Let’s be honest; at times, we all suffer from self-doubt. When we are in pursuit of new opportunities, our anxiety rises and we obsess about the likelihood of prospective failure. Don’t worry; you are not alone. In my experience, most people harbor feelings of dread and inadequacy, but will not share it with others to keep up their phony, self-assured facade.
Possessing self-confidence is a great asset to have when interviewing for a new job or trying to advance within your company. Hiring managers and interviewers pick up on a person’s level of confidence. If the interviewee comes across across confident and adept, they will be viewed in a positive light. Conversely, any sign of insecurity will be deemed as the job seeker unable to rise to the occasion. Companies seem to equate an outgoing and aggressive manner to being capable. If someone is soft-spoken and thoughtful, it is—unfortunately—interpreted as they are not strong enough for the job. This may not be fair, but it is the way of the world.
I’d like to share with you a quick way to build your confidence or—at least—how to appear to be confident.
Research and conduct intense and exhaustive due diligence on the company, its products and services and the people that you will be meeting with at the interviews. Study the job description and all the skills, background and education that are desired. Then, think of all the awesome attributes that you have acquired in your career that make you perfect for the job. Your nerves will start settling down and you will be surprised of how smart and knowledgeable you really are.
Spend a ridiculous amount of time practicing for the interview. Don’t just run it through in your head. Role play the entire interview out loud with someone. If you don't have anybody who cares about you, just say it out loud to yourself. Go over your elevator pitch that you will use to sell yourself for the job. Practice until you are on autopilot. Run through all the potential questions that they may ask and prepare your perfect answers. Watch how soon the fears diminish. You will feel stronger and more powerful as you realize that can answer anything that they throw at you.
Work on building a positive mindset. It's okay; we all have negative-feedback loops playing nonstop in our heads constantly, reminding us of our past failures. Replace the negativity with with all the positive things that you have accomplished in your career. If you have negative thoughts (“They will see right through me and know that I don’t have enough experience for this job” or “There are so many great candidates available. Why would they select me?”), stop this way of thinking right now. Tune them out. Remind yourself of all of the positive attributes that you possess that are aligned with the job expectations. Then, roll a new movie in your mind that highlight all the reasons that you are so special and deserving of the job.
By following these simple steps, you will become super confident. The greater your knowledge, the more powerful you will feel. Spending a significant amount of time researching, preparing and practicing for the interview, along with positively changing your mindset will fill you with real confidence and it will lead to your success in the interview.