Coping with Interview nerves

It's the age-old dilemma that every professional throughout their career has to face – ‘How do I deal with interview nerves?’. ?Prior to my career in recruitment, I was a professional actor, where coping with nerves before going on stage was a nightly battle. It was a fierce and brutal battle that I fought for a long time, by the end, I was exhausted.?I learnt the hard way, but it doesn’t have to be that hard - below are my top tips for managing nerves:

Shift your perspective.

Nerves don't have to be the enemy, they can be your friend, when you accept that they are there instead of trying to push them down, take all the adrenaline and energy and channel them to fuel your performance.

How do I channel them to 'fuel my performance'? What does that even mean Lee? Breathe, literally, INHALE & EXHALE - sounds so simple right? You'd be surprised how many people stop breathing when nerves kick in or something goes wrong - accept the inevitable, you will be nervous, tune in to yourself - where are you holding these nerves? Locate where they are stuck in your body and breathe into them, then as you exhale visualise these nerves moving to a part of your body where you feel the most centred, for me, this is in the pit of my stomach, here breathe into them and allow them to settle and ground you, you are now in control of that energy, use it as your anchor.

Don't rush

Slow down, take your time, what you have to say is important, so don't rush. Remember interviewers want you to get the job, they want you to do well, so take your time and let your answers flow.

Grounding exercise when you lose your train of thought

If you lose your train of thought - ground down, breathe and put your attention on the other person.

·??????Stay in your body, plant your feet firmly on the floor and feel yourself ground down.

·??????Put your attention on the person interviewing you, actively listen so all your focus is on them and what they are asking. ?This way, you stay fully present and your mind doesn't wander off.

Remember, in the nicest possible way, 'It ain't about you!'. ?Make it about them and you stay present in the room.

Preparation, preparation, preparation - Did I say preparation?

Yes, sounds so obvious but the more you've done your research, the more your subconscious knows how to kick in and back you up, when the nerves start to cloud over.

·??????Research the company, the clients, the campaigns, even the person you will be meeting with a cheeky little bit of LinkedIn stalking (don't be too over familiar) but just know that you have come invested in this company, in this team and in this opportunity.

·??????Knowing that you've put the work in will reassure your when those niggling doubts come creeping in and try and throw you off your game, ignore them, breathe, remember you've done the work.

These are just some of my tried and tested methods to make friends with your nerves and use them in your favour, so in time you'll learn to enjoy the interview process and allow the best version of yourself to be seen.