Job Interviews
Shake your interview fears for once and for all!Going in for an interview is a little like stepping on stage. What to do if stage fright takes over when all eyes fall on you? By Éveline Marcil-Denault, M.P., organizational psychologist |
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 [ 2007-08-01 ] |
As soon as Carol becomes the centre of attention, she falls apart. Her jaw tenses up, her thoughts get jumbled up and she can’t think of a thing to say. Carol is afraid of being afraid, and as a result she avoids speaking in front of groups. Trouble is, she lost her job and now she’s got to face job interviews…
Carol’s case is not unique. In fact, most people react this way when they feel they are being judged. But it doesn’t have to be like that at job interviews, which can actually be a great way to practice dealing with stress. For tricks on how to calm the jitters, we turned to real experts in keeping cool: actors.
1. Breathe!
Before and during the interview, discreetly control your air flow by breathing in through your nose (not mouth) and letting the air fill your lungs, right down to your belly. Switching from quick, shallow breaths to slower and deeper ones sends the signal to your brain that everything is OK. The result: it stops secreting stress hormones and you feel better.
2. Concentrate.
During the interview, focus your attention on the questions asked rather than on your fear of failure. Before actors make their grand entrance on stage, it’s not uncommon for them to go into a nearly trance-like state backstage. They’ll focus on their first line, a soothing mental image, an object or a body part. Some even rub a specific point on their palm. You can try this on the bus or in the waiting room, right before the interview.
3. Remember: To err is human
It’s perfectly normal to hesitate every now and then in a job interview or to ask the employer to repeat a question. It’s to be expected that you’ll be tense, and interviewers know that nervousness is a sign that the interview is important to you. Actors go through the same thing when they forget their lines right in the middle of a monologue — it’s not the end of the world. Once you’ve done everything you can to control your stage fright, you also have to learn to let go and accept, with humility, that you’re nervous and it’s bound to show a little.
Do you have you a bad boss?