Staying Calm and Focused During Your Job Interview

You are in the midst of searching for a new job and you have several job interviews lined up. Job interviewing can be an extremely nerve-racking experience. You have to look your best and project your best self all while being put on the spot. As the job interviews get closer, expect to become even more nervous.

The first thing you should do to calm your nerves is to be prepared. There is nothing that an interviewer likes least than a person that knows absolutely nothing about the company. Turn to the Internet and do your homework on the company. Depending on the position you are interviewing for you may need to know names and backgrounds of owners, CEOs, CFOs and any other high profile positions. However, regardless of any position you may be interviewing for you will need to know what the company does and the history of the company. The second thing you should do to be prepared and therefore calm your nerves is to write up a list of question that you can ask. This is an extremely hard thing to do because sometimes you do not know a lot about the position you are interviewing for. Some good questions to ask are, "What are the qualities you are looking for in an applicant?", "What would be some of my first responsibilities?", and of course questions regarding the specifics of the company. Do not ask any specific questions about the position such as salary and benefits packages. These types of questions can be asked at your second interview. At the end of the interview, you should also ask, "Based on this interview, do you have any concerns about my ability to perform this job?" Researching possible questions that a potential employer may ask you is also an excellent way to calm nervousness. You can find a list of these types of questions at: Monster.com. Besides these possible questions a potential employer may also ask you behavioral questions. These questions are based on the belief that if you have performed a task with excellence before, then you will do it again. Such questions usually start off with, "Tell me about a time when..." Some specific behavioral questions that maybe asked can be found at the interviewing section of Monster.com. If during the interview you are asked why you left a previous position, you need to be honest, but without going into great deal. Keep your answer short, sweet and to the point. After explaining why you left, be sure to point out what you could do to handle things differently in the future. Printing off these questions and putting them in your briefcase is not enough. You will need to read them and think about your answers. Having answers to potential questions before you even leave home will go a long way in calming your nerves.

Once you get to your interview location, be sure to take deep breaths prior to your interview. During the actual interview, focus and do not allow thoughts outside of the interview interfere with your success. If you are distracted, you will feel that you are not performing to your best standard. If you feel you are not prepared, then the amount of nervousness you feel will increase. While you are in the job interview, your nervous habits may begin to show. Nervous habits such as playing with your hair or jewelry, tapping feet, or shifting in your seat is distracting to the potential employer, not to mention makes you look like you cannot handle pressure. Always, use eye contact and avoid such words as "umm" and "but".

Another strategy that you can use to keep your nerves at a minimum during an interview is to learn from past interviews. Think about your previous interviews and consider what you could have done or said differently. Then improve upon yourself for your next interview. Finally, the last thing you can do to avoid butterflies is to research interviews. There are many websites that are available to help the interviewee gain an edge during the job interview. Sites such as Monster.com and Hotjobs.com can be extremely helpful and offer detailed interviewing tips based on your career field. Whatever the outcome of your interview, remember the old saying, "good things come to those who wait." So, if you do not get this job another will come your way and eventually you will land the job of your dreams.