Episode #222 – Your Animal Health or Veterinary Interview, Part 7: Visualizing Your Success
Julea: Welcome to “The Animal Health and Veterinary Employment Insider,” brought to you by The VET Recruiter. In this podcast, Animal Health executive recruiter and Veterinary recruiter, Stacy Pursell of The VET Recruiter provides insight and practical advice for both employers and job seekers in the Animal Health industry and Veterinary profession. The VET Recruiter’s focus is to solve talent-centric problems for the Animal Health industry and Veterinary profession. The VET Recruiter helps Animal Health and Veterinary companies hire top talent, while helping Animal Health and Veterinary professionals attain career-enhancing opportunities that increase their quality of life.
Today, we will be continuing our series focusing on the interview stage of the hiring process for job seekers and professionals in the employment marketplace.
Hello, Stacy, and thank you for joining us today.
Stacy: Hello, Julea. As always, I’m glad to be here.
Julea: Stacy, last week we talked about the importance of being likeable during the interview. And this week, we’re going to address visualizing your interview success, is that right?
Stacy: Yes, that’s right. I know we haven’t even discussed best practices for when the interview actually begins, but as I’ve mentioned in the past, I am a big believer in the power of preparation. Not only that, but the interview stage of the hiring process is also one of the most important parts of the process. That’s why it’s critical to plan ahead for the job interview as much as possible. Of course, I’m not suggesting that you obsess over it, but you must be prepared in a number of different ways.
One of those ways is physically, which we addressed earlier in our series. Now I want to discuss the mental aspects of interview preparation. That’s because success starts in the mind. What you think and how you think directly affects how you act. If you’re not thinking successful thoughts, then how are you going to be successful in your words and action?
Julea: You’re not. Or at the very least, it’s going to be more difficult to do so.
Stacy: Yes, exactly. And I understand that because the interview is so important, people sometimes feel nervous when they’re taking part in an interview. It can be daunting for anyone, no matter how many interviews you’ve been through or how much success you’ve had during your career.
Julea: Some people are scared of interviews. And there is a lot of stress involved because of that.
Stacy: Yes, interviews can be a stressful situation—if you allow that to be the case. But if it is a stressful situation and you’re not able to handle that stress, then it can prove to be detrimental to your performance, and we’ve already discussed the importance of performing well.
I want to point out, though, that 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.
Julea: Stacy, I’ve heard that it’s not the stress itself that is important, but how a person reacts to the stress.
Stacy: Yes, that’s correct! How you respond to stress will ultimately dictate your performance, and that includes during the interview. It’s a simple equation. If you respond well to the stress, then you will probably perform well during the interview. If you don’t respond well to the stress, then you probably won’t.
Julea: So where does “visualization” enter the picture?
Stacy: One of the ways to help combat 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.
Julea: How does this apply to a job interview?
Stacy: There are multiple ways that it can apply to the interview. Some of these techniques include:
- 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 being at the beach
Using visualization techniques can help you to reduce your anxiety and build your confidence level at the same time, and confidence is extremely important during the interview. The more confident that you are and the more confident that you appear, the better you will perform and the more successful you will be. Once again, you don’t want to be overconfident or cocky, but just confident, confident in your skills and experience and confident in your ability to perform at a high level during the interview.
Julea: So how exactly does a person visualize properly prior to the interview?
Stacy: I have five tips for visualizing prior to the interview:
First, find a quiet place where you’re not likely to be disturbed.
Second, eliminate any thoughts that aren’t central to your visualization, and this is regardless of the technique that you’re using.
Third, lie down, if possible.
Fourth, inhale slowly and then pause before exhaling, on each breath.
And fifth, begin your visualization, and repeat it as many times as you deem necessary.
Julea: It’s almost seems like a person is hypnotizing themselves.
Stacy: I would say that it’s more like a form of meditation. What this allows a person to do is focus properly, eliminate negative thoughts, and anticipate a good outcome. The fear of a bad outcome can do a lot to derail a person’s efforts before the interview has already begun. If you constantly fear a bad outcome, what are the chances that there will be a bad outcome? Those chances are good. But what if you anticipate a good outcome and you enter the interview with that anticipating? Then chances are good that you will have that kind of outcome.
It’s very much like a self-fulfilling prophecy. That’s why I believe that success starts in the mind and that the mental aspect of interview preparation is just as important as other aspects of it. And actually, it’s probably more important.
Julea: So now that we’ve visualized success, what is next Stacy?
Stacy: I have a few more items and reminders that I want to review before we get into the interview itself, which we’ll do starting with our next podcast episode. In the meantime, I’d like to discuss the three main things that a professional must focus on heading into their interview.
The first think is to be likeable and brand yourself in a positive like. You want the interviewers to like you and respect you for the value that you could bring to the organization. If company officials believe that you can accomplish the company’s objectives, you’ll be considered for the position. However, as we mentioned last week, also being liked gets you an offer.
Second, gather as much information as possible during the interview. This helps you to assess the interview after it’s over. Don’t attempt to process information during the interview—that will cause mistakes. So gather information, but don’t start trying to make decisions based on the information that you do gather in real time. That can be counter-productive and it could adversely affect your performance.
That leads to the third thing, which is to keep your focus on the number-one, overriding objective, which is to get an offer of employment. It doesn’t matter if you 100% want the job or if 50% want the job. If you want the job at all, then your number-one goal should be to receive an offer of employment.
The reason is simple. You can always turn the offer down once you receive it. Just because an employer makes an offer of employment to you does not mean you are obligated to accept it. All it means is that you have an option to consider. You can take the option, or you cannot take the option. However, what you absolutely cannot do is take an option that doesn’t exist.
Julea: And if you’re interviewing with multiple organizations, then it’s okay to generate multiple offers, is that right?
Stacy: That is correct. Your task as candidate in this job market is to receive as many offers as you can and then choose the one that’s best for you. Please notice that I did NOT say to accept an offer, only to renege on your decision later because another employer made a better offer at a later date. It’s good to create options and choose the best one. It’s not good to give your word and then go back on your word. It is simply not professional and not operating with integrity. But unfortunately, this is still something that happens in the employment marketplace.
Julea: Stacy, we’re just about out of time. Do you have anything else that you like to add before we end today’s episode?
Stacy: Yes, I want to go back to “visualization” for just a moment. I know there might some members of our listening audience who might disregard this technique, but I would encourage them to at least try it. At the very least, it can help to center and focus you prior to the interview. Not only that, but the more that you do it, the better you will get. In this way, “visualization” is like anything else. Even if you feel awkward or uncomfortable when you first start doing it, it will become easier and it will be more effective in helping your perform at a high level during your interview.
Julea: Stacy, thank you so much for all of this great information. And there is additional information about the job interview and related aspects of the job interview on The VET Recruiter website, is that correct?
Stacy: Yes, that’s right. As a workplace and workforce expert, I put a high premium on sharing expertise with others regarding the job market and the hiring process. The bottom line is that we at The VET Recruiter and myself individually want to help other people succeed. We want to help them achieve their professional goals and grow their career the way that they want to.
And I also recommend that those who visit The VET Recruiter website also sign up for our monthly newsletter, which also contains tips and strategies for growing your career. Be sure to follow The VET Recruiter on the various social media channels, including LinkedIn. We share a lot of information on social media, as well, including articles, strategies, and career tips.
And of course, if you visit the website, you can also submit your resume and fill out a profile, so that you’re considered for new job openings when they arise.
Julea: Once again, the website address for The VET Recruiter is www.thevetrecruiter.com. Stacy, as always, thank you for joining us today.
Stacy: It’s been my pleasure Julea, and I look forward to our next episode, which will be the next episode in our series about the interview stage of the hiring process!