Job seeking is often a nerve-wracking process. Once you get that all-important interview, your nerves are at their highest. Thirty minutes before your interview begins, do these three interview exercises to calm yourself down, collect your mind and get ready to make a great first impression.
These pre-interview exercises require you to find a calm, quiet place somewhere near your interview location. Choose a park, a quiet area in the library or another place where you can stretch undisturbed. It is possible to perform most of these interview exercises in your car.
The first interview exercise is deep breathing. This exercise calms your body and focuses your mind. Sit or stand quietly and slowly breathe in, then slowly breathe out. Take a full 10 counts for each inhalation and exhalation. Make sure the air fills your body all the way to your diaphragm, the muscle located right below your lungs. You know you are taking deep, relaxing breaths when you see your belly expand and contract as you breathe.
Deep breathing is an essential part of a cool, calm and collected pre-interview strategy. If you do not have time to do all three exercises, make sure you at least take the time to practice deep breathing before your interview begins.
The second interview exercise is simple stretching. It is best performed in a quiet area with some space to move, but you can modify this exercise if you need to perform it in a car.
Begin by stretching your arms high in the air and then bending down to touch your toes. Slowly rise to a standing position, and repeat the process four or five times. Then, extend your arms in front of you. Slowly pivot your arms until they are stretched out at your sides, then draw your arms backwards and clasp your hands behind you. Slowly bring your arms back to the front, and repeat this process four or five times.
Slowly drop your neck forward, then roll your head to the right, to the back, to the left and back to the front. Repeat this process four or five times. Complete your simple stretching with some basic knee bends or plies, or jump a few times to boost your energy.
The third interview exercise is a vocal warmup. Practice saying your name, stating why you are a good candidate for the job or reciting your favorite poem or song lyric aloud. The simple act of warming up your voice before an interview makes you sound more clear, confident and rejuvenated.
Job seeking is a stressful process, so do everything you can to reduce the visible effects of stress before going into that all-important interview. These interview exercises give you better focus, so you are calm and ready for your interview.
(Photo courtesy of Ambro / freedigitalphotos.net)
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