Interviews are scary. I get it. You know you're being closely judged, and the next 45 minutes with this panel could determine the trajectory of your career. There's a lot riding on how you perform, but you feel you're ready.
You know you'd be incredible for the job and you'd make an amazing hire. You have all the skills and experience that the company is asking for, and you're excited to show them why you're the obvious choice.
But as you enter the room, you suddenly feel nervous - maybe even a little sweaty. You feel your heart rate increase as you shake each panel members' hand, and you stutter through your first couple of answers.
"It's ok," you tell yourself. "Everyone is nervous at the beginning, I've just got to get through the first couple of questions, then I'll be back to my normal self."
But you never quite get there. Your confidence is shot from the first few mumbled answers, and things only seem to get worse as you cringe at your own responses. This isn't how it was supposed to go. You know your stuff, so why is this interview not going according to plan?
Can you relate to any of the above? Be honest with yourself, because I've certainly been in that situation before. It was like my life was flashing before my eyes - in an instant I went from "I've got this!" to "What the hell just happened...I know I'm better than that!?"
That actually kept happening to me, time after time until I learned the right framework for standing out from the crowd.