Confidence (HBR Emotional Intelligence Series)

6

To Ace Your Job Interview, Get into Character and Rehearse

By Cathy Salit

You’ve landed an interview for the job of your dreams. You’re ideally suited for the position, and your resume is bulletproof. You’ve researched the company, the culture, the job, and the person who will be interviewing you. (Thank you, LinkedIn.) You’ve got your answers ready and selling points lined up. But when the interview starts, something’s “off.” You want to be commanding, but your nervousness gets in the way. Your voice sounds stiff. You hear yourself trying too hard, but you can’t seem to stop yourself. As the minutes tick by, your answers sound more and more like canned monologues. And your interviewer isn’t warming up—the job opportunity is slipping, slipping, ...