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How To Stay Calm And Confident In A Job Interview

Woman shaking hands with the hiring manager stays calm and confident in a job interview
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As a career coach for 20 years, I've worked with people who are so nervous to go into job interviews that they literally sweat through their clothes. Thankfully, there are a few things that significantly helped them stay calm and confident in job interviews so they could make a great first impression and land the job they want.


Here are three tips I have taught all my clients who are going into job interviews to utilize in order to feel calmer and show more confidence. I think at least one of these will help you...

3 Tips To Stay Calm & Confident In An Interview

@j.t.odonnell

3 Job Interview Tips To Make You Calmer & More Confident 😀👍♥️ For years I've been coaching people that get so nervous in job interviews that they sweat through their clothes. as a result I've built a lot of tools and tips to help them succeed in job interviews. these three tips have been the most successful for people who need to be more common focused. the benefit is when you do these things you'll also appear more confident. knowing how to reset yourself in a job interview is very important. you also need to know how to answer really difficult questions in a way that shows the person asking them that you are not afraid. I think you'll find these three tips super helpful and if you like what I suggest you may want to check out my new tiktok series on the 18 hardest behavioral questions and how to answer them correctly. I think it'll give you the confidence you need to truly succeed in your next job interview good luck and go get'em!

♬ original sound - J.T. O'Donnell

1. Wear/bring something that will be a cue to relax.

The first tip that will help you stay calm and confident in job interviews is to go into the interview with something that, when you notice it, will be a cue for you to take a breath and relax and put a smile on your face. For example, if you wear jewelry, put the ring on a different finger or the watch/bracelet on the other wrist. If you usually carry a pen, bring a different color pen.

When you notice this one thing, don't over-smile, but take a breath and remind yourself that you're not there in an interrogation. You're there potentially meeting a new colleague. And when you look at it that way, that you're there to make a friend and get to know somebody, you will take that breath, you will smile, and you will relax. And the more you notice it, the more you'll connect with who you are in that moment so that you're giving off the right body language and facial expressions because that's a big part of your communication in a job interview.

2. When you get asked a difficult question, begin your response with, "That's a great question," and remember to smile.

Whenever you get asked one of those difficult questions in a job interview, those questions that just make us anxious, condition yourself to say, "That's a great question," because, psychologically, in my experience, when you say that's a good question and you say it with a smile on your face, you approach it like, "I'm going to answer this question the best that I can."

Also, the hiring manager knows they're asking you a hard question. That's why they're asking you. They want to see your reaction. So when your reaction is, "That's a great question," that tells them you're not afraid of that question. You're ready to answer that question—a sign of confidence.

3. Learn how to answer behavioral interview questions.

The last and most important tip that will help you stay calm and confident in a job interview is to learn how to effectively answer behavioral interview questions. This is an essential part of interview prep.

Behavioral interview questions are open-ended questions designed to get inside your head and help the hiring manager learn how you think. And by having to give more than a one-word answer, it reveals more about your personality in the workplace, your aptitude, whether or not you're flexible, and your whole mentality and strategy. And this is really important because they're trying to find the right person for the job. By learning how to effectively answer behavioral interview questions, you'll be sure to show the hiring manager you are the right person for the job.

It's completely normal to feel nervous before a job interview. I hope these three tips will help you stay calm and confident during your next one. Good luck, and go get 'em!

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