Psychological preparation
You have the skills, you have the look and you have done your research. You also need to mentally prepare yourself for the interview process. Most people feel nervous in during an interview and may suffer from shaky hands, a dry mouth, sweating and fast beating heart. It is important that you feel confident and positive as the interviewer will pick up on this quickly.
Interviewers are not expecting you to be perfect, most interviewers will not be as harsh as the millionaires on dragons den are and more often, interviewers will be looking for your future potential.
Interviewers want to see if you have the ability, aptitude, knowledge and motivation to fit into their organisation and be able to make a valid contribution.
Repetition is the mother of all skill
Most people do feel nervous when it comes to interviews but there are a number of things you can do prepare yourself psychologically:
- Go through practice questions and answers as much as you can. You can do this whilst looking in the mirror or by doing a role play with a friend.
- Get a good night sleep the day before your interview. You are likely to be fresher and energised in the morning. Not sleeping early the night before can result in you having sore eyes and suffer from a lack of concentration. The lack of rest will be apparent during the interview.
- Breathe! Controlled breathing helps you relax. Take deep breaths, hold it for a few seconds and exhale slowly. Repeat this process till you feel a lot relaxed and calmer.
- Practice makes perfect – The more you practice your interview techniques the easier the whole process will become. Try and enjoy your interviews, you may not get the first job you interview for so it is an idea to get as many interviews you can under your belt. The more jobs you interview for, the more natural you will become in them – this also improves your chance of getting the job you deserve.
