CareerLife Nigeria was conceived out of the passion to help solve the issue of un-employability among graduates.
SLA contributor, Yewande Jinadu who is also the founder of CareerLife Nigeria is someone who had earlier struggled with interviews which she dreaded so much until she decided to pursue Talent Acquisition as a career path and learned how it felt to be at the other side of the table.
The pilot edition of the Employability Fitness Program(EFP) held on the 13th July 2019 was aimed at helping jobseekers overcome interview phobia by putting them in an interview with HR Professionals and Subject Matter Experts so that the feedback they would get would be personalized to their unique need and deficiency.
The following steps will help you deal with Interview phobia:
1. Understand yourself
Overcoming phobia has a lot to do with you! Understand your shortcomings and work on it.
Being self-aware is much more than knowing your weakness. It’s also about knowing your strengths accurately.
If you know why the organization should hire you, you would definitely do better. When you saw the job description, you looked through and were convinced this job was for you.
All that is left is to prepare yourself ahead and establish why you should be given the job. Preparation is VERY IMPORTANT!
2. Go in with the mindset of “Why wouldn’t they hire me”
It’s only if you have lied in your application that you would be scared. When you go with a convinced mindset, you are one step closer to avoiding fear.
Most job seekers go into an interview with an uncertain mind so they cower at any slight intimidation.
3. Communicate your value to your employer
An interview isn’t all about you and what you stand to gain if employed.
Employers are hunting for value in talents and if you’re not able to portray that during the interview, you would most likely get a rejection email.
So think through your value and ensure you communicate it clearly.
4. Always have transferable skills
Most fresh graduates believe they have nothing to offer just because they don’t have a long list of experience to show forth which is WRONG.
Transferable skills are mostly soft skills and competencies that are important for the role you are applying to. You may have led a team while in school or provided a solution to a big problem during your NYSC.
Don’t despise those ‘little’ experiences because they can be very relevant in your new role.
5. Don’t go into an interview feeling defeated
What’s the worst that could happen after an interview? You get a NO! You move on…
I realized that when you put your whole life into something and have packed yourself with so much fear, the interview becomes a do or die affair.
This increases the likelihood of you messing up. I’m not saying you shouldn’t prepare well and take it seriously but don’t spoil it by putting too much pressure on yourself.
I wish you the best in your career! If you would like to join the free 3 months post-coaching session, visit CareerLife Nigeria.
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