An interview can be an anxiety-filled experience, especially if you’re very shy or have social anxiety. Thankfully, there are several ways to go from shy to confident in an interview, and with these 5 steps you can easily walk into your next interview with the confidence you need to get the job offer you want.
1) Smile
One of my favorite interview tips for nervous candidates is to smile more. Studies have shown that smiling during an interview makes you more likeable and puts your interviewer at ease. Not only will you feel better, but your confidence will shine through on camera and make a positive impression on whomever you’re speaking with. Try it out next time; I promise, it’ll be contagious!
2) Keep Eye Contact
One of my favorite interview tips is keeping eye contact with your interviewer(s). When we keep eye contact, it tells them that we’re engaged and paying attention. It also shows confidence because it takes confidence to maintain eye contact. If you tend to be shy, practice looking people in the eyes as much as possible; you’ll start getting better at it over time.
3) Turn up early
It’s perfectly normal to be nervous on interview day. We all are! However, showing up early for your interview will make you seem cool, collected and confident—even if you feel like a million butterflies are flying around inside of you. Your interviewer is likely a little stressed out herself, so arriving early will show her that you’re a cool customer who doesn’t need much time to settle in before getting started. Give yourself enough time to take a few deep breaths and give yourself a pep talk about how awesome and prepared you are for that job. The more composed you come across, the more confidence your interviewer will have in your abilities—and that makes it much easier for them to envision what it would be like working with you every day!
4) Practice interviewing with a friend
No matter how much you plan, there’s no substitute for actually getting face-to-face with a hiring manager and answering his or her questions. Some recruiters and hiring managers can pick up on nervousness from a mile away, so practice your interview skills with a friend before going on a job interview. Use that friend as a mock interviewer—they’ll be able to give you feedback about how well you answered questions and gave your best answers. If you can find someone who has gone through many interviews, they might be even more valuable: they’ll know what it takes to ace one.
5) Know what you want
When you’re not confident and you enter a job interview, there are two possible reasons why. Either you don’t really know what you want or your priorities aren’t aligned with your strengths. To have confidence, you have to know what it is that gets you excited. Then map out three or four interviews for a company where your top career goals will be met and go from shy to confident in an interview setting.
Conclusion
Did you know that more than 70% of interviewers say that a candidate’s self-confidence is more important than their technical skills? In other words, you’d be better off being a little shy and confident rather than come across as overly cocky. If you want to ace your next interview, put on your best outfit and take 5 deep breaths before walking into that room. Practice saying something new each time. And most importantly: make sure your resume is primed and ready so you can talk about what makes you unique during the Q&A portion of your interview. You don’t have to feel shy about putting yourself out there; just keep these tips in mind for landing a job at one of these top companies!