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Go back to a time when you bought something from a salesperson who left you feeling so good that you wanted to buy. I am not referring to the slick and fast talking salespeople here. I am talking about the salesperson that made your buying experience a genuine pleasure, which, incidentally is how it should be. How do salespeople like this do it? I would imagine that there wasn’t much hard ball or slick talking tactics used. I would further guess that this person probably took the time to listen and understand your needs and explain how each feature would meet your needs.

The interviewing process is the same, only this time, the product being sold is you and you are the salesperson. Sound scary? Never sold before? Well consider this. We are always selling, both professionally and personally. I am sure you can recall a time in your past when you convinced a manager, a colleague, a friend, a spouse, a parent or someone else in your life about something that was important to you. It’s no different here and you cannot afford to “wing it”. You have to be prepared to talk about yourself in a concise way that benefits the listener.

Posted on mangofizz are the tools you can use to get prepared in advance of the interview. But what about the interview itself? How can you prepare for it? I have summarized how to prepare for your interview below. It reads more like a frame of mind, but it works. You should get comfortable with these before going to the interview.

Be relaxed: As they say, “it’s all in your head”. It is a choice to be relaxed – your choice. Choose it. Consider going to your interview as an adventure. If you choose to make it an adventure, it will show. Going to an interview is typically well outside of our “safe zone” and this can drive anxiety. The sure way to make the interview part of our “safe zone” is attitude. What do I mean by this? Well if you already have a job or have four other companies looking at you and ready to make an offer, it can take a lot of the pressure off going to your current interview. And if you don’t? Doesn’t matter. Get into the frame of mind that you do. It will create a shift in your attitude and you will become more relaxed. With the pressure off, you will be more focussed on performing well.

Breathe: This is the organization’s process, not yours. There is only so much you can do to be ready and you may as well have fun doing it. Some nervousness is normal. You have value and that is why they have asked you for the interview. And once again, breathe, before, during and after the interview. Calm breathing will remove much of the nervous feeling and focus your thoughts and sharpen your listening.

Smile: Right along side with breathing is smiling. Whenever we meet someone for the first time, a smile is our way of connecting. Keep a genuine smile going during the interview. Like breathing, it will help to focus your thoughts and sharpen your listening.

Be Positive: Some interview questions may not be so nice. They may sound like personal attacks. Again, the organization knows more about the job at this point than you do. They may be seeking traits needed for the job. Remember this: no matter what, always remain positive. And if that fails, breathe and smile. That should help you to get back into a positive state.

Be Enthusiastic: This is one area where you can stand out. Enthusiasm is contagious. Ever been around an enthusiastic person? If you are enthusiastic about the job and the company, it will show. If you’re enthusiastic about neither, that’s all right. You need to go back and think about what your next job will be.

Make Good Eye Contact: If you are breathing and smiling, eye contact will be a natural thing. Good eye contact will help you focus your thoughts and sharpen your listening. You will be able to express yourself better. I have experienced some job seekers in the past do what I call the “nervous stare”. Avoid this. If this happens, very subtly take a deep breath and smile.

Be Honest: If you are genuine with your answers and how you present yourself, it will show.

Be Prepared for the Learner Interviewer: See the previous article about the Learner Interviewer and remember they are smart, skilled and generally nice people. Because they are inept in interviewing, does not mean they are inept. Generally, an inept interviewer means that the interviewer has not been formally trained in interviewing techniques and/or they do not practice a lot. If you think about it, the limited practice is probably a good thing in terms of where this manager spends their time. Therefore, I will now refer to this interviewer as a “learner interviewer”. In effect, this person, left untrained and/or unpracticed, is learning how to interview as they go along.

I say this as a continuous reminder: the odds are stacked against you. You can still come out the winner by paying close attention to the details of interest of your prospective employer. The organization has a requirement. Someone has to get the job. It may as well be you.