Confidence is the #1 most important thing you have to bring with you into your next job interview.

For all of your adult life you have been able to communicate and express your inner thoughts without any problem. You are able to talk to friends, family and colleagues in a calm and confident manor and going to an interview is not really any different. You are able to articulate what you want to say in an intelligent and coherent way and you are very experienced at talking and thinking; you do it every day.

The more prepared you are for a job interview, the less anxious or nervous you’ll feel. Bring extra copies of your resume and, if appropriate, a portfolio of your work if important. Mental preparation is critical. Like it or not, job interviewers can usually tell whether or not you are an ideal candidate for the job within the first minute, so first impressions are so important. Always dress for success be on time. Be diplomatic and turn answers that could end up sounding negative into positive answers. And most important be in the right frame of mind.

As long as you remain calm and relaxed, then you can express yourself in a calm thoughtful and confident way with anybody in any situation. It’s just a state of mind, think about it. In an interview situation, you are two fellow adult human beings talking. You are both equal. The interviewer is interested in hiring your services and you are interested in offering your services. You both must meet in order to establish whether you are suitable for the job and whether the job is suitable for you. Remember you have made it this far so they must see something in you that they like. They have likely gone through many candidates and resumes and have picked you to bring in for an interview. Hundred’s of people applying for the same position probably did not even make it that far.  Have confidence in your resume and be proud of it and what you have accomplished. Remember it is your accomplishments on your resume that have gotten you this interview.  Keep in mind you are also interviewing them, in a way, to see if this is a job you want. Keeping this frame of mind may take the pressure of. Ask lots of questions, actually interview them. This flips the pressure around, puts them on the spot and takes it off of you. Remember interviewers get nervous too, amazing as it may seem. It will also show the person interviewing you that you are genuinely interested in the position. Have a list of 10 questions written down about the job, even if you have to pull the list out. It shows that you did your homework and are really taking this interview seriously.

You also may want to look on the internet to find commonly asked job interview questions. Before your interview have a friend interview you asking you all of these questions. Let your friend throw in some other questions that you have not prepared answers for. Practice relaxation as you tackle these questions.  Breathe long deep breaths. Have your friend give you feedback on how you are doing. You may be doing better than you think.  At the interview, remember you are two mature adults discussing various issues around the job and about yourselves, acting calm and confident yourself could help the interviewer to be at ease allowing you both to feel comfortable in each other’s presence. Good Luck!

Mariah Shipp – CCH, CAC

Self Hypnosis Downloads

For more information you may find these sites useful:

• At Hunts Point center, jobs are Job 1 – By Tatyana Gulko gulko@huntspointexpress.com. On a typical orientation day at the Workforce 1 Career Center in Hunts Point, at least 30 “customers,” as they are called, pack into a classroom at the office on East 163rd Street and …
• STAC Advising Blog » Blog Archive » DOPP Update: Career … – Your Advisor « India Job & Internship Opportunities Fair, Wed. September 8:   Professional Resume Writing,   Student Success Center: President’s Suites A &B from 11 a. Discover how to craft a resume that markets your most important product: yourself! The resume writing workshop will help you transform your resume into a powerful tool to get interviews, and showcase your experiences and skills.
• Help Wanted: The Zig Zag Principle – Student needed to create trailer, interview segments, and other video to help in promotion efforts of a new book, The Zig Zag Principle. This is a great opportunity to use your creativity and gain exposure on a national and international level (through company channels and publisher, McGraw-Hill’s channels). Compensation paid on a project-by-project basis and based on student’s experience.
• Help Wanted: Video Production – Student needed to create trailer, interview segments, and other video to help in promotion efforts of a new book, The Zig Zag Principle. This is a great opportunity to use your creativity and gain exposure on a national and international level (through company channels and publisher, McGraw-Hill’s channels). Compensation paid on a project-by-project basis and based on student’s experience.
• Local Distribution Center to Host Job Fair for Full-Time Seasonal … – A Midlands online multimedia distribution center is gearing up for the holiday season and looking to hire on-site temporary seasonal employees. In partnership with SCWorks Midlands and the Midlands Workforce Development …