It’s a fact – job interviews are stressful. Even the most qualified candidates who graduated top of their classes in school experience some degree of sweaty palms and nervous tremors at the prospect of going to a job interview. One way to quell those nerves and dry your palms is to rehearse for your next interview. The problem is that this is advice you’ve heard before. You simply don’t know how to go about doing it. Here’s what you need to do to get started.

1)   Wear the clothes you plan to wear for the interview. It will help you feel more comfortable and confident in those clothes and, oddly enough, help you feel more relaxed in them when the real interview comes along. It will also give you an indication ahead of time if there’s something about the suit that makes you uncomfortable or could become a point of embarrassment during the interview.

2)   Use the Internet to write up a likely list of interview questions and have a friend ask the questions while video recording the mock interview. This will give you a valuable resource to go over later and find weak points to concentrate on and strong points to maximize in the interview process. The video can be an incredibly useful tool in helping you perfect your interview questions, answers, and body language “tells.”

3)   Rehearse on your own in front of a mirror. This differs from the mock video camera rehearsal in that it’s just you and the mirror answering the questions. Make eye contact with the person in the mirror. Does he seem sincere and earnest when answering the questions? More importantly, does he come across as personable and someone you’d like to work with? Pay attention to your smile and how nervous you appear. Also listen to the words you’re saying and hear them coming from the face in the mirror. Do you believe that person could be a true asset to the business or organization in question?

4)   Let your personality shine. People don’t want to work with robots that can memorize and recite facts and figures. They want to work with real people who are capable of doing the job with gusto. If you get the job, you’re going to spend a lot of time each and every day in your place of employment. Practice moments when you can let your personality shine a bit in the interview. Work your personality and perspective into the answers you provide. Give the interviewer a glimpse into who you are and not just what you can offer.

You’ve worked so hard just to get to the interview stage. Rehearsing ahead of time won’t eliminate all the nerves you’re going to have, but it can definitely help you get them under control.

For more support with your job search, including access to full time and temporary assignments, consider the advantages of contracting with a quality employment resource like Davis Staffing.