Job interviews can be highly nerve-wracking; it’s normal to sit twiddling your thumbs the night before the big day because you imagine where you might slip up, or what if they don’t like you?
‘Just relax’, well, that’s easier said than done. The best thing you can do to calm those pre-interview nerves and come across as your best self is to prepare as much as you can.
Prepare, then prepare again.
Preparing for the interview not only allows your nerves to calm down a little but also helps to build your confidence pre-interview.
Suppose you don’t know what you’re going to say in the interview; jot down a few key points about what you expect to come up with (think classic interview topics), have a browse of the most common interview topics over at Indeed, 31 Common Interview Questions and Answers | Indeed.com UK. In that case, you can even prepare some questions to ask in the interview beforehand. Check out our blog post about what to ask in an interview: https://www.zenithpeople.com/what-questions-should-you-ask-in-an-interview/
Prepare and take an ‘Interview Cheat Sheet’, AKA your notes. To remind you of some key talking points you think you will forget throughout the interview.
An excellent tip to help build your confidence (especially if you think you may stumble over your words), is to speak these questions aloud, role-play if you will. You could do this online or even ask a friend to help out and conduct a mock interview. Mock interviews are also a good way for you to practice how you naturally display your body language. Positive body language is essential in an interview as sometimes we don’t realise how our body language is being portrayed to others.
Eat, sleep, and…plan your commute?
Try to eat a good breakfast before the interview, as well as a good night’s sleep the night before. Not only will this make you feel more refreshed and less groggy, but it will also help to ease some of those feelings of anxiety, stress, and dread for the next day.
Also, make sure you plan your commute! Work out how you are going to get to the interview, whether you are going to drive, walk, or use public transport. It’s also a good idea to work out how long the commute will take, and allow extra time if the interview location is slightly farther afield than you’re used to.
If you dress the part, you will feel the part, dress accordingly as per the role/business you’re applying for, and wear clothes you feel comfortable in. Take a look at our article about what to wear to a job interview for some helpful tips, https://www.zenithpeople.com/what-to-wear-to-an-interview/
If needs must, picture them naked.
Your interviewers are human; just like you, there is no need to type them up to be these giant, scary monsters that just interviewing you to catch you out somehow. You have landed the interview because you’re qualified, and the employer clearly thinks you and your skills would potentially be a good fit for the role. They just want to get to know you better.
The age-old ‘Picture them naked’ trick seems to work in finding people less intimidating- so it’s worth a shot. Oh, and don’t be scared of other candidates; they’re also human and probably will not give a completely flawless interview.
Building your confidence is one of the best things you can do before a job interview; you may not feel 100% confident (nobody ever is), but you will be able to display enough confidence for the interviewer to pick up on this, furthering your chances of landing the job.
