Acing Job Interviews By Reducing Nervousness And Stress
You’re just out of college and you’ve been applying to every job under the sun. Your student loans aren’t going to pay themselves off! Then it happens. Your most-wanted jobs call you back; they want an interview! You are ecstatic. This is your chance to land your dream job! You go to your interview and are sitting in the lobby waiting for your turn. Then the worry steps in. You have to ace this interview if you want to beat the people with more experience in the field. You start to sweat, and your thoughts race. What are you going to do? What are you going to say? Don’t let this happen to you. Stop the worry by being prepared for job interviews.
Making A Good First Impression
How you dress and your demeanor when you first arrive can make or break their first impressions of you. Dress professionally. It’s always good to dress at least one step up from what you’d be wearing every day on the job you’re interviewing for. Arrive a few minutes early. You will worry either way, that’s often just part of the interview process, but pretend that you are confident and you’ll gain more confidence.
Part of this is knowing how to stop sweating when you are nervous. If you are stress sweating, it isn’t going to look good for your interview. Control stress sweat by using good antiperspirants, managing your diet, exercising regularly, and finally relaxing as much as possible. Some of these you’ll be able to do the day of, like wearing a good antiperspirant. Others you can only do if you have a few weeks to prepare, like exercising regularly. So you’ll have to tailor how you are going to combat stress sweat to your time table and maybe pick up some of the long term habits for next time.
If you’ve followed all those and are still worried about stress sweat, you can wear strategic clothing to make it less noticeable. Dress in light breathable fabrics with good airflow. This will help you sweat less. Also, avoid colors that show sweat more. These include light blues, grays, and bright colors.
Tips To Mentally Prepare
The best way to avoid nervousness and the consequences such as nervous or stress sweating is to prepare beforehand. Review common interview questions, and make a list of questions you’d like to ask them. This way your brain won’t go on autopilot and blurt out something that doesn’t show you in a good light. Be early to the interview, and silence your cell phone. There’s nothing that ruins an interview like a loud ringtone! Bring an extra copy of your resume and maybe some other important documents, but leave everything extra at home. It will give you a more professional and organized look.
Confidence is key. One good way to fake confidence if it doesn’t come naturally to you is to pretend you already have the job. This takes a lot of the stress of the interview out of it. Another way to look confident is body language. Maintain good eye contact without staring. Be careful not to drum your fingers or fidget. This will make you look nervous and agitated; neither of which you want to have in an interview. Give a good firm handshake. Don’t forget to smile!
Remember to always be yourself during interviews. Never lie as it will get you into trouble down the road. If you can’t get the job being yourself, it probably isn’t a good fit for you anyway. You don’t have to pretend to be perfect. In fact, that can actually hurt your chances. If you seem too good to be true, the interviewer may assume you are lying or faking. Be proud of yourself, which will again boost confidence, but don’t portray anything that isn’t you.
Be Ready For Anything During An Interview
By preparing, you will find yourself confident and ready for anything that comes your way. Don’t be the nervous person who forfeits a good job. While being a little nervous is ok, if it causes lots of sweating or a bad interview, you may want to rethink your pre-interview routine. Get out there, be confident, and showcase yourself to get the job!
