Chill Dude...It's Only An Interview

I can think of only a few rituals that encase my body with adrenaline and sweat: splitting wood, court with the sunglasses wearing cop, having that dream where I'm still in high school and I've forgotten to wear pants again, and interviewing for a job.

A job interview is the perfect storm of anxiety for most job seekers. You're put through a battery of questions. You're expected to exude all of your good qualities without revealing your bad ones. You also need to get a feel for the company. Oh, and try to keep your nerves to a minimum -- a jittery candidate could suggest someone hiding something or not qualified for the job.

Basically, interviews are like first dates with a bigger impact for your W-2s. And those of you I have coached have told you this numerous times.

Few job seekers walk into an interview without a considerable amount of anxiety in their bellies. While you can't get rid of it all, you can learn how to control it so that you can give your best interview and get the job.

Start with homework
Your work begins once you have an interview scheduled. Hopefully you researched the company before applying for the job so you have some understanding of what the company does and stands for. But you still want more, and now is the time to dig deeper for relevant information.

It is importatnt to know the mission or vision statement of the organization. Read the annual report, especially the CEO or president's message. The more familiar you are with the organization, the more comfortable you will feel, especially at the end of the interview when the dreaded 'Do you have any questions for us?' question comes up. You can then pop off a question that the CEO/CFO posed during a recent press release and look like a superstar for your understanding of the companies position.
Anticipating that question and others is vital to your preparation. If you haven't thought about what the interviewer will ask you, you're liable to panic once you hear the question come out of his or her mouth. You'll be so concerned with how you'll answer that you might not even hear the entire question. A little planning can make the process easier, according to Helen Cooke, managing director for Cooke Consulting.

Have some great accomplishments prepared ahead of time. If you've practiced -- without overdoing it -- so that you have some direct and compelling stories ... you will walk in juiced up. Choose specific examples to include in your stories so that you can point to cases where you improved a situation or brought in revenue for your employer. Not only are quantifiable achievements easier for employers to appreciate, but they're also good talking points to have in your mind to keep you from panicking.

You can prepare all you want, but when the interview is only hours away, another set of nerves kicks in, kind of like butterflies on steroids. The best regimen is the night before the interview, get your interview clothes ready and putting all your important documents near the door so that you can just grab them and go. This will eliminate as many potential delays as possible and help ease your anxiety.Plan to rise even a little earlier than usual to prevent a nervous and rushed leaving the house and trip to the interview.

Although you might think staying cool depends on your preparation for questions and body language during the interview itself -- and it does -- the fewer distractions you have getting to the interview will put you in the right mood. If you're stuck in traffic, not sure where you're going and wearing a wrinkled shirt, your confidence level is going to be pretty low when you arrive.

During the interview
The most important part of staying calm during the interview comes with preparation. Of course you have to answer plenty of questions and worry about body language -- that never goes away. But if you've practiced your answers, thought about your posture and eye contact, and done your research on the company, the hard part's over. Now you're just answering questions that you've prepared for. The best way to prepare for this part is vidoe taping your self and a friend practicing with prepared interview questions and reviewing it afterwards.

Realize that a little nervousness is expected and that you only need to be calm enough to look competent and confident of your abilities.If you find yourself feeling overly anxious, stop to think a question over and take a few deep breaths. After all, the interviewer knows you're anxious and a hint of nerves shows that you care about the job.
For more relevant tips and ideas how to succesfully land that ideal dream job, check out what my colleagues Kevin Donlin and David Perry have put together in their new Guerilla Job Search DVD www.careerspro.com/program.htm You will find the above techniques and many more!