How to make an interview stress freePlease, somebody tell me how to to make the interview time easier, stress free ( if possible...)? If there was no stress at all you wouldn' t care if they hire you and that would probably come across, so totally stress free isn' t the goal. The goal is to channel your nerves into something positive. I highly recommend several deep breaths before you start too. And don' t be so focused on your answers that you don' t LISTEN to the questions. Try, as much as possible, to have a conversation back and forth. The key thing that helps me to reduce interview stress is to remind myself: It' s just a conversation! They have something I' d like to have and I can offer them things that they need. And what we' re talking about is ways to make these two things come together in a mutually agreeable way. There are a couple of things that I have found to help minimize stress & maximize confidence, poise and comfort before I even walk into an interview: 1) KNOW THE COMPANY: Read their website, check out what publications like the Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Forbes, NYTimes, industry publications, etc, have to say about them. In fact, if you have enough time before the interview, ask if the company can send you their own publications that can help you learn more about the company from the inside out. 2) KNOW YOUR INTERVIEWERS: I always ask for a bio on each person I' m meeting with in advance of the interview so I have a sense of who they are, their background, their strengths, etc. It helps to humanize them and make them less scary than if you were meeting them blindly. 3) KNOW THE JOB: Ask for a written job description in advance of the interview so that you know in detail what the job entails, can prepare questions you' d like to ask, and to ensure that you and the interviewer are on the same page from the start. 4) KNOW YOURSELF: It sounds strange...but I find it works. Review your resume, think about how you' d change the words on the page into engaging stories that demonstrate your ability to do the job they need you to do, jot down key accomplishments that you might want to highlight, consider the types of things described in the job description and jot down other projects/work you' ve done that can help demonstrate how you can help the company with their challenges, etc. AND FINALLY...keep in mind these two things: 1) The interview could be as stressful for your interviewer as it is on you. (Some folks who have to conduct interviews aren' t comfortable interviewing, may not have tons of interviewing experience, or are just not good at it...all of which makes it stressful for them, too!) So, the less stress you can bring into the room, the less stress they' ll feel...starting you both off on the right foot! 2) The interviewer is just a person! S/he probably knows what it' s like to be on your end of the conversation, and (hopefully) wants the discussion to be a success, for her/him and for you. Good luck! One thing that I do to make interviews less stressful is to remind myself that they need me a lot more than I need them (sometimes this is hard when you are desperate for a job/money). I don' t mean go in there and act arrogant--just go in there with confidence in yourself and your skills. After all, you must have had something that they liked if you got called for an interview. I' d just echo what everyone else says, and that is to try and think of it as a very professional conversation. There' s alot of great interview advice out there, but I' ve read some things in books and the like that talk about mimicking the hand gestures of your interviewer, laughing when they laugh, etc. That' s just down right silly. I know some industries are more competitive than others for jobs, but no matter how professional you are or your experience,skills,etc., there' s always going to be people that you just rub the wrong way, and likewise. I also think too that so many people concentrate on doing well at the interview, that they don' t realize enough that it' s a two-way street- not only are they looking for certain things, but you should be looking for certain things too. I think sometimes people miss red flags in interviews about the job because they are so worried about making a good impression. There is a wonderful thing called Valerian Root. Available at most pharmacies in the vitamin section. Take one. Calms your nerves, not illegal, will not affect the drug screen if one is required.
On valerian root, try it out before you use it on an interview. It's used for insomnia, but can also cause jitteryness, which is what it does to me. | |
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Career Tips
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