6 Things That Can Boost Confidence In An Interview & Get You That Job

By Joan Igamba

Searching for a job can be a stressful time in a person’s life.

Staying positive can make a world of difference for how a candidate feels during the interview.

However, how do you remain confident and positive?

If you’re starting to search for a new job or are preparing for an interview, these job interview tips will help you be confident and show your potential employer that you are the right fit.

1. Interview the interviewer

Prior to working at a recruitment firm, I always thought of HR managers as these inaccessible professionals who hold the candidates future in their very hands.

However, after interacting with them on a day to day basis I have come to realize that they are just like you and me, believe it or not.

In the interview it is YOU who holds the power. If you have this mind set shift your confidence levels will skyrocket.

Also, interviewers do not want to guide a passive candidate through the interview. They want someone who shows initiative and who has questions to ask throughout the interview.

The interviewer is investing time in you and is hopeful that you will be the right candidate for the job.

2. Dress to impress

Look, even if you do not consider yourself fashion forward, never underestimate what looking good can do to your confidence.

To ace this part of the interview, which is presentability, pick out your interview clothes the night prior.

Dressing to impress will also give the interviewer the right first impression of you.

3. Practice your responses

There is interview questions that will never luck in any interview. For those questions, you practise your answers.

The key here is not to master word for word what you will say to a question but to have the key points at your fingertips so as not to hesitate.

One good way to accomplish this is by investing in interview coaching. With our interview coach, Lucy Karwigi, you can go through a mock interview where you can get guided on how to answer questions in a way that shows employers you are right for the job.

A practice session will help you calm your mind and help you better communicate your qualifications in the interview.

4. Know the company

Before the interview, it is up to you to take some time to research the company so as to know what they do and the things they stand for.

This will ultimately give you something to connect with the interviewer.

A candidate who knows what the company does will impress the interviewer and the interviewer as a result will warm up to you.

This will allow you to answer the tough questions calmly something that will make you appear confident.

5. Be ready to talk about yourself

I remember on my first interview, I was not ready to talk about my responsibilities in previous internships.

Seems like an obvious thing to prepare for but it had slipped my mind and it affected my confidence when the question was asked.

Review your CV and try to anticipate any questions that the interviewer could ask you.

For example, have answers ready for questions such as, “what would your former employer say about you?” “What do you think is your greatest achievement?”

Success happens when luck and preparation meet. And you never know your luck.

Imagine yourself succeeding

Picturing yourself being successful at an upcoming job interview will give a boost to your confidence and self-esteem.

If you have a strong belief that you are the best person for the job, and then you relax into that confidence, it should help.

A final word,

To increase confidence levels in an interview aim to try to eliminate any unexpected setbacks by preparation so as to arrive at the interview feeling relaxed.