Do you get anxious thinking about attending an interview?  Are you nervous during the interview?  There are techniques you can apply to increase your confidence and excel during an interview.

Using Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) techniques to boost your confidence during an interview can be highly effective. Here are some tailored techniques you might find useful:

1. Anchoring Confidence

Objective: Create a powerful anchor to access confidence.

Technique:
– Identify a Resourceful State: We can help you recall a previous experience where you felt extremely confident and successful and guide you to vividly remember the details of that experience, including what you saw, heard, and felt.
– Establish the Anchor: You can then create a physical gesture (like touching their thumb and forefinger together) or a specific word or phrase that can be used to trigger this confident state.
– Reinforce the Anchor: Then practice the gesture or phrase multiple times while you are in a confident state, ensuring it becomes strongly associated with those feelings.

2. Visual Rehearsal

Objective: Prepare yourself mentally for the interview by visualising success.

Technique:
– Create a Mental Movie: Close your eyes and imagine the interview scenario from start to finish. Visualise yourself performing confidently, answering questions effectively, and engaging positively with the interviewer.
– Enhance the Visualisation: Add sensory details to the visualisation – what are you wearing, how are you sitting in the interview, tune into your posture, consider the tone of your voice, and think about the responses of the interviewer. Make it as vivid and detailed as possible.
– Rehearse Regularly: Practice this mental rehearsal daily leading up to the interview to reinforce your confidence.

3. Reframing Negative Thoughts

Objective: Transform negative or limiting beliefs into positive, empowering thoughts.

Technique:
– Identify Limiting Beliefs: Pinpoint any negative thoughts or self-doubt about the interview.
– Reframe the Beliefs: Reframe these thoughts into more positive and constructive beliefs. For example, if you think, “I’m not good enough for this job,” reframe it to, “I have unique skills and experiences that make me a strong candidate.”
– Reinforce the New Beliefs: Use affirmations and visualisation techniques to help internalise and reinforce these new, positive beliefs.

4. Future Pacing

Objective: Ensure you feel prepared and confident by mentally experiencing a successful outcome.

Technique:
– Describe a Successful Interview: Imagine a future scenario where the interview went exceptionally well. Focus on how you felt, how the interviewers responded positively, and the subsequent outcomes.
– Integrate the Success: Use this positive experience as a template for your upcoming interview, making the successful outcome feel more real and achievable.

5. Using NLP Language Patterns

Objective: Use language that supports confidence and positive thinking.

Technique:
– Positive Self-Talk: Teach yourself to replace self-critical or doubtful language with positive affirmations and statements. For example, instead of saying, “I hope I do well,” they might say, “I am well-prepared and confident.”
– Presuppositions: Use language patterns that presuppose success, such as, “When you impress the interviewer with your skills,” which sets the expectation of a positive outcome.

6. State Management

Objective: Maintain a resourceful state throughout the interview.

Technique:
– State Change Techniques: Teach yourself how to quickly shift to a confident state if you start to feel nervous. Techniques like deep breathing, power poses, or quick physical movements can be effective.
– Practice Self-Awareness: Start to notice when you’re slipping into a less resourceful state and use the anchoring techniques or other state management strategies to regain confidence.

7. Meta-Modelling

Objective: Challenge and change any generalised or limiting beliefs that may affect confidence.

Technique:
– Questioning: Use the Meta-Model questions to challenge generalisations and assumptions that undermine confidence. For example, if you say, “I always mess up interviews,” ask, “What specifically happened in past interviews? How can you ensure a different outcome this time?”

By combining these techniques, you can help build a robust sense of confidence and approach their interview with a positive and empowered mindset.