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TearTaylor's Career Corner

Besides the list of questions you came up with for yourself, see if your friend or chosen interviewer will come up with some additional questions of their own and urge them not to share the questions with you until you're actually sitting down for the mock interview.  By not disclosing the questions to you beforehand, you'll become more skilled at answering unexpected or off-course questions that the real interviewer will more than likely toss your way.

Dress Appropriately

Did you ever have the opportunity to speak in front of a group of people and when you did you chose to wear something casual like a blazer and a pair of blue jeans?  You thought you looked okay in the beginning but when you got up to speak in front of everyone you just didn't feel as good about yourself as you probably would've if you'd simply worn your nice business suit.  Well, many people admit that they often feel better about themselves when they dress appropriately for important events.  In case you didn't know this, standard attire for job interviews is usually a conventional business suit for men and for women a nice business suit or a conservative dress or conservative skirt outfit is appropriate.  Men and women should avoid wearing excessive cologne or perfume.  Women should also avoid wearing excessive makeup or jewelry.

Avoid Caffeine

On the morning of your interview, try to avoid caffeine as much as possible.  A lot of people believe that it helps them to relax, but a lot of caffeine researchers claim that it can increase tension levels.  Also, when attempting to ban caffeine from your diet on the morning of your interview make sure to keep in mind that coffee isn't the only culprit behind increasing nervousness or agitation but chocolate, tea and cola can also play a significant role because they also contain caffeine.

Arrive Early

Arrive 20-30 minutes before your meeting is expected to begin.  This will help give you a chance to get a small sense of the company's environment before your interview begins and will also allow you some time to become better acclimated with your new surroundings, which hopefully will foster more of a relaxed feeling.  Additionally, if this is your first in-person contact with the company, you'll probably be asked to complete an employment application before your interview begins.  Arriving 15 to 20 minutes early should allow you enough time to fill out any application forms if necessary.

Wrapping Things Up

I hope my list of pre-interview relaxation tips helps to reduce your fears and aids you in coming across as a candidate that's confident and eager to take on any challenges presented by your potential new employer, and in case you haven't had a chance yet to review Brad Karsh's article "Acing Job Interviews," I'll close this article with a key passage from his writing. 

"Recruiting Directors actually want you to do well.  They are not looking to trick you, terrorize you or make you look bad, but are looking to make a connection in order to find terrific candidates." 

With this said, I hope you're aware that you have a mild friend on the other side of the hiring desk.  The interviewer is actually pulling hard for you to do well.  He or she is hoping like heck that you'll persuasively sell your strengths to them so that they can finally stop interviewing applicant after applicant and get on with the real business at hand.  Hopefully, knowing that you have a silent cheerleader on the other side of the hiring desk will help you feel a lot more relaxed and confident when selling your talents/skills to the interviewer and will hopefully lead you to your next new job.