Do you warm up before you run? Stretch as you start a yoga session? Ever thought of doing that before an interview?
If not, why not? It could give you the edge.
I prep my clients for interviews and hold mock sessions to see how they perform. Even with the most diligent preparations for content, about 80% of the time, clients hit their stride after 20-30 minutes, which is too late on the day to make a good impression. So, what’s the answer?
Warm up and be ready to GO! In addition to your content prep, plan for mind and body prep:
Mind – Identify a time when you felt confident. Relive that moment, how it felt to be there, how you felt…let that strength fill you up. Tell yourself how confident you feel.
Voice – I’m not suggesting yodelling, gargling or operatic scales but warming up your vocal chords is vital to establishing flow and projecting confidence. Talk to yourself (or someone else) for 10-15 minutes before the interview, ideally about something you feel positive and confident about.
Posture – You’ve already made sure your camera is at eye level (you have, haven’t you?) and that your chair is the right height for/distance from the camera. You know to sit with your weight on your thighs, not your bottom to keep you from fidgeting (you’ve practised, haven’t you?), so what else do you need to do? Rolling your shoulders and stretching your neck is good so you release any tension and don’t start the interview looking scrunched.
Lungs – Breathing techniques help to regulate nerves and your voice will sound stronger if you open your chest up. Try pulling your shoulder blades together and see what a difference it makes to keeping your voice steady, lower and slower.
You simply have to be ready to make that great first impression. If you don’t grab your interviewer, you’ll lose them, they will already have made their mind up about you. Be warmed up and ready when you go into that room, or join that call. Practise all the above, then do it again. Get a friend to help you – or try some action-focused coaching sessions to feel ready and confident to ace the interview.
If you’d like some help to get interview ready and warm up for success, why not get in touch and see how a session of Career Therapy can help you? Book a free intro call and let’s chat.
What’s stopping you?
Email louise@careertherapy.co.uk Linkedin Louise Newton Photo by Kateryna Hliznitsova | Unsplash