By Elisabeth Kuhn
Are you nervous about your upcoming job interview? You're not alone. Just about everybody is nervous when they're being scrutinized and when so much depends on the outcome. So yes, a job interview can be a high stress affair. But it doesn't have to be. There are a number of things you can do that will help you stay calm.
For starters, there are a few stress reduction techniques you can do: Deep breathing is one of them. Believe it or not, something as simple as slow, deep breathing can calm you down quite a bit. Another key to peace of mine is keeping things in perspective. Reminding yourself that you have already passed a series of hurdles and your interviewers really want you to succeed. Yes, they do. After all, they only invite winners to an interview.
But you're still nervous. So what can you do?
Let me guess... Let's look at a few things you probably ARE doing that make stress almost inevitable: You worry, and not just the normal garden variety kind of worrying, but you're practicing some serious catastrophic thinking. Chances are that some of the following questions are racing through your head:
1) What if they won't like you?
2) What if they'll laugh at you?
3) What happens if you don't get the answers to their questions right?
4) What if you don't get the job?
5) What if you won't ever get another job?
6) Will anyone ever love you again if you can't get this or any other job?
7) Will you lose your home?
8) What will people think if you don't get the job?
You get the idea. It's impossible to function at your peak when you worry about those things, or even some of them.
What to do? Don't worry about them. Seriously. Your job interview is not the place for those kinds of thoughts. First of all, worrying about things is NOT going to make anything better. The only thing it does is make it hard for you to come across well when it counts most.
So if you absolutely must worry, schedule it for later. You can plan an hour at a coffee shop later where you'll allow yourself to worry to your heart's content.
During the job interview, just listen to each question, and answer it to the best of your ability. If they should ask you a question you cannot answer, just tell them you don't know right now, and would they please ask something else.
Don't forget to breathe, and to remember, it's just a job interview. There will be others. And if you stay focused, chances are you'll do just fine. Stressing, no matter how much you do it, will never help you improve your performance. Especially not in a job interview.
Just one last thing. A little nervousness is okay. It's pretty much expected. So don't worry about being a little nervous. But when your thoughts drift off to catastrophic scenarios, catch yourself and tell yourself, "Later!" For the moment, you have a job to do.
Still stressed? Here's some help for getting rid of excess stress anytime you want. Just click on the link for Elisabeth Kuhn's FREE Stress Tips Report and reclaim your inner calm.
And if you want a MUCH less stressful way to find a job, check out this FREE audio and ebook: http://www.ThePerfectJobForYou.com and discover how you can get a job you REALLY want.
Source:www.isnare.com |
