A face-to-face interview can be daunting for anybody, no matter how many interviews they’ve been through or how much success they’ve enjoyed during their career. In fact, interviews can be downright stressful, and not being able to handle that stress can prove detrimental to your performance.
First and foremost, though, not all stress is detrimental. A certain amount of stress can actually aid your performance by sharpening your mind and keeping your energy levels high. Feeling some stress before and during an interview is actually normal.
What we’re addressing here are abnormally high levels of stress, and one of the ways to help combat this stress is through a technique called “visualization.”
Basically, when you use visualization, you’re visualizing your success before it happens, in an effort to bring about the desired outcome. Once you’re able to visualize it, achieving that outcome will seem easier. Successful visualization techniques are different for different people. In other words, the ones that people use depend largely upon their preferences and what works best for them.
Some of these techniques include the following:
- Visualizing how you’d like the ideal interview to unfold
- Visualizing a past interview or meeting that went extremely well
- Visualizing a very relaxing location or setting (such as the beach)
Using visualization techniques can help you to reduce your anxiety and build your confidence level at the same time. As a result, it’s important to make sure that you can visualize properly prior to the interview. Below are five tips for doing so:
- Find a quiet place where you’re not likely to be disturbed.
- Eliminate any thoughts that aren’t central to your visualization (regardless of the technique you’re using).
- Lie down, if possible.
- Inhale slowly and then pause before exhaling, on each breath.
- Begin your visualization, and repeat it as many times as you deem necessary.
As with anything, the more you visualize—and interview—the better you’ll become at both. So practice these steps, and you might enjoy interview success sooner than you think!