, your mind is not as quick to respond because it’s off in a distant land thinking about food or a pillow-top mattress. Anxiety doesn’t do the body good either. If you are well rested and have had a hearty meal, you have the ability to perform at the top of your game.

Listen to uplifting music: I’ve had countless of people tell me that listening to music can’t help them prepare for an interview. My response usually is, ‘Call me when you don’t get the job’. Music is one of the most powerful influencers known to man. Music can shift your mood almost instantly! Imagine that you are listening to smooth jazz. Now imagine that you are listening to a catchy pop song. I guarantee that you mood has changed. Athletes have used this technique for generations to put them in the mood for the game. I know that when I need to feel encouraged, I listen to a certain type of music. When I feel like I am being a slacker, I play the song ‘Push It to the Limit’ by Rick Ross. So you see, music can put you into the mood when you need to stay calm, become confident, or simply relax your nerves.

Ralph Plaskett, founder of http://www.resumetipsexposed.com, provides information, strategies, and techniques that can be used immediately. He runs a successful consultancy for job seekers where he provides useful, actionable information that can change the outlook of many futures. You can hear Ralph on his weekly radio show on http://www.blogtalkradio.com/resumetips.