Nervous on the interview? Calming your interview jitters

Interviews make people nervous but a few simple steps can help aleviate your anxiety.

First, prepare for your interview. Being well-prepared will boost your confidence. Research what are common interview questions and draft answers and finally practice speaking them out loud. Research the company with which you will be interviewing and prepare some questions of your own. As a final step in your preparation, make sure you have good directions to the interview site. Some job seekers travel to the interview site a day before just to ensure the directions are correct and to estimate the amount of time they will need to get to the interview on time.

Refrain from drinking too much caffeine before your interview since it is a stimulant that increases feelings of nervousness. Instead, drink water, which will hydrate and energize your body and clear your throat.

Remember that you are a highly qualified person. You are already a winner since out of all the applicants, the employer picked you to come in for an interview. The interviewer thinks your qualifications are worth exploring now you need to believe it. To further reassure yourself bring copies of positive past performance appraisals and read them to yourself before the interview.

During the interview, maintain eye contact as much as possible. Avoid looking away or looking down since this is often interpreted as a sign that you lack confidence or interest.

In the end, despite how nervous you feel, the interviewer will likely not even notice when you are nervous.