3 TIPS ON HOW TO BE MORE CONFIDENT DURING JOB INTERVIEWS
We’ve all been there… not able to fall asleep before the interview, stressing ourselves hours beforehand, overthinking etc.The fact that you are going to be judged for about 30 minutes or longer is nerve-wracking if you think about it. The nerves only get worse when you have to meet more than one person for the interview. I have been in that position where I just felt so nervous days before the interview but now I have managed to feel much more confident when I head off to a job interview. I don’t overthink anymore and I sleep like a baby the day before the interview☺. Ofcourse, I do get a little but nervous but I don’t stress myself anymore. I’m going to share 3 tips on how you can be your confident self when you are attending a job interview☺.
3 tips on how you can be your confident self when you are attending a job interview.
1. Spend good amount of time researching the company
Okay this may sound super obvious but it is super important. I can tell you how this influences you confidence when you feel like you know and understand what the company is doing right now and where the company is aiming at. Don’t do research about the company just the night before. Take some time reading about the company, how it has been performing and the highlights of their business doing. The reason why I mention that you should take more than one evening to do some research is because you will not find every detail or the latest news on their website. At times it takes a while to find some interesting bits and pieces by searching on the Internet. It takes time to also memorize it so that it doesn’t feel like you have rehearsed what you are saying about the company. When you find those information, you can start thinking about how your skills can enable the company to reach its goals and objectives.
2. Prepare for the obvious questions
When you go to a job interview, there are ALWAYS some certain questions that are pretty predictable that are going to be asked by the recruiter. Whether you’re applying for a job in the fashion industry, catering, banking etc. those questions are always asked. For example a question that always gets asked is ”So *insert name* tell me more about yourself?” I remember that this question was a hard one for me to answer because I thought what else do you want to know, ”everything” is on my CV that you need to know. But this question is asked to see how much you can tell about who you are as person aside from the information provided on your CV. How obvious and easy this question may sound, at times we can get a bit overwhelmed or hold ourselves back thinking we are being overconfident which is completely the opposite. If you truly take time to understand this question and answer it without being shy or nervous, it demonstrates confidence and it shows them that you know what you are looking for and you are confident while looking for it!
Few other examples of predictable interview questions are ”Why do you want to work for Company X?” ”Why do you think you are the best person for this job?” ”What are you positive and negative characteristics.” Also, prepare yourself for scenario questions. These questions are the ones that really need attention and time to actually think about it. During an interview they will give you some time to think about a question but don’t expect them to give you longer than a minute to actually come up with an answer. The faster you can reply to an answer the more you look confident and prepared. Scenario questions are for example ”Can you tell me more about a moment at at work where you had a conflict with a colleague and how you solved it?” ”Can you tell us a scenario where you had to achieve a target? How did you manage to achieve the target? if not, how did you cope with it when you didn’t?” These questions are ones you really need time to think about because you might have to go down memory lane to come up with the answers. Prepare this some days beforehand and you will be overflowing with confidence baby!
3. Dress to impress
We all know that interviews are moments when you are judged until you shake the hands of the recruiters and leave the building. The recruiters listen to what you say, how you say it, body language, and how you carry yourself. I only have experience in the fashion industry so this example would be applicable to people looking for jobs in fashion but I think this one is universal. Another way you can feel confidence is by feeling and looking good. If you know that you’re going to an interview where you are going to be judged, why not give the recruiters something to look hahaha. I always make sure my clothes are ironed, I look for items that match together perfectly yet I make sure I do not look overdressed because it’s not a party I’m attending. Take some time to look at the type of company you’re applying for and dress according to the company’s culture and give it your own twist. When you dare to show your personality reflects confidence. Show the recruiters that besides you having all the skills for the position, you also feel really confident about yourself and have our own sense of fashion☺.