Overcoming Interview Anxiety
When you find a job opening that you’ve been waiting for, nerves can start to rise. If your dream job is staring you in the face, it can be somewhat intimidating. Finding ways to overcome interview anxiety may seem easy at first, but putting them into practice is a different story. When you are preparing for your dream job interview, take time to step back and relax. There are many things to focus on. Make it easier on yourself by preparing for your interview and being intentional about overcoming stress. When you’re preparing for an interview, consider these tips to overcome nerves in an interview and land your dream job.
Prepare Specific Responses
One of the best ways to overcome interview anxiety is to prepare specific responses. In doing so, you’ll feel more prepared for the interview, even if you don’t get to use those responses. By preparing ahead of time, you begin to think critically about the interview and your qualifications for this position. You will feel in control of your answers and will be able to concisely and professionally answer just about any interview question that comes your way.
In addition to interview answers, prepare your elevator pitch before your interview. This 30 – 60 second pitch is designed to be a brief overview of yourself, including your professional background and your qualifications for the position you’re interviewing for. Keep in mind that your interview will cover your qualifications in-depth, and that your elevator pitch is to give your interviewer an idea of who you are and why you’re interviewing for this position. Keep it short while avoiding repeating everything on your resume.
Practice Out Loud
As you prepare for your interview, you may find it helpful to practice out loud. Once you have your elevator pitch and a few specific answers prepared, stand in front of the mirror. When you see what you look like and hear what you sound like, you will have an idea of how you present yourself. Try recording yourself speaking, too. This way, you can play back your answers and fine-tune what you want to say, and how you look.
Practicing out loud makes a big difference to prepare for an interview. Even if you know what you plan on saying, you’ll find it helps to know how it’s going to sound out loud. When your interview comes, you’ll be more confident in showing off your best self for your dream job.
Do Your Research
Do your research about the company. Spend plenty of time on their website, exploring just about every page you can find. Read their latest blogs and learn who the major players are. Learn what the company’s values are, and see if you can find their mission statement on their website. Most likely, the “About” page on any website is going to be your most valuable resource.
Even if you are just casually browsing, doing your research and visiting the company’s website will help you overcome interview anxiety without you even realizing it. The more you know about the company you’re interviewing with, the less of a “stranger” they will be. You’ll feel more comfortable in an interview with them. The interview will become less of an interrogation and more of a conversation, because you’ll be returning questions and answering their questions confidently.
Write down a few notable things you like about the company. This may include blogs on their site, or their company values, or even their social media channels. You may not get a chance to speak about them during your interview, but it will give you more confidence and assurance that you’re in the right place. And, if you do get a chance to talk about it, then you’ll impress your interviewer by showing you’ve done your research.
Stay Positive
You can do it! One of the best tips to overcome nerves in an interview is to keep this at the forefront of your mind. Visualize success before, during and after your interview. Keep in mind that you are qualified for this position. After all, if you were able to secure the interview, there was something that the company saw that they liked. Remember that they want to learn more about you, and it is your chance to learn more about them, too.
It can be helpful to write encouraging messages or tips to yourself on a piece of paper. Take notes during your interview and read these messages throughout to give you a boost of confidence. If you’ve done your research and prepared for the interview, then you can go in confidently knowing you have a chance to land your dream job.
Find Your Dream Job With Turn2Partners
As you prepare for your interview, keep these tips to overcome nerves in an interview in mind. By preparing ahead of time, doing your research and staying positive, you will walk into your interview with confidence.
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