Preparing for interview: boosting confidence

When you’re hunting for a new role, there are lots of ways you can prepare for interview stage. Here at Ten2Two, we often host workshops around confidence building techniques. After all, if you can strike the right impression within the first few moments of meeting a potential new manager, you’re halfway there.  Here are some tips we’ve learned from a recent workshop about boosting confidence for interviews and the workplace – handy if you’ve been out of it for a while or if you’ve always struggled with nerves at interview stage.

Look positive, feel positive

If you can portray positive body language, it will transform the way you feel in an instant, and will ensure you create a good first impression before you’ve even spoken. Presentation will help so far with this, but there are other things you can do, for example, sit up straight, at the front of your chair, with your hands lightly crossed. Position feet and legs with one more forward than the other. Maintain an open body posture; if you are open, people are more likely to be open with you.

Relax your breathing

If you can feel yourself getting nervous, you need to lower the level of oxygen in your blood stream. You can do this by inhaling to the count of seven and exhaling to the count of eleven. Do this three or four times to feel assured.

Keep smiling

As you wait for your interview, try smiling to yourself. If you can release endorphins into your system you will look relaxed, as if you have a ‘can do’ attitude. It will help to set everyone at ease before you start.

Getting a grip

How you choose to shake someone’s hand will shape the way they feel about you. So when you grab your interviewer’s hand, make sure you avoid a limp wristed grip! And don’t grip them too hard either. It’s important to raise the status of the other person, without losing any of your own.

Keep the energy flowing

Energy changes the mood and tone of what you’re saying. By altering your tone, you will capture your listener’s attention more readily. If you’re very passionate about what you’re talking about, you’ll be at a higher energy level, than if you’re making a quieter, more understated yet authoritative point. All energy levels are valid, but by using them variedly, you’ll have more vocal range, create more interest and keep your audience’s attention.

If you’d like to find out more about these confidence-boosting tips, take a look at Paul Ryan’s self-help book, How to Network Your Way to Success. We’ll be hosting more free workshops in the future, so don’t miss out, register with your local Ten2Two office today.

However, you might be ready to tackle an interview today, so if you’ve registered with us, keep an eye out for our emails about latest flexible working opportunities. Finding a new role is an exciting time, so deep breath and best foot forward as they say!