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Which brain goes to the interview?
By Bruce van Ryn-Bocking MD, MBA
We all have experienced “interview anxiety” and have
dealt with it more or less successfully. But why is it such a powerful
phenomenon and what can we do to manage it?
Human beings have two very different parts of the brain that manage
difficult situations.
Our Gray Matter is responsible for managing data.
It gathers the facts of the situation, processes them, stores them
into memory, and brings them up when needed.
Our Limbic System is responsible for managing
emotions. It pays attention to other people’s emotional responses,
remembers emotional memories from our past, and creates our emotional
response. Because it is also responsible for survival, the Limbic
System creates our fight or flight responses to threatening situations.
In any given moment, our thoughts and actions will be controlled
by either our Gray Matter or our Limbic System. In interview situations,
where we are expecting to be judged, the Limbic System (our emotional
brain) can take control and we can end up appearing less competent
in the interview than we wish to appear.
The following are a few tips that can help you keep your Limbic
response (fight/flight response) to a minimum, and maximize the
opportunity to have your Gray Matter (thinking brain) run the show.
- See the interview as an opportunity for the employer to learn
some facts about you, and for you to learn some facts about them.
This is an exchange of data that should involve the Gray Matter
of both parties.
- Research (website, friends, Yellow Pages, news media) as much
as you can about the company and its officers. Open a file and
record your findings in it. This is a form of data collection
and increases the probability that your Gray Matter will be in
charge of the interview.
- Write down some of the questions that you have about the company
(its culture, opportunities for career advancement, training,
etc.) and plan to ask them during the interview. This balances
the power differential in the interview process and helps to minimize
your fight/flight response.
- Write down your fears about the interview, and tell them to
a friend. The Limbic System will always be active in an uncomfortable
situation, but allowing it to express its fears openly to someone
else, will go a long way to defusing the power that those fears
can have.
- Write down your areas of competency and take the list into
the interview. This is especially important when you are unemployed
and going for a job interview. It is easy to be self-critical
when you are not working, and you need to balance those negative
self judgments with a realistic reminder of your strengths
- Take paper and pen into the interview. When you sit down, take
them out and begin to take notes. Start with the date, the company
name and address and the names of the people who are interviewing
you. During the interview, write down any confusing or difficult
questions, and look at what you have written as you are thinking
about your answer. All of this sends a strong message to your
Gray Matter that you expect it to do the thinking, not the Limbic
System.
- Finally, remind yourself that it is only the “fit”
between yourself and the prospective employer that is being assessed,
not you as a human being. Whatever they decide about your potential
to be a great employee at their firm should have nothing to do
with your self esteem.
About Bruce van Ryn-Bocking, President of PeopleSkills
Bruce has coached and supported his clients through difficult times
for over 30 years. He works with both individuals and organizations
and is committed to creating outstanding results for all of his
clients.
About PeopleSkills
PeopleSkills trains people and organizations in the “Art
and Science of Relationships” and provides Executive Coaching,
Team Coaching and Leadership Development services to the Greater
Toronto business community.
Contact Information
Bruce van Ryn-Bocking
1-866-363-1090
bruce@intuitiveadventures.com
www.peopleskills.net
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