Written by: Ryan Merritt
Interviews can be a frightening ordeal. Thankfully there are a handful of tips and tricks to help you relax. Now keep in mind that these might not work for everyone, but it might be the start to your own process. Here are the simple R’s to the pre-interview process:
Step One: Research
Simple enough. Jump on the computer and read away. Google search the company and see what comes up, then look on sites like Glassdoor, or CareerBuilder for reviews from current and former employees. Get a sense of how you feel about their mission and their operations. Check out their social media pages. Try going onto LinkedIn as well and look up current employees. This way you can see the kind of people you would be working for and with.
Also, do some research on current market trends and how the company is performing. Look to see if they are featured in industry publications. This will all help you discuss topics and maybe help generate a few questions to ask.
Step Two: Rehearse
A good answer is a confident one. Make sure to have some of your answers rehearsed with clear talking points, which will make for better responses when you are on the spot. A very common interview question is, “Tell me about yourself?” or “Give me your story, how did you get to here?” It’s impressive when a candidate can explain themselves, their passions, and achievements in an interesting and concise manner. Interviewers are trying to get a feel for your likeliness to blend with the office culture, but this is also your chance to determine if you would like working there. So rehearse some of the questions you want to ask. This will help build more confidence in your self. It will also allow you to tie in elements of what you learned in while doing your research.
Use a mirror while you’re practicing. Rehearse sitting down, standing up, holding something and not holding something. Practice while walking around performing other tasks. These will all help make sure that, in any situation, you’re ready to answer the question confidently. Use this time to watch your body language as you speak. You don’t want to be super jittery or a motionless brick.
Step Three: Relax and Refresh
Stress can ruin the interview for you before you get in the building. Uncontrollable sweats or second-guessing will be obvious to a recruiter who will question your ability to perform under pressure and personal confidence. One tip to help ease your mind is working out. You can head to the gym a few hours before your interview. A hard workout will tire out your body and heal the mind in order to lower your stress levels. If you can hit the gym, just go for a run outside or look for a work out video on YouTube. Another activity is to do something you enjoy like reading a book or watching a funny movie. This will help release serotonin to lower your stress levels.
Refreshing is another tip. Not only does this help you lower stress but it also helps put the mind and body in to fight mode. Take a nice hot shower, shave, brush your teeth, floss, and rinse with mouthwash for fresh breath, this is important! Then put on your favorite outfit, and shiny shoes. They might seem like the average thing to do before an interview but take your time and focus on the little details. By focusing on personal hygiene your body will start to feel more professional and you will be ready for the stress. It is the same reason that a salesperson working from home would get formal in their living room for sales calls. It gets their mind ready for the task at hand.
These are just a few helpful pointers, but everybody can be a great interviewee if you take the time to figure out what works for you. Apply for some career opportunities on Digi-Me’s Featured Jobs page and practice some of these tips!
