You imagine worst case scenarios.
You know that the interviewer will make a snap decision about you in the first 11 seconds and you need to come across as confident, capable and likeable. But you can’t control someone’s gut reaction, can you?
Actually, you can.
Self confidence doesn’t come naturally to most people. But with a few simple mind hacks, you can calm your thoughts, boost your confidence and come across as a strong, capable person.
When people see that you believe in yourself, they will believe in you too.
How to feel more confident
Your level of confidence all depends on the thoughts and chemicals that are bouncing around in your brain.
If you sabotage yourself with thoughts like, “What if I’m nervous and I say the wrong thing,” your negativity comes through loud and clear.
It doesn’t have to be that way. It only takes a few easy mind hacks to change your body language, change your thoughts and even change your brain chemistry.
Then they’ll see the confident you shining through.
Like Derek Halpern, an expert on the psychology of marketing, in this 5 minute video called, “How to be confident.”
Halpern overcame his insecurities as a college student by pretending to be confident in low stakes situations where he had nothing to lose. Now Halpern projects a powerful presence.
Halpern references a mind hack introduced by Amy Cuddy in her Ted Talk, “Your body language shapes who you are.”
Quickie Self Confidence Booster #1: Power Posing
Your body language changes you inside and out
When you hold your body in a power stance, your brain chemistry changes and you immediately feel more confident and powerful. This changes the way you see yourself, and the way other people see you too.
It seems silly, but give it a try. Find a private place, put your hands on your hips, lift your chin and stand strong like Wonder Woman (or Super Man). Or raise your arms like you just won a gold medal.
Within 2 minutes, a power stance creates a 20 percent increase in testosterone and a 25 percent decrease in the stress hormone cortisol. Which makes you feel more confident and powerful.
Cuddy explains why this works with examples and the research behind it in this video:
Quickie Self Confidence Booster #2: Smile
Now that you’ve done your power stance, let’s push it up a notch with a big smile.
It tells your brain you’re happy. It makes other people happy. It boosts your self confidence. It makes you more likeable.
Which is great because it takes more than confidence to do well in a job interview. You also need to come across as warm and trustworthy.
The scientific proof is in another amazing Ted Talk by Ron Gutman called “The Hidden Power of Smiling.”
Quickie Self Confidence Booster #3: Redirect your thoughts
Now that you’ve taken control of your body language, it’s easier to take control of your thoughts.
Let’s redirect your thoughts from negative mind chatter to good feeling thoughts.
To get the ball rolling, write down three good things that you did in the last 24 hours.
Next, if you’re preparing for a job interview, write down three things you’ve done that prove that you would do well in this job. You can use these examples when you’re answering questions in the interview. But even if you don’t get the opportunity to share them, it helps to have these memories swimming around in the back of your mind while you’re in the meeting.
Recipe to feel more confident in 5 minutes
Find a private place and bring a pen and paper.
- Power pose for 2 minutes.
- Write down 3 good things you did in the last 24 hours.
- Smile and set an intention to listen well and respond positively.
Do these mind hacks help you feel more confident?
Try these mind hacks and please let me know how it goes in the comments section below.
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- Tackling the question: What is your biggest weakness?
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