Most Americans find interviews challenging. If you haven’t interviewed in a while or you haven’t done many interviews, this challenge only becomes harder. One thing that can help you find success in your upcoming interviews is to develop the right amount of confidence in yourself, in what you have to offer, and in being the best candidate.
How can you develop this confidence before interviews? Here are five steps anyone can take.
1. Research Common Questions
One of the biggest worries for many interviewees is knowing how to answer the interviewer’s questions. The good news for today’s workers is that you can find lists of common interview questions online and through staffing agency personnel. Write down some of these questions and make a plan to answer them. Avoid making complete scripts, though, and instead write down and review main ideas or bullet points.
2. Have Practice Sessions
Recruit a family member or friend to help you with some role-playing. This may at first seem uncomfortable or unnecessary, but you’ll get a lot out of having to verbalize your thoughts out loud. Give your mock interviewer a list of common interview questions and have them pick and choose from these — and add some of their own follow-up questions.
If possible, do more than one mock interview with different interviewers, or even with more than one interviewer. The more you go over your own thoughts in advance, the more confident you’ll feel during the actual interview.
3. Learn About the Company
Can you research the company you’re going to interview with? If you haven’t done so already, look for information about them online, through the staffing service, or through your network of contacts. Learn what they do or make, what the company culture is like, what their mottos are, how large or small they are, how long they’ve been around, and what kinds of people they employ.
Your goal with this research is to better understand what the company wants in employees, how you align with their values, and how your experience or strengths can help them.
4. Reflect on Your Career
As your interview appointment approaches, you may find yourself trying to cover all your bases, perhaps looking up even more potential questions. Nevertheless, take some time to sit down and think about your career up to this point and where you want it to go.
Look at your resume and think about what you’ve accomplished, what you wish you’d done differently, and what you brought to those workplaces. This will familiarize you with your own resume and refresh your memory about past work experiences. It also helps you come up with anecdotes to answer some of those common interview questions.
5. Assess Your Body Language
Body language can convey confidence and approachability, or it can convey anxiety and timidness. What does yours say? During practice sessions, ask your mock interviewer for their thoughts on your body language. This includes how you’re sitting, whether your arms are crossed, how open you appear, if you fidget, whether you make eye contact, or if you have any unconscious tics. In addition, look at yourself in a mirror while practicing.
While you don’t want to make yourself overly conscious of every move, something as simple as crossing or uncrossing your legs can make you feel more comfortable and project a better image.
Where to Learn More
Want more tips to boost your confidence as you go on job interviews? Start by meeting with the team at Tulsa’s Green Country Staffing. We’ll work with you to ensure you have what it takes to land a great new role and further your career in the direction you want it to go. Call today or visit to learn more.
