Illustrating self-assurance in a job interview can be just as crucial as showing your skills and demonstrating your unique qualifications. Practice the way you convey your confidence and professionalism was crucial as this can help your performance in the room and calm your nerves. Check out the tips below to help you demonstrating confidence to your job interviewers.
Why confidence matters
Confidence is the act of believing in yourself. Showing that you trust yourself during a job interview is critical because it can lead your interviewer to trust in you. Aim to convey to your interviewer that you know you can do this job well. However, it is normal to feel nervous when interviewing, so try to take some time to practice how to appear confident before your meeting.
How to appear confident in an interview
1. Make eye contact
To portray your confidence, start by practicing your eye contact. An excellent way to project confidence is to keeping natural and steady eye contact throughout your interview. Aim to maintain natural eye contact instead of making eye contact that feels intense or prolonged. From time to time try looking at your resume or other material you brought with you to the interview before turning your attention back to the hiring manager.
2. Maintain good posture
Next, you might also find it helpful to practice good posture. Body language is a crucial feature of communicating confidence during your interview. Begin by sitting with your arms unfolded in your lap to convey an open, friendly attitude. Make your back straight with your shoulders back and your chest and chin raised.
Pro-tip: Standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, chest and chin high, back straight, and your fists on your waist for a few minutes before your interview can make you feel calmer and confident.
3. Practice your handshake
Greet the interviewer with a firm handshake is a great way to show confidence in an interview. A firm handshake shows experience and confidence, and it gives the interviewer a good first impression. Follow the tips below on how to give a good handshake:
The interviewer should be the one to start the handshake.
Stand and look the interviewer in the eye when you shake hands.
Offer a sincere smile to show you are happy to be there.
If your palm is damp, quickly blot it on the side of your pants or skirt before shaking hands.
Greet the person with her name and a pleasantry, such as, “It is very nice to meet you, Ms. George.”
Have a firm handshake, but do not apply too much force.
The handshake should last between two and five seconds, which usually equals two or three pumps.
Make sure your other hand is visible and unclenched.
4. Practice breathing techniques
The blood flows away from your brain and into your muscles for fight or flight mode when you get nervous. This insufficient blood in the brain can affect cognitive functions. However, when you take slow, deep breaths, you can bring back oxygen to your brain to assist you to think. For the most effective breathing technique to calm your nerves, follow these steps:
Take a deep breath in through your nose.
Try to take in enough air to feel your stomach expand.
Slowly exhale through your mouth.
Repeat this process three times, and focus on centering your thoughts while you are exhaling.
5. Calm your fidgeting
One of the signs of nervousness is fidgeting. If you frequently tap your fingers or twirl your hair, practice keeping your hands on the table. You should also try not to keep a pen or paper in your hands if you typically fidget with anything you are holding. If you often shake your leg when you are nervous, you can keep your hands in your lap and apply a little pressure to remind yourself to stop shaking. Try asking a friend or family member to inform you how you fidget so you can be conscious of your habits and work on them.
6. Prepare and rehearse your answers
Another great way to showcase interview confidence is to ready with your answers to common interview questions. When you are prepared, it can eliminate the pressure and assist you to feel more confident. You can discuss with a friend or family member to think about your answers. They do not need to be memorized but aim to prepare enough so that you can produce responses you are proud of.
7. Talk slowly
To stop yourself from rambling, try to speak calmly and slowly and answer each question by addressing one point at a time. Confident people also sometimes spend their time when answering questions. If you feel like you need a moment to compose your thoughts, feel free to say, “That is a good question. Let me think about that for a second.”. Do not be afraid to ask the interviewer for an explanation of the question as well.
8. Dress the part
Choosing the suitable outfit for your interview can assist improve your confidence. Find out about the company’s dress code to wear during the interview. If the dress code is formal, men should wear a suit, and women should consider a pantsuit or skirt suit. Look for clothing in classic and neutral colors, such as black, navy, or brown. If the company is casual, proper interview attire can include slacks, dark jeans, button-up shirts, and polo shirts. When you are unsure about the dress code, it is wise to dress more formally.
9. Think positively
The last way to relax your nerves and boost your confidence is to think positively. Focus on areas where you lack confidence and practice making them better. Areas of low confidence can include:
Shaking hands with the interviewer
Starting the interview
Beginning to speak
Answering questions
Once you find out the area where you feel most nervous, you can make a plan on how to address these areas. To practice on the previous examples you can:
Practice shaking hands with friends.
Sit down for mock interviews with family.
Record your mock interviews to review them.
Practice answering different types of interview questions.
When you are allowing a job interview, you are one step closer to securing your dream job. Hence you should use it wisely and be prepared to deliver the best of yourself during the interview. The same goes for Recruit Hero! By registering to Recruit Hero you are one step further to accomplish your dream job. Our system matches you with relevant jobs without requiring you to search for any. Stay tuned and do follow our Facebook and LinkedIn for more.