“I had a job interview at an insurance company once and the lady said “Where do you see yourself in five years?” and i said “Celebrating the fifth year anniversary of you asking me this question”"

-Mitch Hedburg

On Monday, I took a test as part of an interview process for an Information Technology (IT) position I was applying for.

The pressure was on.

There were about 10 other candidates.

We were all dressed for the occasion…

We all sat in a waiting area.

We had been informed that there was only a 40% pass rate.

As you might imagine… it was a rather tense environment.

Why is it that we tend to ‘tighten up’ and get nervous in and around the interview process?

More importantly, how do we release the tension and Own the Interview?

3 Easy Techniques to Own an Interview:

1. Do all the stuff you already know to do:  Dress appropriately, have impeccable hygiene, anticipate standard interview questions, be prepared with several of your own questions to demonstrate knowledge of the company (and more importantly, ensure you will get what you want out of employment), etc.  Some people can take this process too far… but if it is what makes you comfortable… it is better to do it so that you have the confidence that comes from comfort and preparedness.
2. Change your attitude:  Who is being interviewed here?  What if they were pitching their company to you?  You have to decide if this is really the kind of place you want to be working.  Are they really offering you what you’re worth?… Well of course not… but are they really offering you an acceptable amount?  Most people walk into an interview thinking of what they have to do in order to convince the interviewer that they are the man/woman for the job.  When you walk into an interview considering what the company will have to do in order to get you as an employee… your entire energy changes.
3. Breathe and Smile:  Looking around at the other people taking the test… there was a lot of stone faces and tight physiology.  Almost all the breathing seemed to be coming from the chest.  I think I was the only one smiling.  Anytime you realize you are getting tense… remember to breathe deeply and smile.  Anytime you notice that you are resisting a certain concept… breathe deeply and smile (whether you decide it is a useful concept or not… it only causes problems when you mentally make the concept ‘your enemy’).  Anytime you notice the group of people around you doing anything you feel is less than constructive… breathe deeply and smile… before ‘herd instinct’ kicks in.  When you are breathing deeply and smiling, you are as ready as you can be for anything that comes up in the interview process!

Yet again… I have one more Technique for you

A Course in Miracles:  Day 18

The game for Day 18 (and our 4th technique) is:

I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my seeing.

This helps us to recognize that what goes on in one mind… tends to have effects on other minds as well.

Or as the Course puts it:  “Minds are joined”

This also helps us recognize the importance of our thoughts.

For this game, you will want to  look at the objects around you and say:

“I am not alone in experiencing the effects of how I see X.”

Where “X” is whatever object you are seeing.

As usual, you will want to practice 3 to 4 times throughout the day for about a minute.

Of course, it is also useful to consider throughout the day:  “I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my seeing.”

How does this relate to the interview?

Again, herd mentality.

If you don’t make a point of leading your own thinking process… it will be swept along with the current of thinking in whatever group you are a part of.

Considering this in light of Monday’s test/interview… even I felt a certain nervous energy… even with the breathing and smiling exercises.

In my first interview… when there were no other people… just me and the interviewer… I felt much more calm.  I didn’t even have to consciously practice breathing and smiling because it was coming naturally.

The energy is not necessarily a bad thing.

The resistance is what we want to let go of… not the energy.

It’s arguable how much this energy helps on a standardized test… but it can definitely help in a wide variety of situations.

The key is to relax into that sense of flow.  Being able to ‘feel the flow‘ is priceless in an interview… and anywhere else you decide to take it in your life!

I’ll leave you with one more quote to lighten up the thought process around interviews.

“He had a fool proof plan for not getting a job – In the event of an interview wear flip-flops.”

-Alan Davies

Many people seem to think that smiling and relaxing are the equivalent of ‘wearing flip-flops’.

This isn’t the case.

When you are relaxed and smiling in an interview, you don’t just own the interview… you also own your power.

And when you own your power… you will blow people away!

keep smiling,

Ben

P.S.  I have integrated the exercises from A Course in Miracles into other posts in this article and 3 Powerful Methods of Erasing the Cause of Anger

I have also brought them to you with actual events occurring in my life.  I do this in the hope that you will see how to apply this in your life.

The real power isn’t in doing exercises from ACIM so you can become a ’spiritual snob’ around your friends… the real power is in taking these practices into your life… thus transforming your life… thus transforming the world.

Please let me know how well this is working for you when you leave your comment below!

Tagged as: A Course in Miracles, interview, relax