It is human nature. When we feel threatened or scared our brains go into protection mode overwhelming us with the desire to run, freeze or fight. This is an instinctive reaction to potential danger that has been part of our neural network since we were cave people.

Now… Is there anything more dangerous than a job interview? You are walking into a new environment, meeting people you don’t know trying to convince them to hire you so you can provide the essentials of life, money, rent and safety for you and your family.

Before entering the den of interviewing, set yourself up for success by following these four unconventional tips:

  1. Decide you’re going to enjoy the process. It’s your thinking that sends you into a tizzy and scares you into anxiety. Try thinking of interviews as a party being thrown on your behalf. You get to meet new people, explore new work environments, learn new and exciting things. Decide you are going to start enjoying the experience of interviewing from now on.
  2. Remember, employers need you more than you need them. Part of what triggers our survival brain is the belief that the odds are stacked against you. In the employer candidate dance, the odds are even. It’s incredibly difficult to find the right person for the job and the longer the position is unfilled, the more money it costs the company. You are actually walking into a win-win situation where both parties have what the other needs.
  3. Preparation, not memorization, calms the mind. Research your interviewers. Research the heck out of the company. Get your “pocket scenarios” ready for situational “behavioral” questions. Make sure you can qualify why you are qualified.
  4. Be curious. Anxiety is generated when we’re worried about the past or the future. Curiosity keeps you present and in the moment.
  5. Imagine the interview before it begins. Sit quietly and play out the way you’d like the interview to go. See yourself as confident, the interviewers as friendly, the environment welcoming. This will calm you more than imagining you’re going to be eaten alive.
  6. Breathe, breathe breathe. Breath calms the mind and the body reassuring the psyche you are safe.

The STEPSCAREERSYSTEM is designed to prepare you for those challenging job interviews and help you to succeed.