Business

<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   Related Stories • Lessons learned from years of professional resume writing 6/24/09 • Don't let reorganization stress you out at work 6/17/09   CONTACT THE HERALD Mike Benbow, Business Editor benbow@heraldnet.com   Published: Wednesday, April 22, 2009 How to deal with anxiety and ace the interview By Eve Nicholas You conducted your initial job research, picked out a great organization, and sent the hiring manager a copy of your results-oriented, customized resume. A few weeks later, your phone rang, and even though the call surprised you (note for next time: always be ready for potential employers to call), the outcome was ideal. You landed an interview! But, rather than feeling proud of your initial accomplishment, your heart started pounding. You know this feeling. You remember it from the last time you searched for a job. It's interview anxiety, a powerful yet relatively common emotional state that compels many job seekers to quake with fear. If you find yourself in this predicament -- palms sweating, unclear mind -- take a few minutes to calm down. Do something completely unrelated to job hunting, like taking a walk, or placing a phone call to a trusted friend. In a moment or two, you'll be ready to shift your perspective on your situation, and remind yourself what job interviews are all about. First, pat yourself on the back for your recent accomplishments. You wrote an attention-grabbing resume, selected an appropriate company and aced the phone call. You already took initiative, demonstrated your skills and outperformed other candidates. Next, it's time to remind yourself about the role of interviews in your job hunt. They aren't experiments, tests or challenges to overcome. They're step-stools to opportunities that were previously out of your reach. They allow you to learn about potential workplaces, negotiate higher salaries and explore new directions in your career. In most cases, interviewers are accessible, not intimidating. And, even though they evaluate your background and capabilities, and make decisions that influence your life, they don't have the power (or inclination) to judge your value as an individual. Most job seekers find their interview anxiety melts away once they prepare for the actual meeting. Remember, your goal is to walk into the interview room with confidence, and engage the employer in a conversation about the benefits that you will bring to the company. Keep the following tips in mind: Organize your thoughts by reviewing your own work history and reminding yourself of your past accomplishments. If it's been a while since you wrote your resume, look it over. You should know what's on it, and be ready to expand upon every detail of your experience. Make sure that you have solid responses to tough interview questions. Gear up to discuss your career objectives, past jobs, employment gaps, strengths and weaknesses and other aspects of your professional life. Read the newspaper and search online for information about the company and its leadership team. Find out everything you can about the culture and vision of the organization. Try to pinpoint areas of potential growth and improvement, and come up with a few ideas that you can offer as a new employee or manager. Preserve your first impression with these basic principles of professionalism: Timeliness, attire and attitude. And, bring several copies of your resume and references to the meeting. To minimize anxiety after the meeting, take the opportunity to ask about you status at the end of the interview, like this: "Now that we discussed a few of my qualifications, how do you think I fit in for this position?" The ensuing conversation can help you plan your next step. Send your job search questions to Eve.GetAJob@gmail.com. READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

1. Girl's death in car crash stuns Granite Falls 2. 787 starts ‘final gantlet' of tests before first flight 3. Inmates to help families of police 4. Lewd baristas face stricter rules 5. Swine flu shots to be available to all in county 6. Woman who died in fire named 7. Roe picked as interim prosecutor 8. Gregoire's budget offers no easy way out of deficit 9. Payout of $44.7 million to clean up Asarco contamination in Everett 10. Roche Harbor's second derby a big hit 2 - Top 10 Stories Most Talked about 3 - Top 10 Stories Most Emailed

• Zambian woman thanks students for their help • Food banks see rise in use • ‘Making Spirits Bright’ in Edmonds • Wolfpack takes aim at state • Seahawks help students smile • 95 and still volunteering • Sno-King joined by local TV king • Veterans back for Wildcats • Lynnwood seeks to plug $2 million budget gap • Snohomish County offers the best and most affordable venues for conferen ... • Boeing will build, flight test and deliver 787s in South Carolina to spe ... • Snohomish County EDC promoting job growth in key industry clusters • $4 million grant to advance brain tumor research has Everett links • Providence medical center construction tops off its 12-story steel frame ... • Tulalip affordable housing project to be financed by KeyBank, Raymond Ja ... • Arlington's Lak of Ink has a growing following for Luke Kooyman's creati ... • Bank of the Northwest formed