Peer Career Consultant Blogs

Two candidates are walking into an interview with the same resume in hand. Only one of them gets the position, and it has nothing to do with their qualifications. Throughout our lives we have heard it from our parents, teachers, movies, and more. And as cliche as it sounds confidence is key – especially in the interview process. Though confidence might be thought of as a personality trait, it’s actually yet another skill that can be improved upon to ace an interview.

Think about it this way: if you don't believe in yourself, why would an employer? Walking into an interview already doubting your abilities is like trying to sell a product you don't believe in. People can sense hesitation, and hiring managers are no different. When you speak about your skills with conviction and own your experience, you give them a reason to get excited about you. So before you even step foot in that interview room, the first person you need to win over is yourself.

One of the best things you can do is shift your mindset. Instead of walking in with the pressure of needing to get the job, try seeing each interview as a chance to get more practice. When you're too attached to the outcome, that desperation can show up in your body language and it's hard to come across as confident when you're internally panicking about the result. But when you approach it as a learning experience, something changes. You become more relaxed, more yourself, and ironically a much stronger candidate. Every interview teaches you something, whether it's how to answer a tricky question better next time, how to present your experience more clearly, or simply how to get more comfortable in that setting. The more you practice, the more your confidence naturally grows.

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