Bring Optimism into Your Interview and Excel
While optimistic job seekers don’t get the job every time, they do stand a better chance of nailing the interview. If you go into your interview exuding confidence and optimism, your positivity will leave a strong impression on the employer. Staying optimistic will also help you overcome any rejections that happen along the way. Here’s why bringing optimism into your job interview will help you excel and be more likely to win the position.
Change Your Attitude, Change Your Life
Losing a job puts a lot of pressure on us. There are bills to pay and nagging anxiety that there aren’t as many jobs out there as there used to be. This can make it tougher to have the right frame of mind as you conduct your job search. To change your attitude, there are a few things you can do immediately to regain your optimism. First, stop worrying.
Pessimists are worriers. They second guess interviews even if they went well. When they receive an offer, they worry they won’t excel in the job. The reality, though, is that worrying does absolutely nothing to help you achieve your job goals. Worry can cause you to do poorly in the interview and erodes the confidence you’ll need to negotiate a good salary. The trick is to stop worrying. One good exercise could be to write down every time you’re worrying. If you catch yourself worrying, stop, and write it down. It’s that middle section that can reset our worry clock. If you stop the cycle of worry long enough to write it down, it will help you begin to recognize the patterned behavior that’s leading to your pessimism. Try this each day for a week. On the weekend, go back and look for patterns. Do you see where you’ve been worrying about one thing obsessively? Step two is to write out a contingency plan for that worry. This exercise will help you move toward a more optimistic outlook.
Do These Things to Be More Optimistic in Your Next Interview
While working on your negative emotional and mental outlook can help you find your natural optimism again, there are a few things you do during the interview to at least appear more optimistic:
- Clear your head with a good walk or some exercise before the interview.
- Dress the part, by shining your shoes, pressing your clothes, and getting a haircut.
- Destroy any negative thinking before the interview by giving yourself a positive pep talk about why you will get the job. Think about the last time you had a big success. Put on your favorite music. Walk into the interview with an image of yourself as a winner, and you’ll come across as one.
- Prepare for the interview by knowing exactly what it is about you that will fit this company and the job. You can’t know what questions the interviews will ask, but you can be fully prepared by learning about the company’s job and who works there. Practice selling why you’re a good fit for the role before the interview.
Need Help Finding a New Job?
If you’ve been laid-off or furloughed, we know it can feel terrible. But you have options. Talk to The Custom Group to find out how we can help you find your next opportunity.
