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Job Interviewing Cool Factor

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Controlling your anxiety and arriving at the job interview, cool, calm and collected.

No matter how many interviews you've been to, if you're like most people, you still get a little nervous before going to one. Interviews are a unique social situation, and different from situations that we experience on a daily basis. And let's face it: you're expected to put your best foot forward and to essentially deliver a performance. Even the most practiced actors and public speakers get a little nervous before going on stage. The good news is that there are several things you can do to control your anxiety.

First of all, if you're not getting enough job leads yet, you'll be much more calm, cool and collected if you increase your lead flow first. If the interviews you're going on are rare and seem like your one and only hope, you need more options. One of the easiest ways to do that is by getting your resume posted on all the job sites. ResumeDirector is a service that can do this for you. Their site will let you enter your resume once and have it posted instantly on over 90 job sites like Monster, HotJobs, CareerBuilder, etc. To find out more, visit this web address: http://www.jobwerx.com/resume_director.html

Another option for reaching recruiters is to send your resume directly to them with a resume distribution service. We recommend ResumeArrow.com. They will e-mail your resume instantly to thousands of recruiters in your industry and geographic location. Visit their site at this address: http://www.resumearrow.com/def.php3?pc=13CS756

There are two main areas you can focus on to increase your "cool" factor. The first is in the area of physiology and your emotional state. The second area is your cognitive or mental state. We'll take a look at both areas in this article.

Getting Yourself into the Right Physical and Emotional State

Save yourself some you time. Don't let things get so hectic before an interview that you forget about keeping yourself happy and in a good mood. The more relaxed you are, the easier it will be to organize your thoughts and communicate effectively. In other words, take care of yourself on the inside and it'll show up on the outside. The night before the interview, hit the gym, take a bath, or veg out on the couch. Do whatever it is you do to unwind. Set your mind at ease so the only thing you have to worry just before the interview is getting there. Plan ahead for the week of the interview so you have all other tasks out of the way. Less stress means more confidence for you.

You may have heard of the Relaxation Technique. This is a technique commonly used in meditation, but it can also be used in everyday life to reduce stress and increase your level of serenity. You can also use the technique before going to bed so you'll have a better night's sleep. Essentially, the steps to it are:

- Take a breath and inhale with your abdominal muscles
- Exhale slowly (using the same muscles) and draw your belly button in at the same time.

Relax!

If you tend to get nervous at interviews or don't consider yourself a "people person," there are ways to help yourself feel more comfortable. Here are a few ways to minimize your job search jitters:

- Be ready for tough questions. Plan how you're going to answer possible questions, so there won't be any surprises. If you can, set up a mock interview with a friend or someone you trust
- "Rehearse" how you will answer tough questions. Whenever you are caught off guard, rephrase what they asked and then say something like "that's a good question, let me think about it for a moment." This will buy you time to come up with a thoughtful answer, without sounding like you were thrown off by it. It's a good idea to try this rephrasing technique in non-interview situations: either in a mock interview with a friend, or just in everyday conversation. This way you will have the routine practiced and will be able to do it without thinking if necessary.
- Practice in the mirror. This may sound silly, but if you want to know how you look to other people, that's the best way to find out

Do Your Research

The impact of doing your research cannot be understated. If you feel like you totally understand the company, the subject matter you're being interviewed for, and are prepared to answer the most common general interview questions, you'll feel much more confident walking in to an interview. Here are some key things to make sure you cover:

- If you're going on an interview for a job that could involve doing some work you're not completely familiar with or that you haven't worked with for a while, buy a book or check one out from the library on the subject. This is not so that you can claim to have experience in something you don't. Rather, it will allow you to speak intelligently about the subject even if it's not an area of current expertise for you.

- Try to learn as much about the company ahead of time as possible. Of course you should check out their web site. And ideally talk to some people who work there - see if you have friends who know someone who works there. You can also see if there are any WetFeet reports on the company by checking out the WetFeet web site: http://www.kqzyfj.com/click-1711192-10299816

- Most interviewers don't do interviewing all the time, so they rely on "canned" interview questions and look for certain kinds of responses. Knowing this, it makes sense to arrive at interviews prepared to answer the kinds of questions they're likely to ask. To read up on model answers to common interview questions, check out this resource: http://www.jobwerx.com/resources/jobsearchhandbook-id=947197_585.html

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Courtesy of Michael Green, Editor Job Search Reports

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