Before the interview
The secret to controlling your nerves is to convince yourself
that you’ve got nothing to worry about. Sounds easy enough...and it
is! The reality is that we all get ourselves worked up far too much
in the first place – we convince ourselves that we’re going to fail
or embarrass ourselves beyond belief. All you need to do is be
prepared and your nerves will be a lot better because you’ll feel
confident that you know what you’re going to say and that you can
handle the situation.
Prepare:
Because there is a gap between when you apply for a job and
hearing that you have an interview, you can forget details about
the job and what you wrote in your application. So, the first thing
to do is:...
Re-read details about the job and the company. Aim to be able to
summarise what the company does in a couple of sentences.
Re-read your application and remember what you said your reasons
were for applying – the experience and skills you said were
relevant.
You need to think about questions that might be asked which are
specific to the job.
Have a look at our interview questions page.
Once you’re happy with your answers, ask a friend or your family to
go through it with you. Then they can give you some feedback.
Check the interview letter to see if they have asked you to
bring anything with you – passport, proof of qualifications etc.
Make sure you have these ready by the night before – you’ll be
feeling even more nervous on the day and you won’t want the added
stress of trying to find things.
You will normally be told how many people will be interviewing
you and who they are. If your letter doesn’t say, then it might be
worth asking……. if you turn up at the interview expecting one
person and suddenly there’s three you’ll feel even more
nervous.
Decide what you’re going to wear and don’t leave it to the last
minute – you just know the shirt you wanted to wear will be screwed
up on the floor somewhere!
You should always dress smartly even if you know that the
company has a relaxed dress code – you’re not working there yet and
it’s important to show them that you take this seriously and you
want to make a good impression.
If the interviewer ends up wearing jeans and you’re there in
your best suit – don’t let this put you off, you won’t look silly
and you’ve done the right thing by making an effort.
Work out how long the journey will take and do a practise run so
you know where you’re going.
Put your interview into perspective:
Remember, the company wouldn’t have asked you to the interview
if they didn’t think you could do the job.
Remember, an interview is a two-way process. It’s as much about
you selling yourself as it is about the employer selling the job.
It’s a chance for you to decide if you want to work for them. When
you think of it like this it takes the pressure off a bit.
Relax:
Get an early night the night before – sounds obvious and it is,
but if you get a decent amount of sleep you’ll feel more alert and
ready for the interview.
If you get really panicked, take some deep breaths and think
happy thoughts to try and take your mind off it.
Eat well:
Make sure you eat before your interview – it’s hard when your
stomach’s doing summersaults, but food will help you keep your mind
on the job.