While fear is often a natural response to doing something new or risky, it’s not predetermined. What causes fear in you might be exciting for me. What cause complete anxiety for me, might be thrilling for you. Remember, fear is an internal experience and therefore within our own control. Here are three ways to allay your fears the next time you walk into an interview feeling your heart race, hands sweat and cheeks flush.

1.      Re-think fear. One positive aspect of fear is that it generates energy. And we need energy to take action. Racing heart, sweating hands and flushed cheeks can also be signs of excitement. The difference between fear and excitement is one word: willingness. Next time you feel your fear overcome you, rename it. Experience it as excitement and add a dash of willingness. Then, instead of closing in on your own internal anxious experience, you’ll open up to participate and get into the game – whether it’s the interview, your job search effort, or a networking event.

2.     Prevent fear.  Minimize the fear factor of an interview with laser preparation. First, take the time to research the company, the job and the person interviewing. The more you know the better you can anticipate what will be thrown your way. Then, take time to prepare your message and responses. Shooting from the hip rarely works. Second, picture in your mind’s eye the entire interview from your arrival to your departure. Play out a realistic script and the successful outcome you want. Include in your mental movie a segment of you experiencing, and then surmounting, the bubbling feeling of anxiety. By practicing overcoming fear from the comfort of your home and own imagination, you’ll be more capable when it really happens. Finally, arrive at the interview feeling great. Do the stuff mothers say but we often neglect. Get a good nice sleep, hydrate, eat a healthy breakfast, go for an energizing morning walk and slow down on the caffeine. It amplifies the sensations of anxiety.

3.     Overcome it when it comes.  When you feel the creeping physical sensation of fear, notice it but give it no any more attention than that. If you do, you start to move away from the dynamic of the conversation with the interviewer and toward your own internal thoughts. It’s not the feeling of fear that is the problem rather the inward obsession and resulting connection break with the interviewer that begins the downward spiral.  So, take a long exhale and keep your attention on the interviewer. Stay focused on what she is wanting in that moment. Your focus on the other person, even if your cheeks are flushed, will pull you out of your own anxiety and put you back in the game.

Time and again you’ll encounter fear in your life, so start now getting better at rethinking, preventing and overcoming it. For individualized support in preparing for an interview, contact CoAction Interview Coaching at http://coactioncoaching.com

Many rusty interviewees speak with vagueness and in generalities. Even reading “vagueness” and “generalities” is annoying. Interviewers want to hear specifics… a specific time, event, challenge, triumph, results. The best way to do that is by telling a personal story of your experience with a beginning, middle, and end. Why? For 3 reasons:

1. Speaking from experience, it’s really, REALLY hard work for a listener to follow an interviewee blathering on about something they could have, would have, or usually do.  It’s especially true if it’s the 4th or 5th interview of the day. It’s much more memorable for a listener to hear an interesting story of your past…a story with an arc that carries the listener along. Then, when the interviewer is reviewing all the candidates interviewed that day, she’ll easily recall you and your story.
2. A story of a past experience is a demonstration that you can actually DO something, not just talk about it. Interviewers are looking for people who not only know what to do but also are capable of doing it.
3. If you prepare a story with a beginning, middle and end, you guard yourself against talking too much. Make your responses crisp and complete.

Rusty interviewees also tend to be reactive, rather than proactive, in the conversation. Memorable interviews are a two-way street. You can and should ask questions. When you do, you level the power field. But what questions should you ask? About the work environment? The salary? The schedule? Sure, they’re necessary. But don’t start there.  Those questions are fine, but they are for your benefit only.

This is your opportunity to ask questions to uncover the hiring manager’s needs and challenges. When you do this, you come across interested in the job, the company and the person who will be your future boss. Once you know their needs and challenges, you can zero-in on sharing your relevant personal strengths and experiences that prove you can help resolve their challenges.  Suddenly, you create a moment during the interview where you are presenting the solution (YOU!) to their problem.

As an interviewee, your sole job is to make it easy for the interviewer to select you. If you communicate your experience, skills, strengths and talents in a way that is easy for the interview to understand and remember you, you increase your chances of getting an offer. Are you ready to hear honest feedback and help with your interviewing skills? Go to www.coactioncoaching.com.

Job seeking professionals choose to be coached by CoAction Interview Coaching because:
- We know what interviewers want to hear from candidates and share their secrets with you
- We are committed to improving your interview confidence and interview success
- We build on strengths, reveal blind spots and develop weaknesses
- We coach on proven interviewing strategies

In the coming months, I’ll be posting tips and advice in how to strengthen your interview skills and succeed in your next interview.

Need help now? For more information about my company’s services, please visit http://coactioncoaching.com .To schedule a coaching session contact us toll free at 1-.877-283-0779 or email us at info@coactioncoaching.com.