With self-confidence comes motivation, and together they bring success. If you believe you can do something, chances are you will behave in such a way that confirms you can. Psychologists have labeled this the "circular effect" - your performance is determined by your self-perception.
It is important to get self-doubts out in the open. Trying to ignore them or push them aside only gives them time to grow and multiply. Doubts and fears are like children - the more you ignore them, the louder they yell.
Mental preparation goes a long way toward building confidence and reducing the stress of a job interview. The following points should be useful.
* KNOW WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR. Take a pro-active approach by identifying your goals, values, and strengths - the clearer you are about them, the easier it will be to communicate them to potential employers.
In the best-selling book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey recommends the development of a personal-mission statement that would identify your values and also serve as the basis for personal and professional decisions.
* BE PREPARED. In the job search process, you have total control over the effort you make. The more you prepare, the more confidence you will have. Research your job market, read company newsletters, do anything that will increase your sense of readiness for the job hunt.
Preparation also includes care with your grooming. Take a little extra time once you're on the scene for an interview to check how you look. Few things are more distracting than worrying about whether you have lipstick on your teeth or lettuce on your tie. Once you have confirmed that you "look professional," you are free to focus on the questions the interviewer is asking.
* GET SUPPORT. If you know someone else who is job hunting, you can use each other as a source of support and encouragement. Work up specific plans of action, set deadlines, and be accountable to each other. Network with each other about job leads and possible contacts.
* GET MOTIVATED. If you lack motivation, listen to a favorite motivational tape or read a chapter in Anthony Robbins' Unlimited Power. No matter what anyone says, there's nothing like external motivation if you have a day when you think you can't get your motor running.
* TAKE CONTROL OF FEAR. They say butterflies in your stomach are positive if your wings are flying in formation, and you know that a little bit of anxiety can produce energy and enthusiasm. It's only when fear is out of control that it becomes a negative influence.
To take control of fear, it's important to define what you are afraid of. What do you say when you talk to yourself? Are you focusing on factors that are under your control, such as your preparation? Or are you thinking of the challenging economy or the imagined brilliance of others being interviewed? Are you equating the outcome of an interview with some measure of your self-worth or are you seeing it for what it is, an opportunity that at the very least will provide practice for a better interview next time?
Write out your specific thoughts and fears: "I'm scared about my interview tomorrow." What are you scared of? "I'm worried that I won't make a good impression and that other candidates will be more qualified than I am." This gives you a chance to assess your fears objectively and consider ways to control them. Stress management for many is achieved through some simple activity: exercise, a bubble bath, meditation, or a talk with a close friend. You might also overcome your fear by role-playing an interview with a job-seeking colleague. Whatever the solution, you succeed in changing a destructive emotion into a solvable problem. You do something about it.
You free yourself of recurring fear and negativism by redirecting your thoughts and energy to your skills and values.
CONFIDENCE BUILDING doesn't guarantee a job immediately, but it guarantees internal satisfaction along with a jump start on handling the challenges of the job that's waiting for you when you turn the right corner."
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