I was interviewed by Business Insider for my insights on job interviewing and how you can get rid of nerves and what you can do to appear more confident. See my tips highlighted in yellow below. A link to the actual article is below.
4 tricks for getting rid of your
nerves and appearing more confident in a job interview
Business
Insider - Careers
Aug. 25, 2015,
4:00 PM
A few simple
mind tricks could combat any nervous habits.
There are
endless telltale signs of nervousness at work or in a job interview: profuse
sweating, rapid blinking, stammering, and the list goes on. But the good news
is, there are ways to combat those signals and "hide" your
anxiety.
Body language
experts say the trick is to distract your mind and focus on things that don't
make you nervous.
Here are five
tricks for doing just that:
1. Recall a memory that inspires positive emotions.
One simple way
to quell feelings of nervousness is to momentarily transport yourself to a time
in which you felt self-assured and at ease. You can do this just before
entering the room, or during the interview itself.
"Think of a time on the job, or in your personal
life, when you experienced a success ... Notice how you feel, tell yourself
that story, feel those emotions and merge those positive emotions with the new
story of your job interview success," says Patti Wood, body language
expert, coach, and author of "Snap: Making the Most of First Impressions, Body
Language, and Charisma."
"We create and experience
stories in the emotional right hemisphere of our brain," she explains.
"When we recall and retell these stories, we re-experience the feelings
that accompany them. By using this merging technique, you can bring positive
emotions and success into any situation."
2. Create a secret gesture that corresponds
to positive experience.
To take trick No. 1 one step further, Wood suggests
creating your own personal gesture that's associated with a positive experience
you've had in your life. (This works well if you don't have a specific memory
in mind to think back to.)
Wood says she once worked with a client who couldn't
think of a positive scenario that would help him relax during a job interview,
so she told him to recall the emotions he felt during an activity or situation
he enjoyed — in this case, sailing.
Mustering up these positive emotions, they worked to
create a body movement — placing his hand on the side of his leg — that would
jog his memory of the contentment and confidence he felt while sailing.
The next time he felt nervous during a job interview,
briefly placing his hand on his leg activated those positive feelings, she
says.
Focus on being
interested, not interesting.
3. Silently repeat a mantra.
Another way to
calm yourself is to silently repeat a personal mantra, says Dr. Lillian Glass,
behavior analyst, body language expert, and author of "The Body Language of Liars." A
pacifying message will work well when you're wrapped up in your own anxiety.
"You can tell yourself to relax, that everything will be just fine,"
she explains.
Cater to your
own suspense-driven emotions and conceptualize a message that works best,
whether it's more soothing or upbeat. When you're feeling overwhelmed,
silent reassurance — whether it's that you will accomplish your goals,
or just that you'll get through this stressful situation — will bring your
mind back to a more tranquil state.
4. Be interested, not interesting.
One
major flaw people make while trying to ensure a good first impression — during
a job interview or otherwise — is trying too hard to appear interesting,
while disregarding what the other person has to say.
"Be
interested in what the other person is saying," says Glass. "Focus on
being interested, not interesting."
Once
you stop obsessing over what intelligent or witty thing to say next, and
actually concentrate on the conversation at hand (not just your end), you'll
have an easier time navigating the discussion, and less of a chance of getting
lost in your own thoughts — which can make anyone extremely nervous.
http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-appear-more-confident-during-a-job-interview-2015-8
Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com. Also check out Patti's YouTube channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.
