Your best job coach for an interview may be YOU!

Dear Coach:


I’m starting to interview for jobs, but when I get to the interview, I freeze. The interviewers don’t really get to see me at my best. Help me!

Tongue-tied

Dear Tongue-tied:

Let’s assume you’ve done all your homework. You’ve researched the company, and looked at its website. You’ve dressed for the job and feel confident about your appearance. But still, you’re flummoxed when you actually get there.

First, cut yourself some slack. Your reaction is normal for anyone who learning a new skill – from riding a bicycle to interviewing for your first professional job.

Think about when you first learned to drive a car. In the beginning, you were conscious of what you didn’t know. You were keeping track of how to use a clutch, when to use turn signals, your speed, braking and traffic signs. All the components of driving required intense focus. But gradually, you could begin to use some of your mind to think about other things than just “how” to drive a car. Eventually, you got mastery of driving, so that, most of the time, it became second nature.

Learning to interview is like any other skill. At first you will be self-conscious and perhaps anxious as you develop your new skill. But eventually, as you have more experience, it will get easier. I promise.

So how can you ease the transition into mastery? You can borrow a technique that athletic coaches and life coaches use. You can envision your success. Imagine an interview where you know you’ve hit a home run. Imagine the questions an interviewer who was really interested in hiring you might ask. Envision yourself responding with poise ease and confidence. Envision it in as much detail as possible. Feel yourself sitting in the chair, what the office looks like, how the interviewer is engaged by what you are saying.

What does this exercise do? It allows your unconscious mind to “rehearse” interviewing success.

This kind of previewing an event has been used in athletics. One pro football player wanted a life coach to help him decrease the number of passes he fumbled. They worked very hard, without much improvement. Why? Because they focused on the failure – footballs that were not caught. When they switched tactics and the player began to envision successful pass reception, his performance improved remarkably.

One university professor has used a similar exercise with her business students to help them prepare for a job interview. “I have them imagine one question that an interviewer could ask them that would let them show themselves in the best possible light.” She asks them the question and watches their response. “They usually become more and more enthusiastic as they talk.” Finally she asks them to try to work this “best question” response into their actual interview. Usually, there is some way to use this response to one of the interviewer’s questions.
 
“The results are amazing,” she says. “These students do not do just a little bit better, but a lot better in terms of having successful interviews.”