According to a recent story, 93% of people admit to feeling nervous before a job interview.
As a result, if you’re feeling a little jittery before you join that all-important zoom-call or step into the interview room, you aren’t alone! After all, there’s a lot riding on the interview, whether you’re looking to boost your income or escape a dissatisfying career.
With that in mind, here are some top tips that you can use to succeed in your next job interview – while keeping the nerves at bay.
Dress To Impress.
We’re often reminded of the importance of dressing to impress when heading to an interview, as the clothes you wear, such as formal men’s shirts, show that you put thought into the way you present yourself. Furthermore, your outfit often contributes significantly to the ‘first impression’ the interviewer gets when you step into the room. However, as the clothes we wear impact our own mood, dressing to impress can also help you carry yourself with confidence.
Know how to ‘sell’ yourself.
During a job interview, the interviewer will be assessing multiple things at once, such as your suitability for the role and how you’d fit within the company as a whole. In order to tick all their boxes, it’s important you’re able to ‘sell yourself’, which means being able to talk confidently (and at length) about your skills, weaknesses, and goals. For example, you should be able to discuss the different steps you have taken to invest in your career growth.
Do your research.
Once you have been offered an interview, you need to carry out some serious research into the job, the industry, and the company itself. The more research you carry out at this stage, the better, as you’ll be able to answer any questions they throw your way during the interview. Furthermore, being able to reference their previous work or projects in an interview is a great way to impress the hiring manager, as it shows you’re genuinely interested in the company and haven’t just been sending out as many applications as possible.
Furthermore, you should also look back over the job description and specifications, highlighting any keywords or skills the employer is looking out for, and find some way to bring them up during your interview.
Remember that nerves can be useful.
While it’s only natural to want to give yourself a confidence boost before your interview so that you feel calm and composed throughout, it’s worth bearing in mind that nerves can sometimes be useful. This is because feeling a little nervous can encourage you to perform better, as you’ll likely put in some extra effort to ensure you are prepared for your interview, thus bettering your chances at success.
However, you may also want to practise some simple calming techniques for when nerves do take hold. For example, making a conscious effort to speak a little slower than usual can come in handy, as people often tend to speak quickly during interviews. This also gives you more time to formulate a careful and considered answer to their questions, which means that you do not have to scramble to respond promptly.