Preparing for a Job Interview

Preparing for a Job Interview: The Mental PreparationnnLet's face it! There is lots of competition out there in the job market today. Not only do you need to be prepared for the questions you may get asked but you also need to be emotionally prepared. If you are nervous or lacking confidence, then the interviewer may not have a lot of confidence in your either. Mentally prepare for those questions by rehearsing your answers beforehand while thinking about how they may be received by the interviewer and prepare yourself emotionally by doing some relaxation exercises. Some common questions include, "what do you know about the company?", "what are your strengths", "what are your weaknesses?", "why did you leave your last job?".nnPreparing for a Job Interview: The Emotional PreparationnnIf you are very nervous going to the interview, it might help to realize that everyone has a certain amount of anxiety about interviewing. A little bit of nervousness is good, it gives you energy! If you are tremendously nervous, you will want to focus on your breathing. People, who suffer anxiety attacks, have very restricted breathing. They breathe at the top of their chest in shallow breaths, rather than right down to their belly. See if you can open your chest and take a few slow deep breaths and let the air travel right down to your abdomen. Focus on relaxing each part of your body, starting from your feet all the way up to the top of your head. By simply bringing your focus to your breath and consciously relaxing your muscles, you will begin to feel more calm and centered. You might also want to close your eyes (but not if you're driving) and take a few minutes to visualize a successful outcome to the interview. Imagine yourself as calm and poised during the interview and the interviewer smiling and shaking your hand afterwards telling you what a pleasure it was to meet with you. nnRemember that practice makes perfect and if you do not succeed at getting an offer on the first round of interviews, chalk it up to practice and you will eventually be successful.