Anyone gets nervous when going for an interview. How can you be calm during a meeting and demonstrate your best qualities to your future employer? Many articles have been written about preparing for an interview: they tell in detail what a resume should be, what an applicant should look like, but there is disappointingly little information about how not to be afraid of an interview and be prepared for any unexpected questions. Let's try to fill this gap with a few tips.
Breathe
How does your body behave when you are preparing to speak in front of a large audience or going for an interview? Surely the heart jumps out of the chest, legs, arms and voice tremble, the face turns red, and a stoop appears. This appearance not only indicates that the person is scared, but also demonstrates that I am not confident in myself
.
How to get rid of this effect? Before entering the place where you have an appointment, do some simple breathing exercises. Breathe deeply, calmly and slowly with your stomach: inhale for 2 seconds, pause for 2 seconds, exhale for 2 seconds.
. Exercise will improve your breathing and even out your heart rhythm.
Preparation
How to behave during your first interview? Before going to an interview, accept that refusal will not be a disaster in your life . This company is one of many. If they don’t hire you here, they’ll hire you in another company. It would be a good idea to exercise .
Important! Do not take sedatives. They are sometimes very relaxing . For this reason, you may not be on your toes during an interview. Besides, it would be nice to have some run-in.
Let it be a simple freelancing, but this is what will give you confidence that if this particular employer refuses, you will not die of hunger.
Then the refusal will not be perceived as a disaster and there will be less fear of not passing the interview.
Before an interview, you need to get some sleep , because a yawning applicant with bruises under his eyes does not make the best impression on the employer.
Take control of your facial expressions
To prevent your face from exuding panic fear during an interview, you need to relax it. To do this, take control of your facial expressions.
For one minute, make faces, as, for example, the famous comedian and funny man Jim Carrey does: raise and lower your eyebrows, frown, smile and curl your lips into a tube, move your jaw from side to side and back and forth. This way you will warm up your facial muscles, feel that tension goes away and your smile becomes more natural.
Is it worth going to an interview if you don’t want to?
So here it is. Due to the fact that I already have quite a lot of experience with different employers, I’ll tell you how to determine whether it’s worth going for an interview after calling the phone number indicated in the job advertisement. What I have already encountered and what I will still encounter - I will tell you further!
Briefly further. When I picked up a newspaper with advertisements or searched the sites of all sorts of superjobs, headhunters and Avito, then, like most newcomers to the job search, I was struck by a bunch of vacancies offering office work, with a good salary, full of social services. package, career growth and no experience.
When I called for such an ad for the first time, I was immediately invited for an interview. Then I didn’t call other employers, I decided to go there first.
When I arrived at the indicated address, a huge multi-story building with a beautiful facade rose in front of me. I was even a little scared, I thought that I probably wouldn’t come up.
But having overcome my fears, I moved on. Having passed security at the entrance (they copied my passport details), I climbed the luxurious stairs, walked along the corridor with red sofas and ficus trees, went into the office with the required number and what did I see...
It was a beautiful and large office, a lot of people sitting at tables, but at the entrance to the office there were 3-4 more beautiful sofas on which some people were sitting and filling out forms.
But what really surprised me the most was that there were even some grandparents there who were about 70 years old. Well, I think, okay, we need to find out what’s going on here?
Change the vector of attention
When answering HR questions, try not to think about yourself: “What do I look like?”, “How can I remember to say this, this and that”, “What if they don’t like me?” These thoughts will only confuse you, and redness will appear treacherously on your cheeks.
Remember, the main character of your speech is your interlocutor. Try to change the focus of attention from yourself to him and say what interests the HR manager, and not what he wants to tell you. When you start doing this, the other person will understand that you are committed to collaborating and solving their problems, and not just selling yourself. Once you manage to do this, you will feel light and your self-narration will become energetic.
What else is important?
- The fear of speaking is one of the biggest fears of all. But it is impossible and unnecessary to completely get rid of it; excitement gives energy to speech.
- Anxiety before an interview can also arise from a lack of experience. If you are not sure about something, gain experience. Speak in public, practice at home in front of the mirror, go to interviews. And even if you didn’t get the coveted position the first time, don’t be upset, work on your mistakes and take them into account at the next conversation.
- : study information about the company and position, write your questions to the recruiter and be ready to talk about yourself and your professional experience.
By the way, have you already prepared? No? Then here is another method on how to easily do this and present yourself in 1 minute. You need to answer 4 simple questions:
- Who am I?
- What am I doing?
- Why am I the best at what I do (my advantages, experience)?
- What do you want your interlocutor to do: hire you, buy something from you, become your friend, etc.?
This presentation will be useful for all occasions: during an interview, during negotiations, and when making acquaintances.
We hope that simple advice from an expert will help you cope with your worries during an interview and get the coveted position. Yes, you will have to work and first literally force your body to demonstrate confidence and calm. But very soon you will become truly confident and can do anything. And even more;)
Being forewarned means you are in control of the situation. The first step is to collect as much information as possible about the company where it will take place.
Of course, the interviewer should tell you about the scope of activity and immediate responsibilities, but not everyone will be confident in their own abilities when entering an unknown river. It is important to know how long the interview will take, about this
You should also try to anticipate a list of questions in advance.
which the interviewer will ask. Usually the interview is of a standard nature, so it can be easily found on the Internet. So, armed with a list, you can ask a loved one to be in the place of the leader.
At the same time, it is important to put all jokes aside. If the interviewee’s anxiety already makes itself felt at this stage, you need to repeat the interview again and again. It's like preparing for an exam: if you know the ticket well, you'll pass with flying colors!
It will be useful to get to know the staff if you can find this information on the Internet. The feeling that all people already know each other will help relieve tension and, if the outcome of the interview is favorable, help you quickly integrate into the new team.
How to behave during the process
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In addition to the fact that a person must know what to say about himself during a job interview, he needs to behave correctly. Impudent answers or requests to read information in your resume will be perceived negatively by the interviewer.
If a potential candidate walks into an office, lounges in a chair and crosses his legs, this will not add points to him. The director of the company will not want to waste time on such a person.
Therefore, if you have to come to the reception first, you need to say hello to the secretary, give your details and ask for HR. You need to behave confidently with a specialist, but not arrogantly.
You need to be friendly and open to communication. Therefore, you should answer questions as thoroughly as possible and not be afraid to discuss your personal life.
Everything that is used by the body
How not to be afraid of a job interview? In order to be fully involved in the dialogue during a conversation and not think about abstract topics, you need to give up some food and medications a day before.
Foods that can cause discomfort are excluded from the diet. Too sweet, legumes and flour and laxative foods
can cause bloating, which is not good for the interviewee. Alcohol, for example a glass of wine, although it will help you relax in the evening before the interview, drinking too much can have an adverse effect on the morning, and during the interview they will try to quickly say goodbye to you, promising to call you.
Refusing to eat is also not a solution. Without having breakfast, when meeting with a potential boss, he will most likely be able to hear not only the words of a successful and promising person, but also a serenade coming from a hungry belly.
In order not to trigger the nervous system, it is better to avoid drinking coffee and strong black tea, chocolate and a lot of sweets.
How to cope with anxiety before an interview? You should not take antidepressants - they can cause drowsiness and disorientation, and the interview may seem like a chore.
So you have to give up too spicy, salty and spicy,
giving preference to natural and easy to digest products.
The psychology of a successful interview
Before approving a candidate, a HR specialist conducts a conversation with him. Its goal is not only to learn in detail a person’s professional skills and competencies, but also to evaluate his appearance, behavior, and psychological qualities.
Important! Don't be too afraid of the interview. Its goal is to meet a potential candidate for the position. The more confident he behaves, the better.
The first impression of a candidate is made from a telephone conversation. When answering a call, you need to say hello; if at the moment it is inconvenient to talk, then you should politely ask to reschedule the conversation for another time.
During a conversation you cannot:
- interrupt;
- to be rude;
- speak unintelligibly and quietly;
- be overly emotional;
- asking off topic.
If a person calls HR himself, then he needs to say hello, introduce himself and explain the reason for the call. It is a conversation on the phone that lays the foundation for a successful interview.
Confidence, calmness, politeness - these are the main qualities that will be required to create a favorable impression. The interlocutor does not see the person, so you need to pay attention to the speech. It must be correct, clear and not contain vernacular.
Once the interview date is set, the candidate needs to start preparing. This requires the right attitude.
A conversation with HR is not a test or an execution, so you need to take what is happening more simply
During the interview, no one will beat, humiliate or insult the applicant. Don’t be afraid; you can make a small list to work through your fear. It indicates the desired position, what qualities are needed for it, and what may be asked during the interview. Detailed fears must be recorded. This kind of speaking can help reduce anxiety levels.
After maternity leave, women may feel insecure, since they have dropped out of professional life for several years. You should not perceive this period as something bad, as this attitude will be visible. You can refresh your memory on your specialty and read relevant literature.
Body language will say everything for you
It is important to learn to control your body.
Waving your arms, restlessness and excessive activity can only scare away your interlocutors. Just like excessive isolation, quiet speech and complete compression of the whole body will not produce the desired effect on the interviewer.
If the interviewee is overly expressive, he might want to bring something with him to keep his hands busy. You can stock up on a notepad and pen - if necessary, they will serve you well, for example, if you need to draw a graph. And it will be better if the interviewer sees the pen turning in the hands of the interlocutor than to take part in “fist fights”.
Eye contact is very important, and no one forces you to look your opponent in the eyes - just evaluate the bridge of your nose or the interviewer’s hairstyle.
How to prepare
Not everyone knows how to successfully pass an interview. There are no instructions that would guarantee 100% employment. Therefore, everything comes with experience.
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At home, you need to make photocopies of documents: passport, diploma, certificates, etc. You must take the originals with you. If we are talking about creative specialties, then a portfolio will be required.
Important! You need to immediately look at the location of the company on the map and how to get to it. It is advisable to leave with plenty of time, since being late will obviously not add points to the candidate.
If a person does not know what to take with him to a job interview, then he needs to critically examine the package of documents. It is unlikely that certificates for successful performances at concerts will help when applying for a job at a bank. Therefore, it is better to take something that is directly related to the position, for example, certificates of advanced training.
You can first make a list of expected questions and think through the answers to them. Often during interviews they ask about where a person sees himself in a few years, how he can be useful to the company, and what he values most in life.
The employer is determined to make the candidate feel relaxed and calm. Therefore, the conversation is often held in a comfortable meeting room or office.
Advice. Before the interview, you can rehearse your position in the chair, your gaze, and your gestures. This preparation will help reduce the level of fear.
Music must flow from the lips
To overcome interview fears, you need to be loud and clear.
Sounds that are literally forced and intermittently pushed into freedom will not be appreciated, nor will a small voice. For relaxation and general calm, it is better to do breathing exercises.
You need to slowly, in five seconds, fill your lungs with air, hold it in and also slowly exhale.
Do this exercise several times. At the same time, the body will be saturated with oxygen, breathing will be regulated, which will have a beneficial effect on speech.
It is worth paying close attention to what exactly will be said during the interview. You shouldn’t come up with complexly composed sentences - under stress, you can get confused in them.
So, now you know how to stop worrying before an interview and how to not be afraid of an interview. To do this you need to do the following:
- Study the company, its field of activity, and, if possible, its personnel.
- Go through a demo version of the interview,
involve a loved one in this process who can point out mistakes. - Do not eat foods that may cause discomfort.
- Work on your gestures.
- Practice your speech.
The above tips will help you cope with yourself and successfully pass the interview.
How to overcome fear of an interview and prepare in general for an interview, watch the video:
Stress and anxiety are two of the applicant’s companions. Worried, you are unable to make an adequate decision, find the correct wording, present yourself adequately, and you come up with a funny answer already at the exit of the building where you were interviewed. You failed the test to get your dream job again because you were too worried.
Why would you go through this over and over again? Learn to control even the slightest surge in the activity of the monster called “excitement” and forever forget the already familiar overexertion and failures in employment and career. So, it's time to step out of your comfort zone. But what kind of comfort is this?
Nature of excitement
First, understand the nature of anxiety. This is pure biochemistry, the result of which is the release of adrenaline. It gives your cheeks a rosy glow, releases your inner energy and then your eyes light up with a vibrant sparkle - voila! – you are beautiful for any employer. It turns out that worrying in moderation is healthy.
But excessive excitement is an almost lethal dose of a substance that penetrates the blood in very dangerous situations. But at an interview you are not standing on the edge of a roof or are not going to pick up a non-aggressive, but still, spider in your hands. And what’s more, no one is going to bury you alive in a box. Just stop being afraid of non-existent danger.
How? Follow our advice.
"Combat" warm-up
Before you go into the HR office, devote a few minutes to yourself. Not to what will happen after you enter, but to yourself. Shake your brushes and stretch your fingers. You do this, right? So, this activates the speech centers and relieves nervous tension. Move your jaws in different directions for a minute or two. The result is the same - you balance your condition. If there are no video cameras in the waiting room or lobby where you are, you can even wave your hands.
Pose of a confident and proud man
Worried, we press our heads into our shoulders, lean forward, literally shrink in anticipation of an invisible blow. Act on the contrary - accustom yourself to the posture of a confident person. This tells your brain that you are calm and strong internally - and it actually reduces your emotions. With your back straight, lower your shoulders and lift your chin. You can even lift it up a little. Gradually you will learn to raise your chin to a decent height for an interview
