Conquer fear to fare well in job interview
D.C. Sharma

Candidates know that an attitude of cheerfulness about an interview prevents them from feeling tense. A vast majority of them still get nervous before their actual time of trial comes, for they fear that the interviewers will grill them. And that fear inhibits their personality to such an extent that they are bound to flop.

A better approach is to build a firm faith about success. Ignore your past failures, if any. Continuously repenting about failure never leads to success. Always hold a picture of success in your mind’s eye. Psychologist Harry Emerson Fosdick offers this advice: “Picture yourself vividly as winning and that alone will contribute immeasurably to success.”

Do you know how and why you fail in an interview? You actually fear the unfamiliarity of the experience. You often become overconscious of that fear-ridden situation as created by your own imagination. You start fearing how you will face that interview. Florence Scovel Shinn, an eminent teacher of metaphysics, says: “When you are fearful, you begin to attract the thing you fear. You are magnetising it. You are hypnotised by the racing thought when you are afraid.”

And the solution? Yes, you can conquer your fear. You need to build up active faith in yourself. An interviewer doesn’t mean to grill any candidate. He simply wants to help bring out the best in you.

Only a decent dress is not going to pay, though that too matters. No matter how attractive a product appears to be, its value is known only when its inner worth is revealed. You are like a product in the market of job-givers. The one having inner worth is selected out of the numerous ones. Artificiality has no value in the world of cut-throat competition.

Even if you fail once or twice, the heaven is not going to fall. The world is big enough to realise your worth. You are certainly worthy of reaching the place where a person of your calibre is needed. God has ways and means to take you to that place, provided you keep your eyes and ears open to opportunities. There you won’t be a square peg in a round hole. Never yield before failures, howsoever awkward they may be. No interview is intended to embarrass you. It is just meant to expose the real worth in you.

Preparation in itself is not enough. You need to imagine success. Spare some time daily at your own convenience. Be as relaxed and as comfortable as possible. Close your eyes for a few minutes. Then imagine as if you are appearing before an interview board. Imagine a detailed picture of yourself replying to all questions to the entire satisfaction of the interviewers. Feel the thrill of that experience of success. Close the relaxation session with a firm vision of success.

This is not a futile exercise. It certainly builds up active faith when practised with conviction. Patience and perserverance are needed. They surely release the potential in you. And when your worth comes to the forefront, who can stop you from getting sure success?