How Can I Control My Nerves?
The secret to controlling your nerves is to convince your brain that you have little to worry about. The reality is that we all get ourselves worked up far too much in the first place – we convince ourselves that we are going to under perform or embarrass ourselves beyond belief. After all I am sure you will have been in many situations where you have been a nervous wreck and once the situation is over (like at the end of an interview or coming out of the dentists) felt the overwhelming experience of calmness. Yes this is caused by your body relaxing and the adrenalin ceasing. So how can you combat this? Well it is really simple - all you need to do is be prepared and calm yourself and the nerves, to a degree, will be far less. I am sure you will have heard of the term “Mind Over Matter” well it is true. The brain and body are complicated things, you can convince yourself of anything if you want to and this can have a negative as well as positive outcome. So to deal with this issue and put your mind at rest (hence reducing your nervousness) it’s always a good idea to try and address the areas you need to deal with where you feel you will be an absolute failure if things go badly wrong. So lets just look at the major areas:
1. Drinks - should you or shouldn’t you? As I have mentioned before if you are offered a drink, be it tea, coffee or water and you think you are suddenly going to have an explosive fit and chuck your cup three foot in the air then don’t accept one. The only exception I can recommend here is Water. The reason being is that if you have a glass of water no one is going to notice if you did or didn’t drink it. However if you get stuck for something to say when asked a difficult question or you find your mouth is getting irritably dry it’s a good excuse to take a sip. While it doesn’t buy you a great deal of time it does give you chance to pause and reflect on the question a few moments before you give an answer.
2. Awkward Questions – Well unless you have a crystal ball you are not going to know what questions you are going to be asked at your interview. However if you know anything about the job then you can have a good second guess at what sort of questions are likely to come up and figure out some answers accordingly. Just remember how it was when you sat exams at school – you didn’t know which questions were going to come up so you revised all of them. Again as previously mentioned if there is a discrepancy in your CV and you think it may be an issue then try and think of an appropriate answer – don’t just ignore it and think to yourself “I hope they don’t mention that” – be prepared it will take the worry.
3. Shaky Hands! – Well I have to admit I always get shaky hands (and I am sure I am not alone on this issue!). There is no real definitive way of dealing with shaky hands really the only thing you can do is keep them under control by placing one hand on top of the other and keeping them on your lap. As you gain confidence throughout the interview and your mind drifts away from the issue you will find that the shaking will naturally ease and it should no longer prove a problem.
4. Dropping Or Tripping Over Your Briefcase Or Handbag – Come on, there’s absolutely no need to be clinging onto that briefcase or handbag. Place them on the floor (under your chair preferably) that way you aren’t going to drop them or fall over them when you get up! If you need a pen and paper (and it’s always good to have one) take them out of your attaché at the start of the meeting
5. Fear Of Sneezing or Having a Runny Nose – Again it all comes down to being prepared, make sure you take a handkerchief or tissue and have it somewhere accessible. It’s no good locked in your handbag or briefcase, place it in your pocket so you can get at it quickly should you need to.
Make Life Easier For Yourself At The Interview:
Now I am not trying to teach my grandmother to suck eggs but the night before your interview try and get a good nights sleep. Eat your evening meal earlier than usual and go to bed a bit earlier. Don’t go out on the lash with your mates until 2.00 am in the morning or for a curry or other meal that gives off a strong smelling after odour. As you will no doubt be aware garlic smells dreadful the next day and will ooze out of your pores for a good 24 hours after eating it so try and steer clear of meals that include this. Also alcohol stays in the blood stream for a fair while and you don’t want to be turning up at your new job interview feeling hung over and tired. If you are worried about your breath smelling then eat a mint before you go into the interview or use a menthol spray, you can but little handy ones from the chemist which will fit in your pocket.
On the morning of the interview (if the interview is in the morning) try and have some breakfast, I know it’s difficult to eat on a stomach that’s turning around faster that a washing machine on a full cycle spin, but food is for the brain and it will help you keep your mind on the job. Besides which if you don’t eat and have an empty stomach it is very likely that you will experience that intensely dreadful sickly feeling. If you have an interview during the afternoon see if you can catch an early lunch or if the interview is early evening try and eat a decent breakfast and catch a late lunch. Ideally you don’t want to eat more than two hours before the start of the interview to give your body the chance to digest your food.
If you are really strung out and feeling uptight just before your job interview begins then you can always try some breathing exercises. Now I am no therapist but I always find that breathing in deep breaths through your nose, holding it in for a few seconds and breathing out through your mouth helps. My doctor told me to try this when I was a bit younger and had problems dealing with stress and it seems to work for me to help me relax. Try and think happy thoughts whether they are about your children, your wife, husband, partner or whatever but try and think of something that makes you smile. It takes far more muscles to make you frown than it does to make you smile and using this technique you will automatically begin to feel the element of wellbeing. It will also temporarily take your mind off the situation ahead which will ease your stress and worry. When you get into the interview and are seated try and relax and get comfortable, I don’t mean slouch in the chair, but try and pick a position where you are not all screwed up like the hunchback of Notre Dame. Being comfortable will help relax all of your muscles including your legs, abdomen and chest ultimately making your breathing more relaxed. During your interview make sure you listen to each question posed to you properly, don’t try and think of an answer while your interviewer is still asking the question.
During The Interview – Selling Yourself:
So I have explained the ins and outs of preparing for your new job interview and dealing with the stress element leading up to and entering into the interview environment. You are now well dressed, have greeted your interviewer (s) correctly, created your comfortable sitting posture and are now ready to convince your interviewer that you are the man or woman that they have been searching for to fill that job opening. To some the actual performance comes easily, for others they have to work at it. Some people are natural born sales people and know how to sell themselves others are not so lucky. Generally speaking if you already work in a sales role (as I do) what I will explain next is really second nature and it is unlikely that I will be offering you anything that you don’t already know. Sales people are natural born performers whether it be due to their personality or due to the nature of the work they have previously carried out but the term “life is a stage and your on it” has never spoken truer than at a job interview. I have been on hundreds of sales courses and read many sales books over the course of my career such as “how to win friends and influence people” but it all comes down to one thing and that is getting a stranger to believe in you and or your product. At an interview you are one in the same and you therefore need to put on a good performance. There are many different qualities the interviewer is going to be looking for in their potential candidate which will encompass qualifications, experience, you as a person and the way that you integrate with others, your previous employment history, and your enthusiasm towards your career along with many, many other factors. So here are a few areas to consider – they are all really interlinked and if you can employ all of them at interview stage you are well on your way to getting that new job:
Show Your Interviewer That You Are Enthusiastic:
So what exactly is an interviewer employer looking for? Well firstly I would say enthusiasm. If someone asks you a question and you give a one word answer it doesn’t really look very enthusiastic. So the way to deal with this is to answer the question as deeply as you can. For example; Interviewer “Your background is in commercial liability underwriting but I see you are now involved in commercial property underwriting” don’t simply answer with a Yes or No answer, expand on it – so you could answer something along the lines of “Yes I was originally trained in liability underwriting, an area I spent several years working in which I thoroughly enjoyed. However I had the opportunity to expand my overall underwriting skills to encompass property underwriting so I jumped at the chance as I felt it would enhance my experience overall within my team”. Obviously you can tailor this to your own circumstances but you see what I am getting at – be enthusiastic don’t just give one word answers, make your interviewer interested in you and what you have done, show him that you really are passionate about everything you do. To the interviewer this shows that you will have enthusiasm and dedication to your new job should they decide to employ you.
Show Your Interviewer You Are A Confident Candidate And That You Know Your Stuff:
Another area where all sales people are naturals – confidence! I know it’s not always easy when you are under pressure and nervous to ooze confidence, but this is a really important area. The more confident you are (and I don’t mean being cock sure of yourself and making the interviewer look an idiot by being a smart arse!) the more chance you will have of bagging the job. Try and expand on your answers again in this area if you are asked a negative question try and respond with a positive confident answer. For example; Interviewer “You don’t appear to have done much cold calling for a while and this job will involve quite a large amount of self lead generation how do you feel about that” – you could answer along the lines of “Yes I haven’t been involved in cold calling for 6 months which has been quite disappointing to me as I thoroughly enjoyed it and felt that it was one of my strong areas. I really have missed this element of my work because I got the opportunity of speaking to new people each day and I really got a buzz when I finally closed a deal that I new I had generated from start to finish. Cold calling is an area I am keen to get back into and it’s a talent that I feel comes naturally to me”.
Show Your Interviewer That You Are Positive:
It’s easy to become negative about anything in life but in work life and a career environment but a positive person in the workplace can be a real asset to an employer. Positive people give off positive vibes and those good vibrations nearly always rub off on other employees. The end result creates a happy, proactive, enthusiastic work force which ultimately creates a better working environment and more efficient team. If you can demonstrate this quality to your interviewer at interview stage you will definitely impress them.
Watching Your Body Language:
Body language is an area that many interviewers will take seriously. What we do and how we do it can show underlying areas that do not have to be spoken to be picked up upon. Body language is an area that has been analysed for many, many years by professionals and interviewers alike and really is amazing what you can learn from someone just by their mannerisms. Just to give you an example - and as I have previously stated before I am no expert my knowledge has been gained from experience and research but if you ask a person a question and their eyes gaze up thoughtfully to the left hand side of their eyeball you know that the chances of there answer being true are high. If on the other hand they look up to the right of their eyeball the chances are they are searching for a made up answer to your question! There are certain exceptions to the rule but the theory is based upon the fact that the left side of your brain is where you retrieve data from, the right, is the fictional side of your brain! Interesting isn’t it and one to be aware of! Other areas that give off body language signals (without you knowing about them) are as follows:
Don’t:
1. Crossing Your Arms: Makes you look defensive.
2. Sit on the edge of your seat.
3. Mess with your face or play with your jewellery or hair.
4. Rock on the seat.
5. Interrupt when being asked a question.
6. Give one word answers (unless the answer dictates a one word answer!)
Do:
1. Smile as frequently as possible (especially when you are asked a question and respond to the person who has asked the question) but don’t over do it!
2. Keep your hands in your lap don’t wave them around all over the place.
3. Keep eye contact at all times (I don’t mean stare out your interviewer). If there is more than one interviewer flick from person to person.
4. Be articulate and listen carefully to each question before giving your answer.
5. Keep calm and don’t panic!
General Interview Guidelines – The Do’s and The Don’t’s!
Once your interview gets under way and the list of general questions that need to be asked by the interviewer are answered and providing at his point you haven’t managed to throw your tea cup 6 foot into the air because you have the jitters you should, if you have taken in what I have already said, begin to be feeling a little less nervous so you can really get down to business. Try and answer all of the questions the interviewer throws at you in a precise and confident manner. If your interviewer is asking a question and halfway through you wish to make a comment don’t interrupt (unless you really think that it is very, very appropriate – it’s bad manners). Ideally wait for the question to be fully delivered to you and give your answer even if it means saying to your interviewer “can I just pick up on the point you made in a previous question”. It is really difficult in this instance where you feel you want to pass comment on something you really feel passionate about but you have to try and bite your tongue. Nobody likes being interrupted and in my experience interviewers are all full of self importance and feel that their question is more important than your answer!
Answering Questions Posed To You By The Interviewer:
Your potential new employer is looking for a candidate that can do the job and will fit into his or her business. The chances are that the candidate is undoubtedly going to need to be a team player and a person who can listen and give enthusiastic and positive input into their job and daily work life. As the questions start to flow try and remember not to go on and on when giving your answers.
Try and keep your answers as precise (but not yes and no answers) as possible. If you are asked a specific question that requires you to provide an example of how you have dealt with a situation or closed a sale then give an example that makes your achievement stand out, if you have won the salesman of the year award then give a little background into how you achieved it. Inevitably there will be times when you run out of steam and these moments can be quite frustrating so just sit back and relax and take a few seconds to compose yourself before you deliver your answer to the question.
There are some people think that talking is more important than listening but they would be totally wrong. Being able to listen to a question without interruption is an art especially if you are genuinely interested in the subject but showing this quality will impress. If you are asked a question that you do not know the answer to try not to be tempted by lying and if you do you better make sure you keep your story straight. Answering a question with a lie can get you into big trouble and really achieves very little, after all the questions have been laid down to see if you are the person the interviewer is looking for and if you can’t give a straight answer then the chances are you are not the person for the job – don’t do it, it will all end in tears!
There are some employers that will ask you what you think of your previous boss. This is a trick question! They are really not in the slightest bit bothered whether you think your previous boss was a complete moron all they are trying to ascertain is whether you were a loyal employee and can act in a professional and neutral manner. After all if they offer you the job they will be your next boss! You also have to bear in mind that what goes around comes around – slating your old boss won’t achieve anything other than making you look petty and bitter – save that experience for when you are in the pub with your mates!
Different Types Of Interview Questions:
An interview will have a structured format and there will be several different types of interview questions set to enable the interviewer to gauge your response to technical as well as hypothetical questions. For example a Technical Question may involve specifics about the way a certain type of application is dealt with. Lets say you are applying for a job in the construction industry there may be certain questions set out to see how you would deal with a particular problem within a mechanical process. Hypothetical Questions can apply to any type of job role and they are designed to ascertain how you would deal with a situation or chain of events. Some less professional interviewers may also throw questions at you which are deliberately set to get your back up to judge how you deal with the situation but this is fairly rare and in any event to be honest any interviewer who engages in this type of underhand manoeuvre I don’t think would be a particularly good employer – just my opinion.
Types Of Interview:
If you haven’t had a lot of experience with attending interviews then you will not be aware of the different ways that employers are able to conduct interviews and the way that they are held. Aside from a traditional interview – one candidate and one interviewer, there are three different types of interviews and dependent upon the position involved will depend upon the type of interview you may have.
Firstly there is the Telephone Interview. This involves an interviewer calling you up and having a chat with you over the phone to judge your telephone skills. This often happens where the job may entail working in a call centre and the emphasis is on how well you perform on the telephone. This method is also sometimes used if the interviewer is trying to shortlist a group of candidates in a quick manner and is often carried out by an external recruiter such as an agency. You may or may not be told that you will be having a telephone interview it depends on the employer but if you have applied for a job where heavy telephone use is likely to be a major part of the job then this may be an option your interviewer will choose. The interview should be treated as any other interview and it’s a good idea to make notes as you go along if you can. If you are successful it may be that your interviewer will ask you there and then to attend a face to face interview so make sure you have a pen and paper to hand.
Another type of interview is what is known a Panel Interview. These are a bit more tricky and stressful than a one to one interview. A panel interview will usually have anything from three to six interviewers sitting in on the meeting. Basically this is a way of cutting down on time where the decision for the applicant needs to be discussed by several different members of the business. It could be that you are applying for a sales post and the interview needs the Sales Manager, HR Manager, Head Of Department and if the role involves some form of IT work one of the IT Managers. It’s always difficult attending these interviews as it can feel like you are one against many but it’s not set up like this for any nasty reason it’s just easier for the company. If you are faced with a Panel Interview try and always answer each question posed by each member of the panel back to the individual who has posed the question whilst casually glancing at the other members of the panel. Also when you enter the room you will obviously shake hands with the head of the panel or the person who has taken you in but whether you decide to shake all of the panels hands is a decision you will need to make at the time. If they all stand and offer their hands your decision will be made easier.
The final type of interview is a Sequential Interview. This can also be a tough type of interview leaving you feeling absolutely drained. Basically how this works is you will be interviewed by a series of different people, it might be that the HR Manager interviews you first, then the Sales Manager interviews you and then the Local Director. The chances are that each member of staff will have a different question to the last but there may be some overlap and you might find yourself answering the same questions twice!
