Yay - you’ve been shortlisted for an interview! It’s a great feeling isn’t it and you’re excited, but then the reality of having to sit through an hour of questions can suddenly feel quite daunting! So how do you make sure you don’t let pre-interview nerves impact your confidence and self-belief?
Research, preparation and having a positive mindset are essential for interview confidence. Here’s my top 5 tips.
Congratulate yourself on being shortlisted! Not every applicant will have made it to this stage, so you can be proud of your achievement. The company can see your potential and wants to explore that further, so it's a great opportunity for you to showcase your experience.
Begin your interview preparation as soon as possible. This should include: - Researching the company - Re-reading the job description alongside the CV or Resume you sent through (more info here) - Finding out about your interviewer(s) – how long have they been at the company/previous roles etc. - Putting together some examples for behavioural-based questions If you don’t have much time, then focus on the position description, your CV/Resume and potential examples for the behavioural based questions.
Focus on your own technical abilities and soft skills and not on how you might compare to others or what you think the company may be looking for. Your goal is to be the best you can be on the day and to be confident in your experience.
Plan the interview day. Think about travel time, clearing space in your work diary, what you’ll wear etc. You want to arrive at the location ahead of time and stress-free! If you’re interviewing via video, then do a test of your set-up to make sure everything’s working.
Believe in yourself! It might sound corny but if you don’t believe in yourself, then how will you convince others? Remember that you’re just as good as every other shortlisted candidate or you wouldn’t be interviewing.
And what's the worst that can happen if it doesn't go well? So you might miss out on this particular job, but no interview is ever a wasted experience. You look at what you could have done better or differently, learn from it and be confident that you’ll do so much better in the next one!
Other Blogs that may help with your interview preparation:
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