Job interviews

Mental preparation

It's normal to feel anxious or nervous in anticipation of an upcoming job interview. You want to perform well and to impress the employer favorably. Unfortunately, though, most people imagine the worst, second guess themselves, and fall prey to mind traps. This is because negative feedback has conditioned us to doubt ourselves and to imagine or even expect bad outcomes.

Consider just how differently you might perform during an interview if you went in feeling confident, prepared, relaxed, positive, and with a clear picture of how well you will handle yourself and the questions put to you. Consider the difference in your performance if you believed you could favorably impress the interviewer and land a job offer.

When it comes to job interviews, mental preparation is just as vital as the other types of preparation we've examined so far in this section. Proper mental preparation takes practice. Below are some tips to help you mentally prepare.

• Imagine yourself in the interview.
• Try to see yourself—imagine what you will wear and that you look poised, confident and relaxed.
• See yourself shaking hands with each member of the interview panel, taking your seat, sitting upright, maintaining good posture and eye contact and eager to begin the interview.
• Observe how well you are responding to interview questions—imagine yourself answering assertively and positively because these are questions you anticipated and have reflected upon.
• Take note of how you are feeling as you demonstrate you've done research—you're able to show you've analyzed what you have to offer and how it fits the organization's needs.
• Finally, imagine the conclusion of the interview. Listen as you restate your interest in the position and in the organization and summarize concisely and positively the contributions you can make.
• Close the interview with the knowledge you've made an impression and with the firm belief the employer will be contacting you soon to make you an offer.

When you envision the best possible outcome, you create a picture in your mind of how things should look, how things should be, and how things are. This type of mental preparation can shape your attitude and influence your behavior. When you formulate in your mind the clear intent to positively influence the outcome of an event, you have more energy, more focus, and increased ability to listen actively and to behave appropriately. You mentally prepare to do and be your best.