No More Nervous Interviews

As a hiring manager, I have sat across the table from candidates who were well prepared, candidates who were professional in appearance, and candidates who sold me on the fact that they could do the job! (Of course, things changed once the candidate was actually in the role, but that's another story for another article.) Then there are the other candidates, the ones who are perfectly capable of performing once hired, but are uneasy about interviewing. For conversation sake, let's call this group of candidates "The Jones". The Jones' are so nervous during an interview that they lose their thoughts, they perspire, they stumble over their words and at the end of the interview, they often reflect on all of their mistakes. Here are a few things that can be done to make interviewing a little bit easier:

1. Prepare ahead of time. This means that you should thoroughly review the expectations of the job before the interview. As a potential candidate, you should be able to provide specific examples that demonstrate your ability to perform in the role that you are applying for. If you were applying for a Sales Manager role, you would want to be able to share an example that involved increasing sales, involving your team, and providing exceptional customer service in the process.

2. Ask the hiring manager or the recruiter what style of interviewing the organization uses. Remember that your responses to the interview questions weigh heavily in terms of whether or not you will receive a job offer. If your answers are performance-based and you are being assessed on behavior-based responses, then unfortunately, you didn't interview well.

3. It is acceptable in some interviews to bring your prepared examples with you. This means that the examples are YOURS, not someone else's. This also means that you can refer to your examples, not READ them to the interviewer. It's best to check with the hiring manager or recruiter to see if it is acceptable to bring prepared notes to the interview.

4. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE! Some candidates have a natural fear of speaking in front of others and the way to overcome that fear is to practice. Share a copy of the job description with someone who will give you helpful feedback. Read your examples to them and ask for opinions and suggestions.

Implementing some of these tips can make a HUGE difference in your confidence when it comes to interviewing. Now that the Jones' have some best practices to work with, it may be hard to keep up with them. Continue with your job search and get ready to reach your next level!!

Ericka Spradley
www.mynxtlvl.info