How to be Cool as a Cucumber During a Job Interview

Ask anyone from executives to cashiers and they will tell you that one of the most nerve-wracking times of their life was the day they were interviewed for their job. There is something about the job interview that always brings fear to our hearts instead of excitement and determination. There is something about being on that hot seat that turns the best of us into a sweating, rambling mess.

However, it doesn't have to be that way. Yes, a lot is at stake, maybe you need that job to survive, maybe your dream job is up for grabs and you have been waiting for the said job your whole life. No matter how important it is to you, stressing out will only make your chances of getting that job a lot slimmer. It's in your best interest to be cool, calm, and collected, and in this article, you will see how to do just that.

Preparation

Obviously, you are going to prepare for your interview. You are going to gather all of your important documents, make sure your CV is up to date, and steam-clean your most professional-looking clothes. That's great, but sometimes that is not enough and you need to go a few steps further.

Researching the company that wants to hire you is a great way to prepare for a job interview. Don't stop there, if you know the person who will be interviewing you, research them too. This will make you ready to answer any questions about the company with an informed view, and having that knowledge locked away in your brain will calm your nerves.

Practice

The biggest worry that you have when walking into a job interview is freezing up. You will be terrified of being asked a question that you don't have the answer to and saying nothing or worse freestyling and ruining your chances. A way to defend against this common fear is by practicing as much as you can.

With friends and family do mock interviews and get them to grill you about the things you learned from researching the company as well as questions about your job history. Mock interviews are a great way to make you match-ready and will give you a lot of confidence when the big day arrives.

Be early

Another common fear that causes stress, which in turn causes you to perform badly in interviews is arriving late. Even when you are just on time the scary thought on the way to the interview that you might not make it is enough to drive you insane with anxiety.

Simply get there early; arrive two hours ahead of schedule, find a coffee shop nearby, and look over your notes to keep your mind sharp and relaxed.

Be calm, it's just a conversation

When you finally get into that room you need to get in the right mindset. It doesn't matter how well prepared you are, if you are not thinking positively it will show and affect you poorly. Remember to breathe, be calm and focus on the fact that it is just a conversation.

It might feel slightly like you are being interrogated by a secret branch of the FBI but the truth is you are meeting someone new and having a nice chat about your life. Take your time, keep eye contact, sit up straight and ask questions as well as answer them, and you'll be fine.

There are many ways that you can go into a job interview knowing in your heart that you are going to show your future boss that they'd be a fool not to hire you. There is no need for nervous sweating and forgetting everything about the company interviewing you. If you follow the above tips and advice you will go into an interview prepared and be as cool as a cucumber.

Cindy Parker is a professional writer and Content Specialist. She loves to write about small businesses, education, and languages. Currently, she works for Learn to trade - a currency trading education company based in Australia.