10 Tips for Interview Success

“If one asks for success and prepares for failure, he will get the situation he has prepared for.”

–Florence Scovell Shinn

No one wants to wing an interview. You want to prepare for the ultimate success, receiving a job offer. Part of preparing to ace your interview is mental preparation. Believing that you can win is as important as any answer that you will provide. The following tips will get you mentally prepared for your interview.  Try those that fit your style.

  1. Visualize your success.  Close your eyes and see yourself answering confidently. See the positive response of your interviewer(s). Visualize the interviewer shaking your hand and making you an offer.
  2. Create your own mantra. Affirm your talents and abilities to do the job. Validate your success out loud and believe it.
  3. Do deep breathing exercises to calm your nerves.  Breathe deeply from your belly and concentrate on inhaling and exhaling.
  4. Pump the tunes.  Take along tunes that get you going and play them on the way to the interview.  You will arrive energized and on fire.
  5. Dress for confidence. Dress the part and you will feel the part.  Wear that favorite suit, tie or pair of shoes that makes you feel like you are on top of the world. When you feel good about your appearance it shows externally.
  6. Shine your shoes.  This may sound silly but people notice.  Women and men should take this extra step to arrive with shoes that are free of nicks, and smudges.  Women, drive to the interview in a different pair of shoes to avoid scuff marks on your heels.
  7. Be prepared. The last thing you want on interview day is to be thrown off your game by a change in your plan. Take time the night before to lay out your clothes, fill your gas tank, print out directions (and an alternate route) and make sure you have extra copies of your resume. Place everything that you will take to the interview near the front door so that nothing is left being.
  8. Avoid anything that will detract your focus or dampen your mood. While it’s a good idea to scan email to ensure that nothing has changed for the interview, leave everything else until you’re done. Spend the pre-interview time reviewing your game plan and preparing to win.
  9. Read a favorite quote, bible verse or passage from a book that uplifts you and makes you feel good.
  10. Don’t think of it as an interview but a networking meeting. This is your opportunity to make new connections. Rather than focusing on the outcome, enjoy the experience of meeting new people and learning more about a company.

You have the opportunity, now you must prepare to win.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]
  • Karen,

    Great discussion – the only times I have ever got a job are those times when I have gone into the interview feeling on top of my game.

    And to be on top of your game, you need both technical preparation (researching the company/thinking about the kind of questions they may ask) and mental preparation, as you describe above.

  • Karen Swim

    Hi Andrew, so true isn’t it? Preparation makes us feel confident and that allows us to do our best. You should never simply “wing it” but be prepared in every single way and go in and wow them!