Should You Practice Interviewing?

 Does the old saying “practice makes perfect” really matter in your job interview? It’s a common concern for most interviewees, worried about how they come across in their interview and how they’ll answer those seemingly tough questions – so the question remains should practice be a part of your job search strategy?

“If you‘re not practicing, somebody else is, somewhere, and he’ll be ready to take your job.” Brooks Robinson

While the quote may seem a bit harsh, in reality if you aren’t taking the time to polish your interview skills – someone else out there probably is and it can be the deciding factor for what makes your interview go from slightly okay to stellar.

If nothing else, practice for confidence. The more you rehearse and visualize the interview process, the questions being asked, and the free flowing articulate answers that you will give – the more confident, calm, cool and collected you’ll be during the interview.

Studies have shown that simply visualizing an activity and running through it in your mind can have the same effects as actually going through something physically. The subconscious mind doesn’t know how to tell the difference between something real and perceived – it’s the exact reason we hear about basketball players imaging that smooth “swoosh” of the net.

When practicing your interview questions and answers don’t worry about knowing what exact questions they will ask you. What you are looking to do is increase your confidence in your responses, answer slowly and precisely, and be able to think on your feet.  You don’t want your answers to sound scripted and perfected – you want to be real and genuine and practicing too much could make you sound like a professional interviewee.

Practice for the sake of practicing, not perfection.