Interviewing for a job can often bring on unnecessary stress such as, being nervous prior to the interview to visibly sweating during the interview. Believe it or not, it is a common occurrence and quite natural to be nervous when interviewing. After all, you are meeting with people you’ve never met; they will most likely be judging you and they essentially are the gateway to your goal which is getting the job.
Practice makes perfect, RIGHT? Well, if you disagree that is fine, however practice does make perfect in most scenarios. With that being said, preparing for the interview will often help eliminate some of the nerves, stressors and fears associated with interviewing.
CALM YOURSELF
Pre Interview
Research the company. Information lies at our fingers these days so there is no excuse to not find out more about the company. Find the company’s website and browse around learning more about them, their efforts, mission statement and core values. Hopefully you have a basic understanding of the company if you made it to this point.
LinkedIn . Connect with hiring manager on LinkedIn looking over their profile and see if there is a common ground. Did you go to the same school? Did your cousin work at a previous company with them? Are you both part of a similar organization? Do you both watch Game of Thrones? Figure it out. You can check out my LinkedIn article here.
Sleep. Make sure and get plenty of rest the night before your interview and eat well in the morning.
Attire. I always advise that it is better to be over dressed than underdressed. First impressions mean everything. Women, no bright colored hair, nail polish or lipstick better to yield on the side of caution (think nude or natural colors). No low cut tops keep your girls covered up while it might impress men it will turn women off (or maybe not) just be more conservative. Men clean haircut, clean nails and a polished suit. You want to stir away from anything that could be a distraction.
Relax. You got this! Prior to going into the interview say a couple of encouraging words to yourself. You are interviewing for a job you know how to do; now just show them how you can bring value to the team. Remember these people are just like you.
Interview
Introduce yourself and make sure to have a firm handshake. If you were able to find a common ground mention this, it will help build rapport. Thank them for taking their time to meet with you.
Be confident but not cocky. You want to let it be perceived you can handle the job but not a know it all. People don’t like that and tend to be turned off by an arrogant attitude but at the same time can be turned off by someone too timid so find an equal balance.
Body Language speaks volumes. Watch your posture and gestures. You want to make sure you are engaged with the manager and/or team and displaying a level of interest. Smile this goes along way.
Be positive. Never bash your current employer or speak negative about them, even if you think they are the worst person on the planet. You need to be positive.
Ask questions. If possible think of questions that will set you apart from your competition.
Post Interview
Thank You note. I personally like to send handwritten notes because it sets you apart from your competition. Emails work well too. Whatever you choose it is important to send a thank you note, even if you don’t get the job you never know when you might cross paths again. You can follow up 1 time after the thank you note and then I would recommend moving on to other leads, please don’t be a bug a boo.