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10 Tips to get rid of pre-interview nerves

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We all get nervous about something, sometime. Whether it’s making a speech, hosting a party or an up-coming interview.

Interviews, particularly, can make us incredibly nervous because, unless we’re really lucky, our interviewer is someone we have never met before. And, as they say, we only have one chance to make a good first impression.

Fortunately, there are a lot of ways to get over pre-interview nerves.

1. Start with homework

A great place to start when getting over your pre-interview jitters is by learning a bit about the company you want to work or are interviewing for.

This involves going on their website and learning who they are, what they do, when they started, etc. and even finding out about the key figures within the company and learning a bit about them too.

This can help ease your nerves about the interview because you will be able to say you know something about them and even form some questions to ask them at the end of the interview.

Besides, as an interviewer and possible employer, they do like to know that you are genuinely interested in working for them and aren’t just looking for ‘any old job’.

2. Practice

Practice makes perfect. As part of your interview preparation, research possible questions you might be asked during an interview and then come up with some practice answers for them.

This can really benefit you going into an interview because it will help build your confidence in answering questions and, of course, doing well in the interview.

It may also help if you ask a friend or family member to do a mock interview with you during the week before your interview, so that you can go in with some sense of proper interview etiquette, technique and even an idea of what you might say.

3. Visualize success

It can be hard to imagine yourself owning an interview and then smashing it out of the park. Hard. But not impossible.

By getting yourself out of the failure mindset, you will start to visualize the success you want, which can lead to actually achieving it.

This can be done through knowing what you want, practicing it, a bit of self-motivation and a lot of confidence in yourself and your abilities.

4. Exercise

Practice is important. That’s clear. But there does come a point where you can practice too much or for too long, which can exhaust your brain, body and emotions.

This is where exercise comes in.

By going for a walk, run, jog or swim, getting out the house for an hour or so can really benefit you both physically and mentally. This is because it is a great way to clear your mind and relieve the stress of having the interview and preparing for it.

So, no matter what kind of exercise you like to do, go do it. You’ll be glad you did.

5. Listen to music

Like exercise, listening to music can serve as a really good way to get your mind off your preparation for an interview and the stress that goes with it.

By doing this before an interview, you can get yourself into a confident mindset through listening to songs that get you into a good mood.

This can be from listening to music that you dance or sing along to or songs that help you relax.

So, even if it’s just for 10 minutes, have a break and listen to your favorite song because it is a great way to have a break and ease the tension of your up coming interview.

6. Be fresh

In addition to showering and wearing your best confidence-inspiring outfit, being fresh also means having a clear, stress-free mind going into the interview.

This can involve taking the night before the interview off and relaxing, watching a movie or catching up on some light reading. Basically, anything that doesn’t involve preparing for the interview.

So, even if you’re completely stressed about the interview, just calm down, try to relax and maybe take a nice, hot bubble bath with some lit scented candles.

7. Take deep breaths

Interviews can be stressful. Especially when you feel unprepared.

But, when in times of stress, what can really help is if you take a moment, step back from what you’re doing and take some nice deep breaths to calm yourself down, until you’re ready to restart your preparations.

This is also very important when you’re about to walk into the interview because, while you have been sitting in the waiting room, your nerves have been building up and making you more nervous as the clock ticks down to zero.

So, no matter where you are, try to remember to step away from the situation for a minute and take deep breaths to relieve the stress.

8. Know your strengths

One of the most common questions you’ll be asked in an interview is “What are your strengths?”

So during your preparations, consult your friends and co-workers and make a list of your strengths. This will not only let you answer this question in the interview and communicate them effectively, without hesitation, but also let you go into the interview mindful of those strengths and the confidence they should give you.

9. Get perspective

While it’s easy to ignore the world when preparing for an interview, ignoring things is also a great way to lose perspective of the things that are important.

But don’t worry. Because keeping, or even gaining, perspective can easily be done by looking at the ‘bigger picture’- i.e. everything you did before preparing for the interview, like spending time with friends and family or participating in hobbies.

Besides, while jobs are important, so is the rest of your life. So live it.

10. Use the right fuel

Starting your day right is important, especially if it’s the day of your big interview.

So, in addition to making sure everything you for the interview is ready to go on the day, it’s also important that you have good, filling breakfast, so that you don’t get hungry during the interview and face the hurdle of low blood sugar.

Being nervous is a part of life and can hit us any time. But there is no reason why you can’t get over the nerves, knock an interview out of the park — and get that job.

 

About Rowena Nagy

Rowena Nagy is a Journalist at The Business Woman Media. A graduate in Journalism, Media and Communications, she is passionate about in writing, travel journalism, video journalism and Public Relations.

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