Interview - Preparation: Confidence; Positive Thoughts & Reinforcement

Preparing for an interview can be nerve-racking. In addition to preparing for questions that could be asked and understanding technical jargon, some simple exercises can be used to help boost your confidence. Below are some simple exercises you can do to help with confidence.

Body Language

1. Smile! :D

Just a few benefits:

  • Smiling makes us attractive and draws people in
  • Smiling is a stress reliever
  • Smiling elevates mood and can trick body since it activates neural messaging in brain
  • Smiling makes us feel good since it releases endorphins, natural painkillers and serotonin
  • Smiling makes you seem to be successful. Studies show that people who smile more appear more confident, appear more approachable and are more likely to be promoted!

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2. Power Pose for 2 minutes a day

"Power Posing leads to hormonal changes that configure your brain to basically be either assertive, confident or comfortable."
~ Amy Cuddy, Social Psychologist at Harvard University
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Wonder Woman Stance

High power poses increased testosterone by 20 percent and decreased cortisol levels by 25 percent.

High and Low Power Poses

Read more here on other power poses:

How to Be Confident and Reduce Stress in 2 Minutes Per Day

Pump Up Song (inspired by Logan!)

Feel good by getting your groove on to your favorite tunes. All star athletes get pumped up before going into a big game or competition with music! This technique can be applied to walking into a job interview! Crank that stereo with a song that makes you feel like a million bucks and get the confidence flowing!

It's the day of the big game -- before heading out to the field, you put on your headphones and blast some music to pump you up. The music seemingly empowers you to do great things. This effect is not all in your head -- according to new research, music truly does make us feel powerful. But not all songs have the same effect, researchers found, and the levels of bass are a key factor in their effectiveness.
~ Science Daily
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Meditation

  • Focus on a time when you felt confident, put yourself back into that feeling and why you felt good.
  • Focus on a time when you felt happy, remember your surroundings, smells, noises, and how you felt.

Positive Thinking & Affirmations

Positive thinking and affirmations are a way to replace negative self-talk and destructive thoughts with positive thoughts. The repetition helps retrain our thoughts and helps boost confidence, reduce stress, boost problem solving skills, and improves productivity. You can read more at Mindtools on ways to write your own personal affirmation statements.

  1. I am confident and calm.
  2. I have a powerful unwavering belief in myself.
  3. I am completely open to new opportunities to find my dream job.
  4. I am happy and grateful for the opportunity to find my dream job
  5. I am completely energized to find my ideal work.
  6. I trust that all things are coming together for me in the way that they are supposed to.
  7. Amazing opportunities are coming my way.
  8. There are no limits to what I can achieve.
  9. I see myself in my ideal teaching job.
  10. I think positively and surround myself with positive energy.
    ~ We Are Teachers

Confidence and feeling good about yourself is key in interviews. Take a few minutes a day to practice the above and see what a difference it can make in your professional and personal life!