Use Your Superpowers In the Interview
It’s not uncommon for people to approach a job interview with a sense of trepidation. For some, the idea of traveling in a plane at thirty-thousand feet is horrifying. For others, it’s the thought of being face-to-face with a spider. In the same way, for some people the idea of meeting new people, speaking confidently, and being judged makes them tremble at the knees. When we consider that the symptoms of anxiety include sweating, an increase in breathing rate, muscle tension, lack of concentration and decreased sense of humor, the outcomes of anxiety can mean that perfectly competent people miss out on jobs because of poor performance during an interview.
Each of us has our kriptonite. But while Superman’s only management skill was avoidance, here’s a list of methods that will help you face your fear:
- Prior to the interview, begin visualising your desired performance, rather than focussing on ways you might stuff it up. Picture yourself striding into the interview room with grace and confidence, chatting eloquently with the interviewer, being calm and relaxed. If sportspeople can use this technique effectively, so can you.
- Correct breathing helps too. To prove my point, try this experiment. Just while you’re sitting in your lounge chair at home, take a series of rapid, short breaths. If you do this for long enough, your mouth will go dry, and you’ll begin to feel dizzy and disoriented. If you’re prone to anxiety, your body may interpret these physiological symptoms as fear, thus triggering further “flight or fight” symptoms, such as sweating and gastric upset. When you are nervous, your breaths become quicker, therefore, the anxiety response increases. Belly breathing overcomes this problem. Instead of breathing through the upper parts of your chest, try taking breath right down into your belly, making it move in as the breath comes in, and out as it comes out. Watch your belly moving as you breathe. As silly as it may look, this form of breathing has a calming effect.
- During the interview, do a bit of acting. People who interact well with others do so partly because they know how to follow a few basic rules: eye contact, smiling, remembering another person’s name, good listening. In the same way that you learnt to write and ride a bike, these are skills you can acquire. Do some role-playing, acting out the role of a charismatic person. Practice. Makes. Perfect.
-There are loads of books on managing anxiety at local libraries and book shops. Read up a bit. Be proactive, rather than a victim to your tendencies.
Grown men who go around with Superman symbols on their tee-shirts definitely need a styling overhaul. But I can see the fascination with superheroes. They’re empowered, and strong and usually get to wear fab costumes. But each of them also has some sort of fear. If meeting new people and being under the social spotlight is yours, don’t let it stop you from flying.
