Controlling Your Interview Nerves... Before you Even Get There

I read a blog post the other day that claimed the worst thing you can do in a job interview is accept a glass of water, and then be unable to hold it steady because you are so nervous.

That's a bit rough though, isn't it?  It's probably nerves that gives you a dry throat in the first place.  It got me thinking about how it's almost impossible to control your behaviour once you're actually in the interview and that the only way forward is take control of things before you end up in the hot seat.  I suppose this makes it my duty to reveal an Easter Bunny from the hat to show how it can be achieved.  So here goes:

The first thing to realise is that nerves are basically a physical reaction, so that the key to controlling you nerves is controlling your non-verbal behaviour. There are a few ways in which you can do this.

1) Use Positive Thinking Techniques

To suffer from interview nerves is natural but some people undermine themselves so diligently that they basically do not believe they are good enough to do the job.  Either they have a deepseated inferiority complex or they suffer from impostor syndrome

If you think you may fall into this sort of category, consider using techniques such as affirmation (e.g. "I am an excellent, talented... and I'm going to get the job") and visualisation (e.g visualising yourself being offered the job.)

If this theme interests you, there is a whole school of American-inspired literature on the subject of positive thinking. A word of warning here is that some of the writings from across the ocean have a "Get Rich Quick" or bible-bashing feel to them. But the works of many authors, for example Jack Canfield, Brian Tracy or Stephen Covey are generally more palatable to a UK audience.

Positive thinking techniques definitely work - but you can't expect them to start working the night before an interview.  They need time and repetition.

2) Think Of Something Pleasant...

This simple solution was suggested by a girl I used to work with.  In the last five minutes before her interview was called, she would simple imagine herself as a child sitting on a tree swing, gently rocking to and fro.  For her, it was an image of great inner harmony, so that she inevitably felt inwardly relaxed and happy.  So her non-verbal behaviour would be correspondingly relaxed and happy when she was finally invited to go in.  There is a lot of evidence to suggest that first interview impressions can be vital...

Now I can imagine that there are many, many pleasant things that you could find to think of while you wait to be called for an interview and students' suggestions have occasionally been imaginative.  Take your pick!

3) Relaxation and Breathing

Bearing in mind that the origin of nerves is the body, exercises that concentrate on the body like breathing and relaxation exercises as per this NHS guide can with some adaptation also be used to help you calm down immediately before an interview.

On relaxation, I particularly like the Gestalt concept of gradually just noticing each part of your body from the feet up (or head down).  Sometimes just being aware of tension in say your stomach or neck can be enough to resolve it, and this is something you can readily do without anyone else noticing.

4) Just Smile

One of the first things that happens when people become nervous is that they forget to smile.  If you notice that this has happened, try laughing at yourself and you will be smiling!

This is really a behaviourist idea and is based on the theory that if you do the behaviour, the feeling and thinking will fall in line.

The fact that this one doesn't totally ring with me reminds me to mention a couple of extra things:

• The above is a 'horses for courses' list.  Not all the techniques are for everyone, so pick the ones that suit you.
• If you have a major hang-up about job interviews that has resulted from very negative experiences, it might be worth requesting help from a Careers Adviser to get some practice in a non-threatening environment.  If you are a University of Cumbria student or recent graduate, you can do so by contacting us via careers@cumbria.ac.uk

Unpaid Internships: Are they Fair?

The following details were extracted from a Graduate Recruiter magazine article: "Unpaid, Unfair, Unwise" by Danielle Grufferty.

Unpaid internships are increasing and an NUS YouGov poll (Nov 2012) found that unpaid internships are widely seen as an important route into the key professions including media, fashion, finance and politics.

The current cost for a university student is many tens of thousands. This means students are paying for their education before being asked to work for free, but only if they can afford to do so. Confused? Please can somebody illuminate some reason here, any justification? Are we not missing the very purpose of labour laws? Is the fundamental principle not to protect employees?

Our economy is floundering. So when an employer says they will 'let' young people work for free on the vague promise of paying jobs later, they will find desperate people to do it. But just because people are willing to do it, can we really just let the market take over and let it happen?

Alan Milburn's report as the Government's Social Mobility Tsar on Access to Professional Careers argues ''unpaid internships clearly disadvantage those from less affluent backgrounds who cannot afford to work for free for any length of time'' he goes on to say [internships] ''should be subject to similar rules to other parts of the labour market. That means introducing proper, transparent, and a fair process for selection and reasonable terms for employment including renumeration for internships'.

The TUC launched their smartphone app, which allows individuals to work out whether their internship is legal or not, and whether it is of a decent quality - and even provides a calculator by which those who have undertaken unpaid internships can determine how much they should have been paid, and contact HMRC to raise this violation of minimum wage legislation!

TUC Deputy General Secretary Frances O'Grady says 'Whether they are unscrupulous or genuinely unaware of the rules, too many employers are ripping off young people by employing them in unpaid internships that are not only unfair but, in most cases, probably illegal...... it is vital that we crackdown on those internships that offer little but hard graft for no reward. Employers need to know there is no such thing as free labour.''

Do degree scores relate directly to future earnings?

The Big Survey (of over 400 graduates) carried out by Gradcore has confirmed that this is not the case. Therefore if graduates are selected based on degree score as a measure of their overall work performance/potential, talent will remain unidentified. This view is further highlighted by the recent Target Jobs Breakfast where Simon Howard from Work Group suggested that "using the 2:1 as a recruitment filter can be bias against very good candidates on the basis of gender, ethnicity or even subject of study" Also, is a 2:1 from one University the same as a 2:1 from another?
In the light of this there is a need for other measures of graduate employability to be available to graduate recruiters. Two evolving offers are the HEAR (Higher Education Achievement Award) and Skills Awards.
The HEAR has a wide range of potential benefits but it is unclear how easily it will integrate into and add value to graduate selection processes. The "Skills Award" or "Graduate Award" has been instigated by Universities as a means of pulling together information on work experience, volunteering and extra-curricular activity into a certificate or accreditation. Again, the challenge of consistency could mean that it is hard for recruiters to know if an award from one University is the same as an award from another.
The route through this challenge lies in the strengthening of relationships between graduate employers and Universities. Then, by working together, awards/accreditations can be co-created and, as a result, a better understanding of the specific qualities of graduates from certain courses/Universities can be developed as well as the continued analysis by graduate recruiters of what makes a successful hire in their organisations. If this happens, could a 2:1 finally become a smaller part of the overall picture?

Teacher Training - Latest Lessons

Here are the latest grains of wisdom from the quickly shifting sands of teacher training provision, as provided by University careers colleagues who are members of the Teaching and Related Professions Task Group.

Teach First

Recruitment to the programme has been brisk for 2013 entry and over 1000 applicants have already been accepted.  There are still 250 vacancies, but these are mainly for Maths and English.

The scheme now has its own dedicated website www.teachfirst.org.uk including vacancy details and a central application process.

To anticipate a couple of likely faqs:

• About 17.5 % of the 2012 intake ( a total of 997) are teaching in primary schools.
• 36% of 2012 entrants are male - well above the 25% in the profession overall.
• Teach First will accept Psychology graduates to teach Science - but only if they achieve a B.Sc. and have grade B in a science at A Level.

School Direct

News has also reached us that it will be possible to apply for School Direct vacancies through the Graduate Teacher Training Registry when the latest wave of applications for 2014 entry opens on 1st November this year. Application deadlines will for the first time be scrapped. 

Note: School Direct is already making its mark in Cumbria and North Lancashire, and we can expect Teach First to follow suit.