Step 6: Land a Job Interview

Job interviews are terrifying - especially if it's only your third one! But, to quote my sister's wise boyfriend;

"From my own experience being involved in the hiring process, it's just as nerve-wracking for the interviewer as it is for you. OM MANI PAME HUM."

Though it may not calm you down entirely to know that your potential employer is just as stressed out as you are, there are some things that you can do to help ease your worries.

1. Know the company. Simply checking out their webpage and seeing what they're all about can help you see that they're not so big and scary.
2. Write down some answers to potential questions that might be asked and practice them. I found 100 Potential Interview Questions to be a particularly helpful list (don't worry, you don't have to go through them all - though some are pretty funny --- check out the "Brainteaser Questions" at the bottom of the page).
3. Pick out what you're going to wear the night before (and make sure there's not cat pee on your white tank top because it's been sitting in a basket for the past two weeks and your cat decides that that basket full of once-clean clothes would make a nice litter box).
4. Make sure you set your alarm to wake you up in plenty of time. Double check that you're not setting it too late and not including drive time in your morning schedule. Wake up when your cat meows at you an hour before your alarm goes off because for some reason he knows that you set your alarm too late (or else he knows his food bowl is empty).
5. Take a nice relaxing shower in the morning because you still believe you have all the time in the world to get ready. Not only does that shower calm your nerves, it helps you wake up after only getting three hours of sleep because you were so nervous and/or you've been sleeping in until two in the afternoon.
6. Remember to breath while you're driving to the interview. Passing out and hitting a stop sign is no way to get the job. 

And the most important thing is just to remember that it does get easier with time. Even though this was only my third interview (and even though I made the steps to calming down sound like I had an awful morning - yes, my cat did pee on my tank top, but no I didn't pass out and hit a stop sign), it actually was a lot easier than my first one.

So, my question to you: What trick do you use to help calm you down before an interview (or any stressful situation for that matter)?
And my challenge to you: If you've got a basket full of clean clothes, put 'em up! It's no fun putting on a shirt and having it smell like urine...