So, you’ve finally got the invitation to interview for your dream job! You don’t want to blow it because of nerves. Here are some tips to looking confident and at ease during a nerve-wracking job interview:
- Maintain eye contact
If someone isn’t looking at you when you’re talking, you soon get the feeling that they aren’t really listening. To look engaged, interested and professional, it’s important to maintain good eye contact while both listening and talking. Practice at home – no looking at the floor, your lap or out of the window!
- Body language
Once you’ve nailed the eye contact, think about the way you’re holding your body. It’s important to stand and sit in a relaxed, open position and not with arms or legs crossed. Ideally you want to make your body seem larger and not smaller, this is how to portray confidence.
- Try not to fidget
Nerves can make us fidget, so try not to be holding onto a pen or paper or anything else you might fiddle with. Nerves can also make us tap our hands and feet or jiggle one foot up and down. Try to tune into what your body does when you’re anxious or waiting. The better you become aware of these involuntarily movements, the more you’ll be able to control them.
- A firm handshake
Nothing says a lack of confidence like a limp handshake. Practice on a friend or family member so you can perfect the ideal confident and business-like hand shake.
- Smile
When people are relaxed and confident, they smile. They don’t frown, grimace, look miserable or nervously distracted. Try to keep your facial expressions calm, relaxed and natural, allowing you to smile more easily. We all know that appearance shouldn’t matter, but if you have self-confidence issues about lines or wrinkles appearing when you smile, then why not consider treating yourself to a Botox treatment to boost your interview confidence. For Botox Gloucester, visit http://doctorkate.co.uk/
- Don’t rush your answers
Nerves can make us talk faster than we would normally, so try not to blurt out the first thing that comes into your head and give yourself a little time to answer. When you’re relaxed and confident, you’re more likely to say, ‘what a great question, let me just think about for a moment’. Don’t worry about asking for clarification of a question. It’s much better than not understanding and ‘winging’ it.
- Listen
If you’re too worried about what you’re going to say next, you could miss an opportunity to bond with the interviewer. The atmosphere will quickly become awkward if you miss one of their jokes or butt in before they’ve finished talking. Focus on really listening to what they say and respond after a slight pause. Don’t sit there waiting to talk but listen effectively.