How to Choke in a Job Interview

20 February 2017

Would you like to really, really, really fluff your next job interview?  Here is how:

How to Choke in a Job Interview

Step 1: Worry about what the interviewer will think of you.  We know from neuroscience that when we worry a great chunk of our working memory is taken up leaving less space for thinking about interview answers.

Step 2: Tie your self worth to what you think the interviewer is thinking of you.  Then allow yourself to imagine the interviewers are thinking terrible thoughts about you.

Step 3: Go into the interview cold with zero practice or thought of what they might ask you about.

Step 4: Immediately before your interview focus deeply on how nervous, worried, scared and inadequate you are feeling.

Step 5: Keep telling yourself how much interviews stress you out.

How NOT to Choke in a Job Interview

Step 1: Practice how to mindfully clear unwanted thoughts from your mind so you can reliably bring your thoughts to the ones you want to have.

Step 2: Remind yourself of your personal values and the good things you do so you remember your own personal self worth.

Step 3: Practice answering mock interview questions – a lot.  Do this under pressure type situations so you build strong neural connections to the relevant information.

Step 4: Immediately before your interview play upbeat music that makes you feel good, go for a long walk to release endorphins, skip, dance, stretch and get out of your mind and into your body.

Step 5: Tell yourself how excited you are rather than how stressed you are – it’s a fine line between stress and excitement and you can deliberately put yourself on the excitement side to boost performance.

Bonus Step

Choking is easier than NOT Choking.  NOT Choking requires you to take deliberate and planned action.  People only take effort if they feel the outcome is worth it.  So as a bonus step to safeguard against choking make yourself a list of why the role you are being interviewed for is worth it.

As always, wishing you a Flourishing Career.

Katherine