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Don’t be shy: ways to boost your interview confidence

Being shy doesn’t mean you should be discouraged when it comes to interviews. By being prepared and making the most of your skills, leaving university and landing your first graduate job can be made much less fraught.

Planning, preparation and practise are key to reducing the stress of interviews. Plan early: create a ‘campaign strategy’ listing things you need to cover. Being prepared will make the world of difference when you’re facing an interviewer. Start by listing your own strengths – it can be useful to get someone you know to help you be objective. Next, make sure your skills match up to the requirements of the position. If you’re missing one or two points on your list, try to think of something you’ve done that demonstrates the ability required by the employer and check that it’s not just on your list but written in a different way. If you do have a significant skills gap, think again about whether you’re suitable for the job – though if you think you’re able to do the job well despite this, explain to the recruiter that you’re willing to learn.

Don’t feel that your shyness excludes you from any position, even those which are customer facing or front of house.

Next, make sure you’re familiar with the employer – what it is they do and how the position you’re applying for fits into the business. Try to think of responses to likely questions such as ‘Why do you want to work for us?’ and ‘What do you feel you could bring to the organisation?’ University careers services often run mock interviews and can provide useful feedback. One advantage is that you are less likely to be familiar with the careers adviser, and as such can be a good opportunity to rehearse your new techniques on a stranger. It’s also a good idea to try to rope in a friend or family member for extra practise.

Practical tips for overcoming shyness

When it comes to the interview itself the best approach is to relax and take things slowly – easier said than done you might think but with these tips you should be better prepared to face your interview demons.

Relax
If you’re often shy when meeting new people, or just in pressured situations such as interviews, you can trick your body and mind into thinking they’re relaxed, by which time you actually will be. There are various techniques for relaxation, not all involving crystals, incense or whale song.

Breathe deeply
By slowing down your breathing before you go into an interview, you will slow down your heart rate and make yourself more relaxed.

Check your body language
Be aware of your posture. When you stand and sit properly, you will look and feel more confident and alert.

Smile
Not only will this make you look more comfortable, but smiling also releases endorphins in the brain, which can actually make you feel better.

Make eye contact
Maintaining eye contact is paramount, though it can be difficult if you’re shy. Try your best to look at your interviewer while they’re talking; this lets them know you’re interested and paying attention. Bear in mind that if you can’t make eye contact while you’re talking, this can be interpreted as being untrustworthy or lacking confidence in what you say though don’t scare the interviewer off by staring the whole time! You can practise this with a friend until you’re comfortable.

At the interview

When talking to your interviewer, try to speak slowly and clearly. Be aware of the pace of your speech; too fast and you run the risk of losing your thread (or the focus of your interviewer) as well as running out of breath. You may think that the faster you speak, the sooner you can escape but in reality this will only serve to make you more nervous. Try to break up your conversation with occasional questions. This serves to create a more relaxed atmosphere by creating a more natural conversation as well as making you look interested in the company.

Try to appear relatively confident, even if you are very nervous. By acting in this way you will look and feel more self-assured. You may like to tell your interviewer that you are nervous or shy but try not to let it come across on its own. Remember that nearly all candidates will be nervous at an interview, and that being overly confident or ‘cocky’ is likely to be more off-putting and less appealing to an interviewer.

Concentrate on your strengths and abilities but don’t brag. If you relate these skills to particular situations in which you have demonstrated them, it will seem less like boasting.

Above all, think positive. While it may sound clichéd it will change the way you act and speak, making you appear more confident and happier.

University careers services often run mock interviews and can provide useful feedback.

Where could I work?

Don’t feel that your shyness excludes you from any position, even those which are customer-facing or front of house. People skills are not the same as being extroverted or ‘outgoing’. Listening is an important aspect of dealing with people and is a vital skill in areas such as retail, where customer needs must be anticipated and met in order for the company to succeed. Certain industries may not require you to meet with customers, such as IT development and engineering roles.

What if I'm not successful?

Most importantly, you should remember that there will always be another chance. To miss out on a job is never the end of the world: you can ask for feedback on your interview to improve your chances for the next time, take some time to improve your skills or even learn some new ones.

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