If you’re not good at job interviews , and you get nervous every time it’s a little while until the next one, don’t worry: job interviews are stressful and tough situations because you’re being analyzed and you also have a lot at stake.
However, it is possible that this stress precisely causes you to enter an interview showing insecurity. Or perhaps what happens is that you are so afraid of these talks that you don’t invest the time the days before to prepare for them Law Tutor. Or maybe…
Although there is part of the success of a job interview that is out of your control, there are many factors that depend on you: how you have prepared for it, how you express yourself physically , how you answer the most uncomfortable questions…
To help you nail your next job interview, and become an irresistible candidate, Business Insider Spain has spoken with Tirso Gracia, partner at Galibier Legal, a law firm specializing in the labor field .
With her 35 years of experience in the world of work, and in the search and promotion of talent, Gracia has experienced hundreds of job interviews from all possible areas. These are her tips so that a) they stop scaring you and b) you master almost all of them from now on.
- Prepare by doing drills
“Success is achieved through training,” explains Gracia. “Think about those who win Olympic medals. Behind these victories there is no luck: there is work, preparation…”.
The same can apply to job interviews. Look up some of the most common questions , prepare some good answers and rehearse. You can ask a friend to act as your interviewer, or record yourself on webcam and then analyze yourself. You can also investigate what questions are usually used by recruiters for the company in question.
- Prepare a cheat sheet with 10 strong points about your work profile
What are your strongest skills ? Do you have work achievements that you want to highlight? Write down your 10 strengths as a worker in the form of a list and memorize them.
Your mission during a job interview is to find the best moments to present each and every one of the items on your list. Thus, at the end of the talk you will have presented the image you wanted to give. You can also use these points as anchors to return to whenever you notice that you don’t know what to respond or feel that you are losing some confidence.
- Speak very slowly
“This trick was taught to me by a friend of mine who is an actress and, although it seems silly, it works wonders,” explains this expert in career advice. ” Put a pencil between your teeth, squeeze and practice vocalizing very little by little.”
This exercise has 2 objectives. The first of them is that you vocalize better (this way you will be understood more during the interview). The second is as subtle as it is effective: “When you listen to yourself while you speak more slowly, this calmer rhythm transmits calm, relaxation… and this, in turn, will increase your self-confidence.”
- Don’t worry about the attitude of the interviewers
Gracia explains to Business Insider Spain that on many occasions the role of recruiters is to make people uncomfortable in order to see the potential worker in a moment of stress. “I have seen companies that parade those selected through 3 interviews in a row, each with a recruiter more apparently bitter than the previous one. It is not an accident. It is done on purpose.”
The key is not to obsess over the attitude of the recruiters. Maybe they are playing a role. Maybe they’ve had a bad day. “Do not look for reasons because they are not the ones being analyzed. They do not have to prove anything and they can use that advantage. Focus on yourself, on showing the professional image you want to give. You are the key to the interview, not them” .
- Alter your posture and you will alter your confidence
Try the following test: look at the ground, completely hunched over. Sink further into the chair if you can. Now, say “I am the most confident person in the world .” How did you sound? Fatal, right? Physical posture can alter your mood or at least help you appear the image you want to give.
In the case of a job interview, if you want to seem like a confident person, this expert in enhancing talent recommends that you sit up straight. “Put your chest out. If you can only remember one thing, let it be that. Everything changes in you when you decide to expose yourself to the world.” Arms on the table, avoid involuntary tremors…
- Be empathetic
“Job interviews are not intended to evaluate your skills. Those have already been made clear in the CV and in the tests. No: what the recruiter wants to know is whether he will integrate a good person into the company. Someone who knows how to communicate. “Let him understand others.”
Tirso Gracia recommends not being afraid to be empathetic during the interview. If you notice that the coach is tired, ask him how his day went. Be interested in what your potential companions are like. “And smile. If you don’t know how to smile naturally, it’s as easy as moving your tongue back to the roof of your mouth and, presto!: your lips lift and even your eyes seem to shine with excitement.”
- Be elegant even with awkward and difficult questions
Sometimes, an interviewer will ask you an awkward and intrusive question without doing so on purpose. Maybe you have a bad experience related to your previous workplace, so when asked “Why did you leave your previous company?” You tend to automatically become defensive. And that from the outside makes you look hostile.
“There are no impertinent questions, but imprudent answers,” says Gracia. Be elegant at all times and think twice before responding. Going back to the example above, don’t blackball your former boss even if you have legitimate reasons. Simply explain that there were misunderstandings, that at the time it felt bad to you, but that you have already done the reflection to improve as a person.
- Be yourself
“Are you extroverted, do you like to talk a lot and sometimes crack jokes? Well, don’t let go and tell jokes even if they are terrible,” explains Gracia. For starters, if you are yourself, you will feel in control. “You will have confidence and serenity.”
On the other hand, showing yourself honestly as you are can create an emotional connection with the recruiter. “Remember that the company wants to know if you are a good person. Maybe if you like football and you talk about it, it turns out that the interviewer likes it too. You spend a pleasant time discussing current events, and, suddenly, you return to the serious topic more calmly, relaxed and with mutual trust .”