Many  jobseekers take worrying to a whole new level until they become obsessive about the impression they will make at interview. They fear they are not dressed appropriately, that sweaty palms will be a deal breaker when they shake hands, or that they will be found to be inadequate in some way. They talk themselves into a lather of “what ifs”. What if I stutter when I’m talking? What if I say something dumb? What if I cannot answer the interviewer’s questions?

Wanting to do your best and showcase your skills is natural. Excessive and unnecessary concern about things that may never happen is not.

I’m not going to add myself to the chorus of friends and family who think that all you need is to apply positive self-talk.

Instead I’m going to equip you with some action steps. Actions that once you’ve followed them, you will be able to breathe a big sigh of relief knowing that you have done everything possible to address the areas causing you the most concern.

• Eliminate perfumes and aftershave: Fear will make you sweat and get overheated and if you are wearing too much scent, you will be give off the odour of a walking bordello. This in turn will make you self-conscious that you may be offending your interviewer. You can eliminate all of that unnecessary angst and just put on some nice clean clothes and deodorant.
• Wear clothes that make you feel good. For women, if you try on a dress that you feel is a little snug around the hips, or that rides up as you walk from static electricity, it will be all you will think about all day and it will make you self-conscious. Men, if you choose a shirt or suit on the tight side then you will be constantly uncomfortable. Spare yourself the distraction of adjusting your clothes by choosing your wardrobe for the day carefully and considering the right accessories and apparel.
• Sweaty palms. Unless you have a medical condition that needs treatment you are probably just fine. But if sweaty palms is a problem for you, place a cotton face towel in your briefcase or handbag. While you’re waiting to be called you can give your hands a quick wipe while pretending to look for something. Often the use of alcohol-based hand cleaners will help too and some people even use unscented antiperspirants made especially for hands and feet. If you can conquer the fear, that’s half the battle.
• Appearing Stupid: Preparation is the key here. You will not sound stupid by being at a loss for something to say, as long as you have prepared for the discussion. Of course there is no way you can rehearse parrot-fashion answers to what people may ask you, but you can have an intimate knowledge of what is in your resume, and you can think long and hard about your experience and how your contributions have made made money, saved money, boosted productivity or just made it a better place to be. If you are prepared, if you know what you’re offering and can refer to your resume as a prompter, the chances of looking like a fish with no sound coming out is greatly reduced.
• Stuttering Most of us stutter from time-to-time and it is frequently made worse by stress. The best you can do is take a big breath, grin and start again.

Interviewers are not there to tear you down; they’re not there to find fault and embarrass you. They want you to be a good fit for the job so they can move on too! Above all they want to know you and what you are offering. Allowing yourself to get sidetracked by your fears is nothing but a distraction for both sides.

So follow these action steps and then relax and get ready. I think they’re calling your name now!

Good luck!

Communicating achievements is cited as one of the key issues jobseekers consider a real challenge.

Some people are reluctant to be frank about what they do well; they feel squeamish about recounting tales of how they distinguished themselves against their peers and consider it bragging (and we all know that nobody likes an show-off!)

As a result, people tend to talk in generalities to take the focus off themselves. They pepper their responses with words like “we”,”our” and “the team”. They think that by communicating in this manner that they will appear modest and a team player.

In fact what they have done is obfuscate the truth and make communications unclear. This can hurt a jobseeker’s candidacy for a job where clear communications not self-effacing statements rate highly on most employer’s wish lists.

The jobseeker, in trying to give credit to everyone from the receptionist to the CEO, actually gives nothing away about himself and in doing so, has raised a red flag about his candidacy. Is he camouflaging his true involvement because he actually let “the team” do everything? It wouldn’t be the first job search consultant who would mistrust the “we” defence for apathy!

I’m not advocating jobseekers claim ownership of something that isn’t theirs. For instance, asserting that you “Successfully built the world’s tallest building which was delivered on time and on budget” is quite a stretch if you were the receptionist who photocopied plans for the architect!

In fact, using this same scenario, thousands of people who would be involved in the design and construction of this building could claim the success as their own.

So this is what I’m saying: claiming success for something that isn’t yours to claim will make you sound like you are big noting yourself and it won’t be true.

Instead talk about your part in the team or project. You won’t sound immodest, you won’t be bragging about saving the world, and you will allow the people evaluating your skills and abilities to gain insight into you and what you do well.

Here is an example:

“I was fortunate enough to work on the design team that created the world’s tallest building. My role in the team was to research engineering that has been done in the past and see whether we could use any of these methods to achieve optimum building stability. I was given six weeks to complete this research and during this time I uncovered a new, yet little known technology that would be perfect for the type of building materials and geological layout that we needed to observe. I delivered my contribution to the team ahead of the six week deadline and I was pleased to see that my recommendations were adopted by the Chief Architect.”

Clearly this is not bragging, this is not claiming a world achievement and it is truthful. It communicates the role, the expectations of the task and what was delivered. This example would speak volumes to a decision maker who is looking for clear insights into a potential candidate’s work performance.

When a person is hiring you, it doesn’t matter what the team did or how successful the team was. What matters is what part you played in that team and what you contributed that made a difference.

It is right to claim what is yours.

Let “the team” take care of themselves.

Dave the job seeker assured me he had prepared this elevator pitch.

“Okay!” I said, “Hit me with it”.

He began.

“I was born in 1969 in Melbourne Australia” he started. I went to school at Box Hill South Primary School until I was 12 or so, and then I became a student at Box Hill High School.”

His story continued…

….“So my first job was at fifteen where I joined as a rookie journalist and then I….”

and so it went. On and on and on.

15 minutes later he drew to a close and looked at me proudly.

“That’s it?” I smiled.

“Well”, he admitted “I’ve cut it down a bit for you because you know me”.

If this was an elevator pitch it would have to be one very slow elevator or the world’s tallest building!

As a person on the job hunt, you’ve probably come across the phrase “Elevator Pitch” and wondered what it means and whether you should have one. Briefly, an elevator pitch is a short, yet compelling statement of introduction that you can communicate in the time it takes for an elevator to get to the floor of choice. (And yes, you should have one).

Very few people may find themselves in the happy position of sharing a short journey with a top-level decision maker, but most of you will have an interview at some time in your career. It will be important to know what to say and how to break the ice, especially when you’re asked the time-honoured question, “Tell me about yourself.”

WRONG: I am a General Manager. I am 51 years old, my wife’s name is Margaret and we have three children, Samuyl who is 16, Mmarkk who is 14 and my “baby” Moon Unit who is 10. I have an MBA from Melbourne University. Um I really enjoy the football and I keep fit by playing cricket. I have been with my current accounting firm Messrs Find-it and Bill for five years, and before that, I was in the retail industry as the General Manager of Dresses ‘R Us.

The statement above is timed at 30 seconds. What have you learned about the candidate that is concrete and advances his candidacy?

CORRECT: I help businesses create prosperity by identifying lucrative growth opportunities. Most recently as General Manager for a large-accounting firm, I executed five acquisitions that delivered more than 7 million dollars in yearly revenues while retaining 98% of the customer base. Prior to that, I led an unprecedented change management program that re-positioned a national retailer as a leader and innovator. Would you agree that my experience is a match?

The statement above is professional, it’s concise and it’s interesting. It is, 26 seconds of wow.

Start working on your elevator pitch now. What makes you unique? What short snapshot of your experience can you provide that meets the needs of the job for which you are applying? It takes some time to work on this, so you’ll need to really commit to it, write it, rewrite it, edit and rehearse it. Make it sound conversational, deliver it in a well-modulated and interesting tone, and seek to engage your interviewer by outlining the key points of your candidacy.

Eye glazing or compelling and fact-filled?

It’s your choice.

Your heart skips a beat as you disconnect the call. A combination of nausea and elation hit you as you turn to your partner wide-eyed, incredulous.

“I got the interview” you say quietly as if by saying it louder you’ll somehow make it untrue.

As you grasp the reality, you grin and laugh. “I got the interview!” you repeat while performing a tiny jig at the kitchen bench.

Your partner laughs delightedly with you as she joins you in dance; two silly reactions enveloped in joy. “Yay!” she cries happily. “Your dream job! That’s incredible!”.

As you both lapse into thoughtful silence, she looks at you. “So, she says, “What next?”

What next?

The words seem to echo around you. You’ve never considered that scenario. Heck, you’ve been looking for a job forever! It’s all been about getting to this point—the resume so carefully developed, the cover letter, the networking, the blogging. But now, indeed, “What next”?

Like everything that means something in your life, you should have a plan.

Your references. This is good place to start as it may take a while to catch past colleagues and managers and find time for a coffee and a chat. Your references need to know what type of job you’re going for and you need to jog their memories on instances in the past that qualify you for this role now.

While you’re discussing these details, you need to ask. Is there something that he or she may say or recall that could hurt your candidacy? Now is the time to get this out in the open. If an individual has this power, you need to reassess… do you still want him or her to be a reference?

A few years ago, a client told me how a reference with a propensity for letting her mouth run before her brain was actively engaged, sabotaged his candidacy. To a question about confidentiality, the reference had replied: “John did really well until that incident where he was suspected of leaking information to the press. Of course, I never knew exactly whether he did it or not, but management sure thought he did!”

Suffice to say, if your reference doesn’t quite get what she’s being asked to do, it is time to find a substitute!

Google. Have you searched for your name on the Internet? If you see your last Facebook status or a Twitter comment sent at 3am when you were a tad tipsy, delete these items now. If you can find them, the new employer or recruiting firm will find them too. Look for off-colour remarks or photographs on Flickr or MySpace that you would not like your next employer to see and remove them.

Do you have a Linkedin profile? These score quite prominently on Google. If you want to push some ill-advised “digital dirt” that you cannot remove further back on the Google results, create a Linkedin profile. Essentially, you want to counteract any questionable material with a consistent, professional brand that instils confident and oozes professionalism. Recruiters or employers may have already checked the Internet, but just in case they haven’t, take steps to fix the situation. Whoozy is a good way to keep track of your online profile.

Next: Research the company. What do you actually know about your dream job? Do you know about the company culture, what they do, where their head office is, what they do make or sell, their history, their people? What do you know about their leaders? Who is their Chief Executive Officer? Are they a listed company? What do you know about their share price? If you cannot answer any of these questions, it is time to educate yourself. Interviewers are incredibly impressed when candidates take the time to research and show knowledge of the company. Google is your friend for doing this as well as Linkedin.

Have you been given the job description for your dream job? If you’re in a leadership role you may want to consider developing a strategy document that you take with you to interview. Show how you meet the criteria of the position and what you plan to do in your first 30, 60, 90 days on the job. It’s a smart, professional idea that sells and positions you as a problem solver with initiative. If you don’t know where to start, the service WinTheView provides step-by-step instructions for preparing such a document; right through to printing it out and advice on when and how to present it. (Ask me).

Dress to Impress. What do you have to wear to the interview? The old advice of wearing clothes one step up for the position you want to secure, is still good. Smart business attire never fails to reinforce a professional image. Make sure your suit is conservative, your tie is straight, your shoes are shined and if you cross your legs, the socks are not bright pink with Tweety Bird emblazoned on the ankle! For women, watch the hemline of your skirt (rehearse sitting in front of a mirror and see how much thigh is exposed when you sit comfortably), keep the jewellery and makeup to a professional day-time standard, and wear shoes that don’t make you totter clumsily because the heels are too high.

Are you well versed in personal etiquette? Don’t leave them wilting in your wake. Ensure no overpowering fragrances or after shave. Don’t smoke before you walk in. No garlic for dinner the night before. Be nice to be near. Don’t walk into the office slurping a coffee or check your mobile for Facebook updates, tweets or texts.

Finally, just how long has it been since you interviewed last? Consider investing in a coach who is expert in interviews. He or she will be able to advise you on the techniques needed to avoid self sabotage and interview paralysis and help you with the pitfalls of negotiating a salary. If you can afford it and this job means something to you, do it. It will be a worthwhile investment of time and money.

Have you done all that?

Take a big breath then, straighten your shoulders and put on your winning smile.

It’s time to get your dream job.

I am a member of the Career Collective. A group of experienced career professionals who blog on specific topics every month. Look for our posts on Twitter #careercollective. Meantime, check out other member articles on this topic–links at the bottom of this article. Please see other discussions on common job search blunders and possible solutions from Career Collective members below.

How to Stand Out in a Job Interview @heathermundell

Avoid These Reference Mistakes @DawnBugni

Unspoken Secrets of Job Interviewing Prep: How Your Nonverbal Presentation and Behaviors Impact the Impression You Make @KatCareerGal

Prep for Interviews Now: Snuff out the Elephant in the Room Later! @chandlee << not working yet

What Should Job Seekers Do Now to Prepare for an Interview @erinkennedycprw

Take a Ride in the Elevator Before You Interview @barbarasafani

Are You Ready for the Elephant in the Room? @WorkWithIllness

“Tell Me About Yourself” (Oh, Yikes!), @KCCareerCoach

The job interview as a shared narrative @WalterAkana

Prepare your references for job search success @Keppie_Careers

No Pain No Gain In Job Search and Interview Prep @ValueIntoWords

Job searching? Take a cue from the Boy Scouts @LaurieBerenson

Preparing for Career Success Starts with Interviewing the Employers @JobHuntOrg

You don’t have to have a degree in it, you don’t have to be a card carrying member of Mensa, nor do you need psychic abilities. When it all comes down to it, being successful at interviews is largely about using commonsense balanced with truth.

Let’s look at some examples:

Interviewer: So Fred as a leader of the IT department, I’m sure you’ve had some significant project challenges along the way. Can you give me an example of one of those projects, preferably one where you had a few problems and how you think you could have performed better?

Fred: I have successfully led many projects but they have always gone without a hitch. I have always given 100% of my efforts and enjoyed great relationships with the entire team.

Answer Critique: “Epic” Fail. Fred is trying to whitewash the situation. It is simply inconceivable that every project was flawless and seamlessly implemented. Life is not like that, and especially in a technology environment. Secondly, Fred has not answered the question “How could he have performed better?”. In attempting to sound like the perfect employee  he is asking the interviewer to believe that he has never made an error. This is highly unlikely; we all make errors some time! As a result of this answer, the interviewer knows the candidate is sidestepping the question and responding with untruths. Either that or the candidate has no personal insight and cannot identify when his performance is lacking! If Fred is actually telling the truth, then he is flawed candidate! Why? Because he has admitted to not having to solve problems and not having been in a situation recently where rapid thinking and troubleshooting is crucial. Either way, Fred has made a significant error in responding to the interviewer’s question in this way. It didn’t need great intelligence, it just needed common sense and the truth.

Interviewer: Fred, have you had experience in introducing a new product into a saturated market and if so, what were the results?

Fred: “I was looking for a flexible, robust and scalable solution that was both cutting edge and world-class. I did a gut-check and opted to create a team dialogue embedded with a philosophy to spurn blue-sky thinking and instead push the envelope within the boundaries of fiscal bandwidth.  By leveraging this strategy we were able to create a paradigm shift, boost team synergies, and at the same time circle the wagons so we could get our ducks in the row for the product”.

Answer critique: “Epic” Fail. Top of the annoyance list according to interviewers are people who cite vague, jargonistic and incomplete answers. Instead Fred could have said: Yes, I led my team to launch the i-Pack 2.0 product in what was an extremely saturated market. The challenges were immense; market surveys had indicated that not only was the market saturated, but in some areas, it was in decline. It was important to first survey potential consumers, review competition products and see how we could create a product that met consumer needs for colour, texture and style…”. By talking plainly, giving an example of the how, why, when, Fred is drawing the interviewer into his story, not putting up a brick wall of business jargon.

Interviewer: Fred I see here that you were involved in developing policy for the new technology division. Tell me more about that in terms of your area of responsibility.

Fred: The reason we had to develop I2 was due to the changes in CANN. The PRB team decided that CANN was too restricted to meet Fedgov’s BRB strategy so it was decided to implement CANN2. The Department Head of EH&S indicated that with SAR at its core, CANN2 would be a viable strategy with great ROI.

Answer Critique:”Epic” Fail. Fred has made the mistake of again pushing his interviewer away by talking about internal operations and using acronyms that nobody, unless they were working within the same department or company would have a clue what he was referring to. Never put the person you are communicating with at a disadvantage. At a minimum he or she will feel small and stupid and worse if the interviewer will become disconnected from you.  If you cannot get your point across to the interviewer, you lose.

Interviewing really isn’t a science. It’s just using the laws of communication: common sense, clear, concise words and phrases, truth and active listening.