How to gain confidence for a successful job interview

You might remember a moment when you were facing a job interview. For some, mostly extroverts, it is an easy task. Still, many people struggle with being in the spotlight and job interviews produce that kind of feeling. You have to sell yourself to the employer and at the same time, you must compete with other candidates. There is only one winner. But how do you impress and win that job? 

Many focus on polishing their CVs and preparing their speeches, but it is confidence that is often forgotten when thinking about interviews. Many assume that they will somehow go through it, regardless of their nerves. That might actually be a pitfall.

I believe interviewers realise that you might be nervous when being interviewed and if your skills are exactly what they are looking for, then you might get the job regardless. The problem arises when you are facing strong competition. 

Richard Branson summarises what many employers actually look for: 

“The first thing to look for when searching for a great employee is somebody with a personality that fits with your company culture. Most skills can be learned, but it is difficult to train people on their personalities. If you can find people who are fun, friendly, caring and love helping others, you are on to a winner.”

Sometimes you just won’t fit the employer’s needs, but you can at least influence odds in your favour.

Preparation is key. There are general tips that you can follow like making sure you maintain eye contact during the interview and that you smile and keep to the point when answering questions. The less known technique is how hypnosis can actually help you with your nerves.

Self-hypnosis is a powerful tool and practising it a couple of days before an interview can make a lot of difference. Find a calm place and imagine how well your interview goes; how well you get along with the interviewers. Do not prepare exactly what you want to say, do not make it a performance where you could fail. Make the interview a conversation. Be you. That will get you the job rather than your university degree.

If you think you will sit during the interview, you can even find a sitting position that makes you feel confident. Look into the mirror. Does the way you sit look confident to you? You want to look relaxed and at ease.

Avoid displaying nervous activity like playing with your clothes or crossing arms. After you find your ‘confident’ posture, you can also perform the self-hypnosis while sitting. Like this, your muscles will remember that confidence and a positive attitude is related to this sitting posture. It might seem like something a bit strange to do, but very often it is many small things combined that make the difference. 

The most important to remember is that we can’t always be what the employer is looking for. Shake off all the negativity and always find something you can learn from the experience. Finding the right way is about trying different possibilities.