Job Search: 14 Tips For Staying Calm During An Interview

You’re in the hot seat. Your palms are sweaty; voice is shaky; face is flushed; and mouth is dry. Maybe you’re bouncing your knees and talking too fast.”

“Perhaps your heart is racing or your stomach is turning. You’re nervous.”

“Why does this happen to so many job candidates?”

“When we perceive that we are in a high stakes situation, the brain doesn’t distinguish the high stakes of a job interview–where it would help to be calm, cool and collected–from the high stakes of being under threat from attack (say, from a tiger),” says Dr. Tamar Chansky, author of Freeing Yourself from Anxiety.

“Plenty of job candidates get nervous in the hot seat–but you’ll want to try your hardest to remain cool, calm and collected. Here are 14 ways to do that.” by Jacquelyn Smith – Forbes

Read more: http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2013/03/26/14-tips-for-staying-calm-during-a-job-interview/

Prefer slide show view, go here: http://www.forbes.com/pictures/efkk45ehgee/how-to-stay-calm-during-a-job-interview/#gallerycontent

streetsmartprof‘s insight:

You have already seen most of the 14 ways to stay calm by Dr. Tamar Chansky in your own research around the job hunt. Such as the first 5, Be Prepared, Plan, Rehearse, Eliminate the Unknown and Arrive Early.

The twist behind the article is Dr Chansky is helping us understand many of the normal ways our brains are wired for “Flight” or “Fight”.

Knowing this is where most of the anxiety is coming from helps figure out how to deal with an upcoming interview as well as what to do the day of and during the interview to stay “calmer”.

However, as a friend of mine says: “If you ever find yourself sitting back in the chair, it is time to get nervous.” So don’t be too relaxed during a job interview or the job search. Our body language is much more powerful in speaking than our own words. Both to ourselves as well as the hiring manager.

See on www.forbes.com