No matter what the job or how important it feels whether we get it or not, there are few of us who don’t suffer at least some degree of stage fright prior to a job interview. Here though, are a few tips to help you to regain some sense of composure before you set foot inside the interview room.
- Practice, practice and then practice some more – the more well-rehearsed you are, the more confident you will feel and the more natural your responses to the interviewer will sound, so sit down with a trusted friend or family member and go over the areas that you are most likely to be asked about until you can’t bear it any longer
- Don’t leave yourself short of time – you are going to be nervous whatever happens, but if you leave yourself short of time and panicking about whether you are going to make it to your interview by the allotted hour, your stress levels will go through the roof
- Get rid of some of that excess energy – typically when we feel full of nervous energy we speak quickly and sometimes not particularly coherently, so take a walk around outside before going into the building where your interview is to be held or, having left yourself plenty of time, park your car a couple of blocks away and walk the rest
- Warm up your voice – particularly if you live alone, you may have had no-one to talk to before you set off for your interview so your brain and your tongue may be a little slow and sluggish. Either before you leave or in the car on the way to your interview, practice your interview responses out loud to get everything warmed up
- Fake it ‘til you make it – you may feel as though you are quivering like a jelly on the inside, but make sure that your body language speaks of confidence. Walk tall, look the interviewer in the eye and don’t fidget. Remember, what you feel on the inside is not visible to the onlooker, so just fake it ‘til you make it.
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