Is Lack of Confidence Ruining Your Interview Chances? Here’s How to Get It Back

Confidence is the key to every successful interview.  After the long, exhausting journey of searching for and applying to new jobs, you’ve just been rewarded with a golden ticket—an interview.

But after a brief moment of celebration, the panic sets in: Your heart is already pounding, your palms are beginning to sweat, and you’re wondering: Are they going to sense my fear? Will I stammer when answer

If the thought of sitting across from a hiring manager makes your stomach turn, you’re not alone. But don’t let your nerves get the best of you! Try one these strategies that will help you feel calm, cool, and collected—or at least make you appear that way.

Talk to yourself in the mirror.

Sounds silly? Not at all. In my opinion, positive self-talk is what everyone needs before an interview. Before you pick up the phone or head into an office, look yourself in the mirror and say, “I got this. I am great, and this job is mine”.

 Just Breathe

While waiting to be greeted by your interviewer, take a few moments to do some breathing. By doing this, you can redirect the troublesome emotion you’re experiencing (e.g., nervousness or fear) and be able to focus on something else (in this case, the amazing job that you’re hoping to land). 

 To do this most effectively, take a deep breath through your nose and then slowly blow it out through your mouth. Repeat this three times, while concentrating on centering your thoughts.

 Don’t Fidget

Nervous fidgeting is one of the most telltale signs that you’re nervous, so this is an incredibly important skill to master. My go-to trick is to keep my hands clasped together on the table or in my lap to avoid any subconscious table tapping, hair twirling, or otherwise noticeable squirming. I’m also a leg-shaker—but keeping my hands in my lap and applying a bit of pressure to my legs helps remind me to keep the shaking to a minimum.

If you think you don’t have any fidgety habits, you might want to think again—most people aren’t aware of their own nervous tendencies because they’re such an ingrained part of their natural behavior. To double check, try doing a few mock interviews with a friend or interview coach who can call you out on any fidgeting. Once you know exactly what to avoid, you can practice controlling it.

 Make Eye Contact

One of the best ways to fool a hiring manager into thinking you’re more confident than you feel is to keep steady, natural eye contact throughout the interview.

Prudence Gitonga, a Recruitment expert at Corporate Staffing Services says, “A key giveaway of a nervous candidate is a lack of direct eye contact—looking down, looking away, and not looking the interviewer directly in the eyes. A more confident interviewee appears to be engaged with the interviewer.”

One way to remind yourself to make regular eye contact is to focus on a spot between the interviewer’s eyes.  Don’t stare too much though.  Take natural breaks, like looking down at your CV every once in a while. It’s a balancing act, so just keep practicing until it feels comfortable.

  Press Pause

Some of us (myself included!) tend to ramble when we’re nervous. This can be dangerous because once we start talking, it’s incredibly easy to veer off topic and say more than what’s needed—or worse, more than what’s appropriate.

To prevent any rambling, I try to answer each question with only one thought or idea at a time. For example, if you’re asked to describe a trait you disliked about a previous supervisor, you could say, “I found that her tendency to micromanage conflicted with my productivity.” Then stop. This will save you from unnecessary add-ons like “She was a total control freak whose inability to let me make my own decisions made me want to run down the hall screaming obscenities”—even if that may be the most honest answer.

The key to mastering this technique is to keep your tone sincere, so that even if your responses are brief, they don’t come off as curt or dismissive. 

Think Positively

Finally, calm your nerves by reminding yourself that you deserve to be there. Hey, you wouldn’t have been invited to interview if you weren’t being seriously considered as a candidate! Use this knowledge to your advantage to mentally pump yourself up before the interview. It can take the edge off enough to allow you to approach the situation with a burst of self-assurance and poise.

Most importantly, remember that while you certainly need to be calm, collected, and confident in order to score the job, an interview is not a life-or-death situation.

Wrapping up

So with that in mind, relax, gather your strength, and walk into that interview with a newfound confidence (at least on the outside!).

Do interviews make you nervous? Are you looking for a boost of confidence to help you successfully ace your interviews? Let an interview expert make things easier for you, book for a consultation here