Alright, you have a job interview to prepare for. There is a lot of good advice all over – online, books, friends, and from career coaches asking you to do a ton of things – do your homework, look up the hiring manager on LinkedIn, read about the company, get your attire right, wear an appropriate tie, be ahead of time for the appointment, keenly observe their office environment, give a firm shake-hand, look in the eyes when you talk, etc., etc., etc.

Hmmm… This is all so good and helpful but it is yet all external and perhaps somewhat cosmetic too. So what about your inner-self? Have you ever cared to shape your interiority to help you win the job? I want to share some ‘how to’ thoughts. Take a few moments to mull over these; it may trigger some intrigue, but, well, may assist you for winning the job you want!

FEEL YOUR RESUME’ 
Either you have just created/updated your resume’ since been unemployed or after a long time (years?). You always thought you knew your resume’ inside out. Agreed. But, yet read your resume’. Read it twice. Read it from top to bottom, word to word, with a plain mind, and allow this to fill enthusiasm in you to feel – not just good – great about the person who embodies that resume’ (you!), leaving a feeling that you are precious. Remember, even if you deliver commoditized skills, your confidence is not a commodity! Your passion is not a commodity! This is not a suggestion to self-hypnotize. But this exercise I found useful to shape me up for the challenge.

GO-GIVER
The usual advice is to be a ‘go-getter’. Yes. But go with a ‘giving’ mindset. Shun the thought that you are small and just another job seeker. Go with an elevated self to be the person who can make a difference to what the hiring manager plans, to the team, or even to the company itself. Create a “higher purpose” or vision for the opportunity – a purpose that places the opportunity on a roadmap of larger goals, a purpose that promotes your personality as a catalyst in the plan. For example, say you are about to attend an interview for a Sales Exec job with a firm with $600 M in revenues; then assume that you will be instrumental in helping the firm reach the $1 B mark. This mindset first clears out from your mind your own suitability questions and helps you naturally display that you have the leadership and a value system that likely presuppose success in the job.

FIND INTRINSIC VALUE
Try to gauge intrinsic value the job offers – meaning your emotional satisfaction by being there, by doing it. Establish a clear value proposition that constantly reinforces and boosts your energy levels, day after day, week after week. In other words, its important to your core – the inside of you – beyond money and title, and not just considering only those extrinsic ones. The extrinsic value comprises salary, bonus money, and promotion which may be more tangible than the intrinsic ones, and those that can be subject to much social comparison.

INCESSANT LEARNER
Believing what you are doing to be right is the primary source of your confidence. If you are too confident, you become arrogant. If you are not confident enough, you may suffer lower self-esteem. Confidence thus is a tricky thing. But you can beat this dilemma with humility. And the best personification of your humility is your ‘student-like perusal. So go with a ‘student-like mindset to learn, overcome challenges, yet be firm that you can build on what you have already learned, to help your acceptance levels to succeed.

MEDITATE
Sometimes, just telling ourselves repeatedly that we have a positive attitude but actually hold negativity within is self-deception. Remove the anxiety, self-doubt, and any or all the associated negativity by meditation, if you know how to do meditation before you leave for the interview. Meditation is said to be an inner mental exercise, where you watch your breath in silence, which liberates the mind from different forms of burdens of the past and negative feelings beyond all mental barriers such as I can’t, how do I? Go with a belief that you are doing your good karma and that there is likely serendipity that will follow.

SILENT WITHIN
Being quiet within strengthens focus. Isn’t it so hard to focus when you are making so much noise yourself from within? You want to be stable to be able to think before you speak, act, and not react. Remove all those irrelevant matters that seem to occupy your mind. and stay silent, open, and active in receiving new information to process and share. Quiet people are said to be (usually) thoughtful, thinkers. They think through before making a statement. This state of mind is something you will need most during the interview.

WHO YOU ARE 
All the above ‘seem’ to build a temporary state of mind of “what you can be” just to be able to face the interview. But it is still a product of “who you are”. For example, you can be aggressive on a given day or time, and that presents “what you are” at that time. But that may not correctly reflect who you are. So view inside of you to make the right mix of choices to present yourself of who you are. Hope these are some helpful thoughts gleaned from personal experiences and observations from the candidates I have assisted for finding employment and career growth for over a decade. (Disclaimer: This post are not professional advice). Appreciate your thoughts to educate me to be able to assist all those preparing for interviews! (Disclaimer: This post and suggestions are not professional advice). Appreciate your thoughts to educate me to be able to assist all those preparing for interviews!