All procedures before the Interview are completed: you know every page of the company’s website, you have the answers to the recruiter’s questions, and your friends run away from you because they will not be able to withstand another simulation of the interview.

It’s time. At the recruiter’s door, you feel butterflies in your stomach turn to stone and something is wrong with your voice.

Unfortunately, the experience of “how not to overwhelm the interview” – is your biggest mistake. All your achievements and professional skills fade into the background when looking at the recruiter. You keep shivering.

All efforts and preparation are in vain. To save you, there are a few life hacks to Calm your own nerves. Try one of the tactics that will help you feel confident.

Don’t try to calm down

Yes, you read correctly. One of the worst methods is to calm down. You know it doesn’t work. Research by Harvard professor Alison Brooks proves that the best way to calm your nerves is to be exalted.

She conducted an experiment with 3 groups. Everyone was given a task: to perform in front of an audience, take a test or sing on stage. Each group replaced the experience: the first – at rest, the second – at the height, and the third – was left with excitement. It was the second group that showed the best result.

How can a common word have this effect? From another point of view, the feeling of experience is contiguous with exaltation. They affect us equally, although they have different emotional colors.

There is a side effect: substituting the values ​​of “excitement” and “exaltation” first helps you feel better, but then it gets worse. Brooks shows that deceiving yourself is as easy as being sublime.

Consume responsibly

Thinking of a list of books you’ve read is the last thing on your mind? On the contrary, a few pages of your favorite Book will help you feel confident.

A recent study by the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology shows that readers are taking on features characters from the book. For example, in another study, the focus group was given a book about a hero who was deprived of the right to vote in an election. He fought injustice and regained his right. As a result, more people who read the book went to the polls than others who did not read the book.

Try it on yourself: instead of the next rehearsal of the interview, read a few pages of a book or an article about a successful person. This approach will help you overestimate your own capabilities and add confidence.

Stop criticizing yourself

Take your resume for a minute. Read each line. What thoughts do you have: positive, negative or neutral?

If you think about your CV negatively, understand — this is a natural process. This way, you show your own weaknesses. The problem is that it is difficult to deal with negative thoughts and they gradually begin to beat you from within. Understand that harsh self-criticism makes you a weaker person.

The question is: how do you stop being critical and come to the interview with confidence? The answer is simple: share criticism and moments of weakness. In psychology, it is called cognitive restructuring and in practice, it is more difficult than theory.

There are exercises that you can use in practice and calm down, we suggest you try one of them before the next interview:

• Read your resume from the recruiter’s point of view;
• Make a note of the critical moments that characterize you;
• Reread what is on the sheet twice.
• Understand that there are weaknesses to deal with. You’re great.

Of course, you still need to prepare for the interview, but these tactics should help calm your nerves. Try one of the three tips and go to the interview readily.