How to Stay Calm When Interviewing Dream Company

How to Stay Calm When Interviewing Dream Company YES! You just got the interview with the company of your dreams. It must be hard to process all those emotions â€" happiness, eagerness nervousness. What will you do? How will you impress your potential employer? You may be under a lot of pressure, but there are some steps you can take to ensure youre totally prepared for the big day. Read on to find out some tips to keep your cool when interviewing with your dream company! Plan Ahead Its happened to the best of us. Youre confident everything will fall into place on the day of the interview. But to your dismay your printer is out of ink so you cant print your resume, you forgot to iron your best shirt, and you hit an absurd amount of traffic on the way there. You told yourself you would plan ahead what happened? Save the stress for another day. Planning ahead is the best thing you can do for the interview, because youll be able to save your energy for when you need it most. So buy that ink and lay your clothes out the night before. Another important aspect of planning ahead is to practice! If youre nervous about what to say, or youre unsure about what questions interviewers will ask, ask a friend or family member to help you. Have them ask you possible questions, so youll be prepared for the real thing. Be an Active Listener Once you get to the interview, though, you cant be all talk. An interview isnt just someone talking at you for an hour, and its not you talking at them. Its a two-way conversation, and you should treat it like youre having a chat with an ordinary person â€" but an ordinary person who deserves respect. Part of this is being a good listener. If you take time to listen, it takes you off the hot seat so you can relax. But this isnt a time to space out â€" its important to hear the interviewer out, because they can give you valuable information about the company and position youre applying for. Another part of listening is actually paying attention to the questions youre being asked. If you just recite a prepared response, it will seem like the interview is more like an interrogation than a conversation. No one wants to hire a robot. Control Your Body Believe it or not, potential employers notice your body language. Certain movements and positions can signal the fact that youre nervous. Some of these movements you should keep under control are as follows: Touching your face or hair Fidgeting Crossed arms Slouching Lack of eye contact or shifty eyes Thankfully, most of the time these wont make or break your interview, because chances are youre a stellar person. But there are easy remedies for these nervous actions as well. Keep your hands visible and on the table. This is a sign of honesty, and it also keeps you from fidgeting with your face and hair. Take deep breaths and slow down! You have a lot of time to impress the employer. Pace Yourself and Stay Focused Speaking of slowing down, pacing yourself is key to nailing the interview. While its great to enter with energy and finesse, you cant just give up on that in the middle. You have to carry your enthusiasm until the very end. Pacing yourself will help. In order to sustain your energy and prevent rushing, get plenty of sleep the night before and drink a lot of water. A snack right before the interview can also help. If the interview is especially long, youll be glad you kept up your act until the end. Smile! Many people seem to equate an interview to being on death row. But as mentioned before, if you know how to handle yourself through the interview, itll be more like a casual conversation between two polite individuals. One of the best ways to handle the interview is to smile. Even a forced smile can make you feel more relaxed and happy, which is important because a positive attitude is greatly needed in the workplace. Make the interviewer know you are a compassionate and approachable person. They will be lucky to have you!