A job search can be stressful time in a person’s life, and staying positive can make a world of difference in how a candidate is viewed through the eyes of the interviewer. You may well know all the practical information about resume writing, cover letter tips, facing the interview, follow-up responses and so on. But how do you avoid getting wrapped up in all the stress and worry of a job hunt and maintain a positive outlook? The more confident you feel, the more it will demonstrate. Be poised and hold your head high with these useful interview tips:

Be Prepared

The first step of being confident in an interview is to be thoroughly prepared.  Dressing well and being presentable is a given, but what’s even more important is the confidence you exude. The Interviewer will be charmed at the knowledge you have about the company you are interviewing at, and the way you present your knowledge and conversation skills to the table. Your interviewer needs to know that you are what you say on your resume. By preparing for an interview ahead of time, you can always anticipate with confidence how it will play out.

Positive Body Language

The way you hold yourself can make you appear strong and positive – or it can completely let you down. By practicing steady breathing and keeping yourself grounded, you maintain control over your body physically and mentally. Make an attentive effort to make eye contact with your interviewer. Looking down, glancing away from them or being fidgety can make you appear unsure of yourself – or even worse, unreliable. While you don’t want to appear completely relaxed, show your interviewers you can handle the pressure of being in the spotlight. Stay calm and collected, but also be alert and ready for action.

Be Sociable

While you want to treat your interviewers respectfully, you should also keep in mind they are human beings, just like you. Try to make connections both on a professional and personal level throughout your interview. When you speak, be clear and concise – but not robotic. Instead of just responding to questions, answer it by giving a thought about the question, which will show that you’re thinking critically about the topic at hand. When it’s not your turn to speak, listen carefully. You’ll always be given time to respond – whether prompted to or not – but be sure they’re done speaking before you say anything.

Face Your Anxiety

It’s natural to be nervous or stressed out before a job interview. In fact, the right amount of stress can actually motivate you to succeed if you face it head-on and power through it. Remember: The worst that can happen is you don’t get the job. Even a failed interview counts toward experience and will lead to personal growth. You’ve got nothing to lose, and everything to gain.

Start By Giving Confident Introduction

The most usual and frequent question which is asked at the beginning of interview is ‘Tell me something about yourself’. Purpose for asking this question is twofold: a) To make you feel relaxed about yourself – as this could be the easiest question for you to start feeling confortable at the very beginning; and b) To check your condifence while you describe about yourself.

Maximum students commit blunder, when they start answering this question, without thinking much about it. They mention their hobbies which they never mastered, or books they have never read. Most importantly, they never structure their response for this very important question.

Best strategy to answer this question is to narrate, or describe about yourself, in decreasing order. For example, if a student is pursuing his / her studies in MBA, which is a post-graduate program, student needs to share about himself / herself in the following order:

1. Complete name with surname.
2. The course the student is pursuing currently, which is MBA, along with specialization.
3. Name of college from where Graduation has been completed, along with stream (Arts, Commerce, Science, BBA, Engineering) and specialization.
4. Schools from where studies for Std. 12^th and 10^th has been completed.
5. Details of parents and siblings with respect to name, and what they do.
6. Details of hobbies. While sharing about your hobbies, be very specific, as you might be asked in detail about it. For example, if you mention reading books and cooking as your hobby, you may be required to answer questions like who is your favourite author, which is your favourite novel, what recipes you cook the best etc.

Always remember that the interview isn’t just a session to figure out what skills and experience you possess, it’s a chance for you to let your personality show and to prove that you’d be a good fit for the team. Have confidence in yourself, believe that you’re capable of landing this job. So practice potential questions and your answers, but also work on building confidence in yourself and having a positive outlook.