Job Interviews: Control Your Nerves.

With restrictions easing around the country and an abundance of job advertisements on the market, face to face job interviews have started returning. We show you how to control your nerves for your next job interview.

Job interviews control your nerves can be traumatic for many people, if you’re sitting in the comfort of your own home in front of a computer.

Job interviews: controlling your nerves, It can be more distressing if you’re sitting across from a hiring manager or a panel of representatives from the employer.

Job interviews control your nerves, your hands might start sweating. The words coming out of your mouth sound a bit shaky. Some people begin tap dancing in their seats as they attempt to control their nerves. These experiences can stop people from applying for new roles. It restricts them from progressing within their role and having a fulfilling career.

Controlling your nerves? If you have a face-to-face job interview scheduled, try these tips, and you can walk into the room cool, calm, and collected.

You might be surprised to learn that nervousness is a series of hormonal and physiological responses. It’s your body preparing itself to either fight or flee to handle a potential threat, even if it’s an imaginary one. It does this by boosting the production of adrenaline. The trick is to utilise this capability to manage your emotions and thoughts to succeed in the face-to- face job interview.

Now that you know that nervousness is hormones, you can implement techniques that help you regain control over these emotions. It will take time and practice, but the more frequently you use them, the more effective you will be at managing your nerves.

Have you noticed in a face-to-face job interview that your breathing starts getting faster? At the same time, you might discover you’re speaking a bit too quickly. If you can control your breathing, you will find yourself immediately feeling a little calmer. The 1-4-2 technique is perfect for job interviews.

Start by inhaling for one second. Hold for four. Then exhale for two. Do this for five minutes before your meeting begins. It will help you think clearer and remember all the answers you practiced the night before.

During the interview, you’re going to want to focus on building momentum with your
answers as you go. The best place to start is the first question. It will often be something along the lines of “Tell me about yourself” or “Why did you apply for this role?”.

These are also usually the most straightforward questions to answer. Be sure to practice and research your response, so you can provide a clear and thoughtful reply. You’ll immediately notice your confidence increase, and you’ll be ready to face the following question coming your way.

It might seem obvious, but this technique is also about recognising any negative thoughts polluting your mind. You might ask yourself why you’re here and that you don’t know what you’re doing. However, you wouldn’t be waiting to go into a face-to-face interview if the recruiter or hiring manager didn’t see something in you.

This doesn’t mean walking into the room like you already have the job. But you should have confidence in your skills, abilities, and experience as these are what have got you to this stage in the application.

One of the tricks some people use before they walk into a meeting or face-to-face job interview is: Standing in front of the mirror and picturing themselves as a confident role model to help overcome nerves. Some people perform the wonder woman pose.

Others replicate the body language of someone like Dwayne Johnson to help get them in the right mindset. You might seem silly to start with, but even giggling at yourself when striking a pose will help calm your nerves.

With your body boosting the production of adrenaline, you can release some of these endorphins by doing some physical activity. It might be going to the gym, taking a stroll in a

park, or even riding your bike to the office. It will promote healthy blood flow to the brain, which will help in collecting your thoughts. Try not to push too hard as you don’t want to feel exhausted for your interview.

For a more advanced technique to control your nerves, you can practice mentally disassociating from the interview experience. Go to a quiet place where there aren’t any distractions. Picture yourself in the meeting room. Now imagine you’re answering questions. Take note of what you see, hear, and feel. Let yourself feel any tension, and then switch to a third-person view.

Watch yourself responding to queries and the emotion on your face as you’re speaking. Once you’ve calmed down, return to a first-person perspective and answer the question again. The more your practice this method, the better you’ll get at it.

Before you walk into the meeting room, take some time to think about everything you have achieved up until this point. Even if it’s your first job or a new role as part of your career change. You undoubtedly still have successes that you should be proud of. It could be completing your education, whether it’s high school, TAFE, or university.

It might be skills you’ve developed regardless of whether it was self-taught or with a mentor. As you take a walk down memory lane, stop to take notice of your body language. You’ll be sitting up straight. Your shoulders will be upright. You’ll be ready for the face-to-face interview.

Many high-profile sports figures use a phrase or single word to help them reset their mind and get back into a zone. Roger Federer would tell himself it was the first game of the first set every time he delivered or received a serve. It helped him calm his nerves and stay in a clear mindset.

You can apply this same principle to a face-to-face job interview. Give yourself a phrase or word that helps you reset and calm yourself down. You may need to say it multiple times to begin with. But, eventually, you will find yourself saying it less and less.

Nervousness is something that everyone experiences at some point in their life. However, it doesn’t have to impact your ability to have a strong face-to-face interview. By practicing different techniques and adjusting your mindset, you can take control of your nerves.

To give yourself the best chance of success in the application process.

Need some help nailing your face-to-face job interview? Why not download our FREE interview guide. It’s got everything you need to practice and prepare yourself for the meeting.