Interviews can be nerve wracking for anyone and can affect us all differently; pounding heart, dry mouth, sweaty palms, the list goes on and on.

But rather than approaching your interview from a place of survival, here are my top 7 top tips to help you embrace that energy and channel it for a successful conversation rather than an unsuccessful interrogation. Let's approach it from a place of opportunity!

1. Flip that switch! From a physiological standpoint, excitement and fear are essentially identical emotional responses; they both make your heartbeat faster and give you butterflies in your stomach. Your body is getting ready for a challenge, it's all about mindset and how you frame what you are feeling. Which would you rather choose?

2. Focus all your energy on you. Don't compare yourself to other candidates and get all tangled up in a spiral of compare and despair. Remind yourself that you're a great fit for the role, or they wouldn't have shortlisted you.

3. Prepare well! There is really no getting around this, preparing well, researching the company, having relevant mini stories in your pocket to pull out whenever a relevant question comes will make you feel super-confident in answering any whatever comes up.

4. Visualise yourself having a fantastic interview. Make it as detailed as you can, see yourself confidently answering questions well. Visualisation has been used for centuries by people over the world, including top athletes to enhance their performance. Brain imagery research has shown that when we use our imagination to visualise something, the same part of our brain that would be active if we were actually doing it, gets energised. You're building muscle memory for success!

5. If you feel nerves getting the better of you on the day, pause and be intentional with your breathing; breathe a few slow and intentional breaths and you will feel less anxious. Doing this boosts the amount of oxygen to your brain and activates your parasympathetic nervous system, both of which lead to a calmer state of mind and signal your body's stress response to chill out. It just takes a few seconds. Try it and see.

6. Look after yourself! The day of your interview, make sure you eat something light and stay well hydrated, so you aren't tired, lightheaded, or prone to headaches.

7. Whatever kind of interview you're having, go into it with the mindset of How can I help these people? Remind yourself of the skills and value you can bring to the table to solve the problem that employer is recruiting for.

Above all believe in yourself, have faith in your abilities, be positive and own what makes you You!

Suggested Reading

> Distress vs Eustress
> Why Faking a Smile Is a Good Thing
> How to Be Confident in an Interview: Best 4-Step Strategy
> Seeing Is Believing: The Power of Visualisation
> Visualization

By Anna Gordon - Certified Business Coaching Psychologist ABP CBCP