{"id":8346,"date":"2019-10-15T09:00:21","date_gmt":"2019-10-15T08:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncchomelearning.co.uk\/blog\/?p=8346"},"modified":"2020-12-22T17:02:08","modified_gmt":"2020-12-22T17:02:08","slug":"combat-pre-interview-nerves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncchomelearning.co.uk\/blog\/combat-pre-interview-nerves\/","title":{"rendered":"How to combat pre-interview nerves"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Going through a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncchomelearning.co.uk\/blog\/ultimate-job-interview-guide\/\">job interview guide<\/a> is a great way to begin your preparation.\u00a0 You can learn essential tips and tricks on how to impress your interviewer.\u00a0 Here we are focused on how to calm nerves.\u00a0 It is normal to feel some anxiety; it might even be helpful as it stimulates your senses and makes you more alert.\u00a0 However, if you are overcome by the stress and pressure of the occasion, it can ruin your chances.<\/p>\n<p>Here we offer the essential tips to help calm you for the big day.<\/p>\n<h2>Take a walk<\/h2>\n<p>Nature is our friend when we are stressed.\u00a0 Fresh air, listening for bird song, studying the leaves \u2013 all these are strategies that will keep you in the present and stop you worrying about the future.\u00a0 Take a quick walk around the local park \u2013 and if it is in person, leave five minutes to walk around the block to help you relieve some of the stress.<\/p>\n<h2>Use the STOP method<\/h2>\n<p>The STOP method is championed by <a href=\"http:\/\/bodagroup.com\/about-us\/team\/chris-charyk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Chris Charyk<\/a>.\u00a0 It is a mnemonic for:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Stop<\/strong> what you are doing and focus<\/li>\n<li><strong>Take<\/strong> some deep breaths<\/li>\n<li><strong>Observe<\/strong> what is going on with your body and mind \u2013 do a scan<\/li>\n<li><strong>Proceed<\/strong>, taking what you have observed with you.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The point of this technique is to encourage you to slow down and stop rushing.\u00a0 Our stress response will help us to fight or run \u2013 so we may be accelerating our anxiety with our speedy motions.\u00a0 This will slow you down and allow you space to rationalise any fears, nerves or doubts.<\/p>\n<h2>Be prepared, even for the worst<\/h2>\n<p>You will have irrational fears that can grow out of proportion.\u00a0 However, there is no fear that you cannot prepare for.\u00a0 If you are concerned that you will have something on your teeth \u2013 take a mirror and give yourself a quick glance before you enter the building.\u00a0 In other words, take your fear and prepare a solution.\u00a0 This will help you feel like you are in control; you can handle the worst.<\/p>\n<h2>Compile your cheat sheet<\/h2>\n<p>Preparation of all kinds is essential to calming your nerves.\u00a0 It is not just about feeling in control, but it is about being ready for all the questions you may be asked.\u00a0 Do not think that you can wing it.\u00a0 You need to compile all the essential details.\u00a0 You can start by making a note of the necessities \u2013 such as the address, the name of the manager, the time to arrive, the main points to get across during the interview and the questions you want to ask when prompted.<\/p>\n<p>If you scan your cheat sheet just before you go in \u2013 those butterflies will stop hooping around just a little bit.<\/p>\n<h2>What are you doing after the interview?<\/h2>\n<p>It is easy to build too much importance on this one moment.\u00a0 Therefore, to put it into perspective, think what else you will do that day.\u00a0 Make an appointment for afterwards \u2013 maybe meet someone for coffee or go out for a meal. Perhaps there is a dog walk with your name on it \u2013 something that you will look forward to, once you have gotten this interview out of the way.<\/p>\n<h2>Eat!<\/h2>\n<p>You may feel too nervous, but you really do need food to perform at your best.\u00a0 Indulging in your favourite comfort foods may work well.\u00a0 However, for others, eating food that increases alertness and provides essential antioxidants can keep them going for longer when under pressure.\u00a0 A lack of food can cause a loss of concentration and a feeling of negativity.\u00a0 Best to avoid this when going into an interview!<\/p>\n<h2>Give yourself that motivational speech<\/h2>\n<p>Find yourself a quiet spot and talk to yourself about how smart you are and how qualified you are for the role.\u00a0 Say it out loud so that it sticks \u2013 though \u2013 try not to do this in front of the receptionist.\u00a0 The company bathrooms are the right spot \u2013 if you are confident you are alone!<\/p>\n<h2>Call a positive friend<\/h2>\n<p>There is no shame in calling that one person who always acts as your personal fan club.\u00a0 You have talked to this person a million times in stressful scenarios, and they have always put a positive spin on events.\u00a0 You need someone to tell you how brilliant they think you are \u2013 use your mum if you can \u2013 they tend to be our biggest fan.<\/p>\n<h2>Smile<\/h2>\n<p>Finally, fake it \u2018til you make it\u2026 smile even when you feel like crying.\u00a0 Smiling releases positive endorphins and can help make you feel more confident.\u00a0 There is nothing wrong with that fake smile \u2013 it will make the manager hiring you like you a little bit more.<\/p>\n<p>There are many other ways to quell nerves before an interview, but it&#8217;s important to always go in with a positive mind frame. What are your techniques for getting rid of pre-interview nervousness?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Extended reading resource:-<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nolanrecruitment.com\/staying-calm-during-job-interview\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tips for staying calm during an interview<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/roughhousemedia.co.uk\/general\/overcoming-nerves-in-media-interviews\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Overcoming nerves in media interviews<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Going through a job interview guide is a great way to begin your preparation.\u00a0 You can learn essential tips and tricks on how to impress your interviewer.\u00a0 Here we are focused on how to calm nerves.\u00a0 It is normal to feel some anxiety; it might even be helpful as it stimulates your senses and makes [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":8347,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[378],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8346","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-career-advice"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/www.ncchomelearning.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/nervous-woman.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Nick Cooper","author_link":"https:\/\/www.ncchomelearning.co.uk\/blog\/author\/nccnickcooper\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ncchomelearning.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8346","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ncchomelearning.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ncchomelearning.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncchomelearning.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncchomelearning.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8346"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncchomelearning.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8346\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38823,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncchomelearning.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8346\/revisions\/38823"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncchomelearning.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8347"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ncchomelearning.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8346"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncchomelearning.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8346"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncchomelearning.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8346"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}