SELF-EMPLOYED FREELANCERS: EXUDE
CONFIDENCE AND BE AT YOUR VERY BEST IN JOB INTERVIEWS
by
Peter Murphy
In this
article I will be covering a peak performance strategy
that top sportspeople and professional communicators use all over
the world. It is called mental rehearsal, which is widely known
about only the difference here is that we will incorporate
several NLP distinctions into the process to maximize the positive
effect of this mental conditioning. Neuro-Linguistic Programming
or NLP is the study of human excellence and by utilizing NLP you
can be at your best when you need to be in a job interview. I will
walk you through the process by applying it to an interview situation.
The process of Job Interviews for Freelancers & Consultants..
1)
Define in detail how you want to perform in the interview:
Describe
to yourself in words the way you want to be. How would
you look and sound to a neutral observer? e.g. I see myself in an
interview room sitting by a desk. I look relaxed, and I am
smiling, alert and energetic. I am paying close attention to the
other people in the room. My posture is upright and I am making
conversation easily and effortlessly. I exude confidence.
2)
Mentally rehearse the interview from the perspective of an
observer:
In your
imagination visualize yourself at the interview
comfortable and at ease meeting people, feeling relaxed and
confident. Pretend that you are observing yourself from the
other side of the room. The trick here is to imagine events
unfolding in vivid 3D with rich colors. For many people, making
the image large and close also helps to make it feel more
realistic. Have fun playing with the image until it seems as
real as watching TV or a movie screen.
Take care
also to introduce sounds - maybe the scratching of a
pen on paper, the squeak of a moving chair or the sound of your
own voice exuding authority and confidence. You can make sounds
come to life by turning up the volume as you imagine that you are
listening to full, resonant sounds in the room so that it is as
if you are really there. Introduce feeling as well - sense the
atmosphere in the room, the temperature and mood, and soak up the
aura of success that you exude in the imagined picture.
Then introduce
different scenarios for different types of people
you may encounter.
Imagine talking to someone who is putting you
under pressure! See yourself politely dealing with everything
thrown at you. What will you do if you are left sitting there
facing a wall of silence? See yourself acting decisively and
without fear to move onto the next opportunity to create rapport.
Picture yourself at ease whoever you talk to, it is especially
important to consider worst-case scenarios and to visualize
yourself handling each challenge with unstoppable confidence.
3)
Mentally rehearse the interview from your own perspective
When you
are pleased with the imagined performance you are
producing, step inside the image of yourself and run through the
scenarios again as if YOU are now doing it. See, feel and hear
it as if it is really happening. This time, you are looking out
into the world from your own eyes, so your arms are directly in
front of you with people facing you, as you feel your clothes on
your body. Allow it all to unfold in great detail - make it as
real as possible by letting your imagination free to create a
rich and colorful panoramic view of a successful day. Finally,
pay special attention again to feelings, really spend time
imagining yourself feeling exactly the way you want to feel, and
then crank it up and double the intensity until it could not
possibly get any better. Then, imagine it even better again!
4)
Set up a peak performance signal
Ask yourself
- what signal will you use as a reminder to use your
ability to perform in this way? I use the feeling of sitting on
my own and getting tense as my mind goes blank. The signal can be
something you see, feel or hear inside or outside yourself and it
must happen at or close to the point of wanting to speak to
someone. Other examples include seeing yourself surrounded by a
group of strangers, hearing someone ask you your opinion, or the
feeling that you want to be more outgoing even as you feel
yourself getting more self-conscious right now - why not use
self-consciousness to trigger better communication skills!
Imagine
the signal happening and visualize yourself performing at
your best in the interview.
Some final
points. Like anything in life it takes time to get
really good at mental rehearsal. Using this visualization
technique for twenty minutes a day will train your brain to
perform new behaviors. The results will astound you.
Judge
mental rehearsal by trying it out in the real world and
decide for yourself how effective it can be. Use it to prepare
for those crucial job interviews and enjoy the satisfaction that
comes from knowing that you are performing at your very best.
Eventually
you will be able to use this approach in day-to-day
situations on the spur of the moment by focusing on using the
power of your imagination.
Peter
Murphy is a peak performance expert. He recently produced a
very popular 5 Day Persuasion Mastery Ecourse. You can still
enroll free if you send a mailto:5daypersuasion@sendfree.com
Peter
Murphy is a peak performance expert. He recently
produced a
very popular 5 Day Persuasion Mastery Ecourse. You can still enroll
free if you send an email
