Showing confidence is extremely important. Employers want to see that the applicant believes they can do the job, as well as have the required skills and experience. Confident employees make good staff members because they are usually trainable, and resourceful, with initiative and good leadership skills. These qualities will benefit the company in the future.
However, do not confuse confidence with arrogance. The exaggerated claims and boasting of an arrogant presentation has nothing to do with confidence, and is actually due to lack of self belief. True confidence has no need for exaggeration, and an arrogant interviewee is likely to do himself far more harm than good, so make sure your confidence is genuine.
There are a few simple things you can do before and during your interview which will build your confidence. If you follow these steps you will find that you will feel more confident when you are in front of the interviewer.
1. Research the company.
Find out as much as you can about the company by looking at their website or looking them up in a business directory. What particular skills and knowledge do you have that will be useful for them? How will you be of value to this company?
When you know the company's function and philosophy, you will understand their needs and be able to present yourself as someone who can fulfil those needs. The employer will also be impressed by your interest and you are off to a good start. Your initiative will go down well with any interviewer.
2. Dress appropriately and professionally.
The clothes you wear give an instant impression of who you are, and they also have a psychological effect on you. Dress carelessly sloppily, and you will act carelessly and sloppily. Dress smartly and you will feel smart. Look good and you will feel good.
3. Check Your Posture
Make sure that you have a good posture when facing the interviewer. This doesn't mean you have to sit as though you have a rod up your back, but by sitting straight and not slouching you will not only be able to breathe more easily (which will enable you to relax), you will feel more confident. Your answers will then come out more freely and easily.
4. Make eye contact
Bear in mind that the interviewer is just another person, like you. Do not be afraid to look straight into his or her eyes during the interview.
One benefit of this is that you will be able to gauge the interviewer's feelings. You will be able to tell if he is interested in what you are saying, or whether he is getting bored.
On the other hand, don't stare or make eye contact all the time. This could come across as confrontational and scary! On the other end of the scale, avoiding eye contact completely could look as though you are hiding something. When you look into someone's eyes as you give your answers they will be reassured that what you are saying is the truth.
5. Listen.
When we are nervous, we often make the mistake of listening to our own thoughts too much, and then answering the question that we thought we heard! When you actively listen to the interviewer, this has two benefits. Firstly, it will turn off the stuff going on inside your head, and secondly, you will be able to answer the correct question! This active listening will calm your nerves and make you feel more confident because you will understand exactly what is expected of you.
6. Make clear and direct answers.
If you have listened properly, you will be in the position to tell the interviewer exactly what he wants to know. Respond with straight and honest answers. If you waffle you will only show that you are not sure of yourself. Be brief and to the point. Offer appropriate information, but don't go off at a tangent, as you will lose focus and concentration. If you don't understand the question, don't try to bluff it; ask for clarification. Interviewers will respect you more for this.
7. Ask questions.
Before your interview, write down a few things you would like to know about the company. Showing an interest by asking questions is very beneficial. However, try not to just ask about things that only concern you, such as what is the starting salary, or what fringe benefits they give. Ask questions about how you can be of service to the company, perhaps how a particular skill of yours might be of use. By doing this, both of you will know whether you are right for the job.
If you follow these steps you will see your confidence increase and your nerves decrease. Above all, it is important that you believe that you are capable for the job. Without this self belief you will not appear confident to your interviewer, whatever you do.
Most people feel pretty pressured when they're interviewing for a job. You know, sweaty palms, increased heart rate, an elevated desire to curse. It happens to all of us at one point or another. However, there are some tips that you can follow to help you get through the interview at least appearing to be calm and collected. Here are some great job interview tips.
Before the interview rehearse, repeat, and rehearse again. Managers and senior managers who do the interviewing for positions can ask some pretty tough questions. You want to be able to handle those questions without a sweat. Enlist the help of a friend or family member to role play with. They can ask some of the more challenging questions, and you can practice answering them until you've come up with an answer that will pleasantly surprise your interviewer. Some of the toughest questions an interviewer can ask are:
- What are your weaknesses?
- What are your strengths?
- What are you trying to overcome?
- Where do you see yourself in five years?
Tell short and interesting stories that make points. You don't have to be extremely witty to come up with a great story that proves or conveys a point. You can use these stories along with the questions above. For example, if the interviewer asks you, "what are your weaknesses", give him a great story that makes your weakness seem more like a great character trait. A great one would be something like, "I worked for a company a few years ago, and found that many of my employees were giving less than 100% to their jobs. I was left with a lot of slack to pick up. My weakness with this kind of situation is that I expect other employees to give as much as I give to my career. I went along for quite some time doing the things that they neglected, or picking up after their negligent messes. I tried to hint, coerce, and all but force them to do better jobs, and then I realized that not everyone is like me. People are all different. I simply stopped trying to make them do something they were never going to do. Howeveer, I also stopped cleaning up their messes. I know now that I can't do everyone else's job, and at the end of the day, if I'm satisfied with my job, that's enough."
Let it be known that you are interviewing the interviewer. You don't want to come across sounding like an arrogant jerk, but you also don't want to sound desperate. You want the interviewer to understand that you have other options, and you will only be accepting this job if your expectations are met. A great way to say this without sounding arrogant is, "I think that this is an acceptable salary, if there are opportunities to advance within the company." Stick to your original expectations of pay, and don't budge unless better benefits come with a decreased pay, or other perks are added. You know what you're worth.
The best tip of all is to be who you are. If you are a funny person, with a great sense of humor, let it show. Of course you should be professional, but you don't have to be a stick in the mud. 55% of the time, someone is hired because the interviewer liked them. Be yourself, and use these tips and ideas to get through the interview and come out in one piece.
Both Rosamunde Bott & Michael Murray are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Rosamunde Bott has sinced written about articles on various topics from Web Development, Personal Finance and Work From Home. Ros is a career coach with a background in teaching career development. For professional career coaching and confidence development, go to