7 TIPS TO MANAGE NERVES IN AN INTERVIEW

This week I was planning to talk about tips on how to prepare for an interview when I saw a posting with this topic that was very good. And in the comment section of that posting someone commented that you can interview badly because of nerves even if you can do the job very well and have the relevant experiences. It was clear from the comment that this person suffered from nerves and had lost opportunities as a result of this.

This gave me the idea to focus this week’s article on how to manage nerves in an interview so this doesn’t happen to you. I know from my work with candidates that this is a problem for many, so I wanted to share some ideas to help next time you are invited for an interview.

Tip 1.? Do your preparation thoroughly

Knowledge promotes confidence. When you know what you are talking about you naturally have more confidence. So, preparing more than usual for a job interview helps you feel more secure when being asked what you know about the company. This may seem obvious, but this is also a way to impress interviewers. If you know things about the company (or even about the interviewers) more than they would expect you to have prepared for, it helps you score higher points in the interview, and of course, boosts your confidence. Examples of this would be; knowing the average length of service of people in the company, or how quickly people get promoted, or what kind of feedback employees have about the company (positive obviously). Or, if the company has a culture page on their website or LinkedIn page, find out what their cultural values are and try to find a way to incorporate this in your interview answers.

Tip 2. Prepare intriguing questions to ask the interviewer

This is my best tip and ‘secret sauce’ to really make a difference and leave a lasting effect on the interviewers. Often in an interview, you will get asked if you have any questions. This is the very best opportunity you have to really impress the interviewers and perhaps even secure the job. This has been my feedback both from the client and the candidate if the candidate gets this right.

The way you ask these questions is of utmost importance. The questions MUST be about the company, the role, and what the company needs from you. Do NOT ask any questions at this stage about any benefits to you (this is for the second interview or even in the offer stage). I often say ‘If you were a consultant pitching for this job as a contract, what kind of questions would you ask? Your questions would be focused on what you can do for them, or how you can solve their problems, right? This is how to prepare your questions, and put the focus on their needs.

Tip 3. Dress for success!

Companies usually have a certain ‘dress code’, and dressing similarly or slightly better will give the impression that you will easily ‘fit in’. You can often find pictures of people in the company or even their uniform standards in some cases on their website. Other places to find this out can be LinkedIn profiles, company-related photos or even Google pictures, or other social media like Facebook, Instagram, etc.

Also, make sure you know in advance how to get there, what parking facilities there might be if you are driving, etc. You want to be just around 10-15 min early and have had enough time to re-focus and calm down from any stressors of traveling to the location. If you are interviewing online, always download and test any software that the interview is conducted on, and test that your camera and microphone are working properly beforehand. And manage your background and lighting (light is best if it is directed at your face and not behind you).

Tip 4. Breathe!

This is the most powerful tool of all, and it is the tool that will handle your nerves when you actually attend the interview. This is a scientific fact that much has been written about (Bruce Lipton talks a lot about this), that when we are stressed or ‘our nerves get the better of us’, our breathing changes. When you think thoughts of uncertainty that make you nervous it triggers a ‘fight or flight’ reaction. When this happens your brain produces certain chemicals such as adrenalin in your blood that cause a chain of reactions. For example, blood gets pushed from your vital organs to your legs (so that you can run from the proverbial tiger), and your limbic brain takes over, this is the part of the brain where the ‘fight or flight’ or fear-based thinking resides. The neo-cortex part of the brain, where critical thinking happens gets shut off as it is not needed when running for your life. This is why it is difficult to think when you are stressed or afraid.

You see, your body doesn’t know that you are not in danger for your life, so it reacts as if you are. It prepares you for flight or fight. The single most powerful tool to reverse this is breathing. Yes, you heard me right! By breathing in the ‘right’ way, you can send a message to your body that all is well, and your body will respond in reverse. There are a few different ways to do this, but an easy one to remember is 4x4; breathe in counting to four, hold your breath counting to four, then breathe out counting to four, and hold counting to four and repeat. The effects are almost instant. If you don’t believe me, just try in for a few minutes and notice how everything around you slows down.

Tip 5. Talk to yourself.

No, I don’t mean out loud. However, remember that your ‘nerves’ start with thoughts. You may not be aware of the thoughts that cause you to be nervous, but it is the thoughts that create the emotion of being nervous (or any emotion at all is created this way). First, you must have a thought, that thought is programmed in your belief system to make you feel a certain way. This is in your subconscious mind and so quick you may not even notice it. But if your nerves are ‘crippling’ you before an interview (and during), you can bet that the underlying thoughts and beliefs are not helpful or supportive to you.

Rather than try to figure this out, as this can take time. You can consciously think a supportive thought, or set of thoughts instead. You can think thoughts like ‘I’ve got this!’ or ‘this job is already mine’ or ‘They will love me’ or They called me for the interview so they are interested in what I have to offer. These kinds of thoughts are supportive to you and will send the right signals to your body, helping to calm your nerves. So, as you are breathing as above, think thoughts like that from the moment you get up to the interview and during the interview.

Tip 6. Consider your body language.

Another way to ‘trick’ your body is with your body language. Again, when we are nervous or uncertain our body reflects this. Your shoulders will slope forward, your head lowers, and your eyes may be darting about or be cast down, it may be difficult to meet someone's gaze.

To trick your body (and the interviewer) you can consciously remember to stretch your back up, shoulders back, chest slightly out and head held up. Smiling also helps you as when you slime your body will release endorphins which is the happy chemicals or feel good chemicals in your body. This also helps to calm you down and increase your confidence. If you are the kind of person who finds it difficult to hold someone's gaze when you are nervous, consider keeping your eyes focused between the eyebrows of the person you are talking to. I promise you, they will not be able to tell the difference. Try it out yourself with a friend.

Tip 7. Put the focus on the interviewer.

This is a little trick I learned early on when I started doing group training and was terribly nervous. To reflect the attention away from yourself, you can start by asking a question that the interviewer will need to answer before focusing on asking you any questions. This will buy you a few seconds to compose yourself and focus on breathing while the attention is on them. Examples of this could be; ‘ I noticed from your LinkedIn profile that you have been with this company for 5 years already, what is it that makes you stay?’ Or, if you have found that they went to the same college as you or someone you know that could be a good thing to mention. Or, perhaps they worked somewhere you have a connection to and you could ask if they know someone you also know in that company.

You get the idea. The point is to take the attention away from you, but what you are also doing is letting them know you have made the effort to find out a bit about them, not just the company. And this will surely score you extra points. Just make sure to not say something that leads them to think you have been stalking them. LinkedIn is a safe bet to comment on as this is normally where professional information is found.

If you practice these tools as often as you can, it will be natural to you and become a habit. This way you will always be able to ‘tap into’ your calm, composed, and confident self not only for interviews but any time you need it. I hope this has been helpful.

Please leave your comments below or share any additional tips you might have that I did not mention!