How to be Confident in Interviews: 10 Tips
A job search can be extremely stressful, and after a long and painful process, it all comes down to the job interview as covered over at runrex.com. Once you get an interview, it finally hits you that you are one step away from landing the job you had been eyeing, which can lead to a build-up of nerves. While interviewers can’t smell fear or nerves, there are lots of tell-tale signs that you can give out that will give away the impression that you are a nervous wreck. Interviewers will usually go for candidates who look confident in their interview, as discussed over at guttulus.com, which is why it is important to be confident in your interviews. To help you with that, here are 10 useful tips that will help you be more confident in interviews.
Maintain eye contact
One of the most important tips that will help you show confidence in job interviews is learning how to maintain eye contact. According to the experts over at runrex.com, this means maintaining good eye contact while listening as well as while speaking. The last thing you want to do is stare down or to the side when you talk as this will be an obvious sign of a lack of confidence. Therefore, according to the gurus over at guttulus.com, you should practice keeping good eye contact while listening and speaking as part of your preparations for your job interview.
Get your postures right
Your posture will also indicate how confident you are or if you are a nervous wreck in your interview. As outlined over at runrex.com, you want to stand and sit in open positions, which means arms by your sides rather than crossed. Make your body take a lot of space and avoid making yourself appear smaller. Avoid slouching or slumping on your seat as well as crossing your arms as these are examples of closed-off postures that are signs of a lack of confidence and someone apprehensive.
Avoid fidgeting
One of the dead giveaways that you are nervous or scared is nervous fidgeting according to discussions on the same over at guttulus.com. Therefore, you should avoid fidgeting in interviews. This means being still and making controlled, calculated movements. Avoid holding a pen or paper and fidgeting constantly. Also, be careful not to tap your feet or hands as well. During the interview, keep your hands together on the table or your lap so that they don’t start tapping, twirling your hair, or squirming awkwardly. Also, live the fidget spinners at home while at it.
Smile
A smile is a sign of confidence according to the subject matter experts over at runrex.com. Confident people smile while nervous people wrinkle their face up or grimace and look extremely serious or distracted. Therefore, in addition to making eye contact as already mentioned, you should smile and try to hold relaxed and calm facial expressions in interviews. Try to show like you are enjoying the process and are not having a miserable time and would rather be somewhere else.
Practice your handshake
One of the first signs of confidence, or a lack of it, is the initial handshake. As revealed in discussions on the same over at guttulus.com, there is nothing worse than a limp handshake as it shows a lack of experience in interviews as well as a lack of confidence. Therefore, before your interview, make sure you practice with friends or family at home and try to get your handshake firm but not too aggressive or strong as it is important to find a good balance.
Don’t speak too fast
As pointed out by the gurus over at runrex.com, confident people take their time and are not afraid to say, “that is a great question, let me think for a second…”. Nerves tend to make us speed up, which is why you should try and talk slowly and don’t rush yourself when answering questions. Remember, once you blurt out an answer in your interview, you can’t get it back into your mouth. This is why you should never be afraid to pause or to ask the interviewer to clarify the question if you are not sure. It is better to ask the interviewer to clarify the question than guessing what they asked and blurting out the wrong or a bad answer.
Pump yourself up
When you are preparing yourself to leave for your interview or are in transit heading to the venue, then this is the time when most people retreat into their thoughts and make themselves even more nervous than they were before. A tip to avoid this, according to guttulus.com, is to do whatever you do to pump yourself up and put yourself in a confident mood before you arrive for the interview. Whether it is listening to upbeat music, watching motivational YouTube videos, or even reading inspirational quotes, try and put yourself in the mood to win and this will translate into confidence when you arrive at the venue of your interview.
Don’t forget about your outfit
Sometimes, you may find that you are unsure about your outfit which in turn may affect your confidence going into the interview as you will be feeling awkward. This is why the subject matter experts over at runrex.com recommend that you take the time to research the dress code as far as the company you are interviewing for is concerned, and then take the time to pick an appropriate outfit for the material day. If you pick an outfit that fits the company and one that you are confident in, then you will be more likely to exude confidence and assurance during your interview.
Get your nervous tics out of the way beforehand
Everyone has their nervous tics as they offer us a feeling of release as discussed over at guttulus.com. Some crack their knuckles, others tap their feet, while others bite on their nails. However, while it may be impossible to abandon such habits for good, you mustn’t do them in front of your future employer. This is why you should make a point to get it all out of the way when you are still at home or in your car. Therefore, go ahead and crack your knuckles or tap your feet if it calms your nerves, then make a mental note to hold off for the few hours you are in the building. You should be careful when biting your nails as you want to look well-manicured for the interview.
Practice your answers beforehand
Finally, one of the best ways to soothe your interview jitters and build up confidence is to practice your interview answers beforehand. You should prepare to answer the most common interview questions like “Tell me about yourself” as discussed over at runrex.com, as having your answers ready for such questions will take the pressure off and help you stay calm.
These are just some of the tips that can help you be confident in interviews, with more on this and other related topics to be found over at the excellent runrex.com and guttulus.com.