For this blog entry I will express my thoughts, feelings and behaviour towards the simulated interviews, through the use of Boud’s model of reflection[1]. I will also reflect and re-evaluate on my interview experience, reviewing the outcomes as well as the new outlooks that I have gained as a result of this experience.

Experience: Thoughts, Feelings & Behavior

As I made my way to the simulated interviews on a crisp cold Thursday morning, I was almost overwhelmed with anxious thoughts and nerves that not even a coffee from junction could settle. These feelings and thoughts were not due to a lack of preparation but rather a combination of my own social anxieties and the fact that I was being interviewed by my fellow peers, who knew me quite well. As a musician, I found it similar to the anxiety and nerves I experience before performing in front of family and friends. To help me control these feelings, so that I could give a calm and confident interview, I researched methods for reducing and coping with stress and anxiety before, during and after an interview. I discovered one fantastic resource by Robert Walters called The Complete Interview Guide: Helping You Land The Perfect Role[2], in which he shares great tips and insights on how to deal with pre-interview nerves, rationalizing your fears and how to embrace positive self-talk. I found this extremely helpful, in particular the section discussing positive self-talk, as it allowed me to change my behavior and attitude towards the interview.

Rather than saying, ‘I have to do some interview prep today’ (which makes it sound like someone else is forcing you to), say ‘I want to get ahead on my prep tonight’ (which sounds like you’re proactively embracing the decision)[3].

In the week running up to the simulated interview, I felt the anxiety and nerves growing day by day. I decided I was going to actively try to control and suppress these feelings and thoughts, so that things would run smoothly on the day. I turned to guided meditation and breathing exercises to help calm and ground me. I practised the meditation the night before and also in the morning before the interview. I definitely feel like practising meditation as part of my preparation for the simulated interview hugely benefitted me as it reduced my stress and anxiety levels and helped boost my self-confidence.

Meditation can give you a sense of calm, peace and balance that can benefit both your emotional well-being and your overall health[4].

Reflective Process

Although I was quite nervous and anxious before the simulated interview, I felt that during the interview I presented myself in a calm and confident manner. Even though I faced some challenging questions from my peers, I believe that I was able to assertively display my knowledge and skill set about the job position to them. Something that helped me to achieve this was the STAR technique, which I applied when answering questions in the interview. This technique allowed me to fully concentrate on what I was being asked and allowed me to answer the questions in a methodical way, by giving a background and context of a certain situation, detailing the challenges I faced and discussing what actions I took to resolve said situation.

Reflecting on my interview experience, I feel that the techniques that I utilized to mentally prepare myself for the interview have helped me develop more self-confidence and improved my ability to confront my fears and anxieties within social situations. During the interview, I was concerned that my anxiety would take hold of me and disrupt my train of thought. However, upon receiving the feedback from my peers, I showed a strong understanding of the questions and spoke with a relaxed and confident tone throughout the interview.

Reviewing the feedback from the interview has massively boosted my self-belief and confidence and has made me realise that I have the ability to control my anxiety during highly stressful situations. I was thrilled to see that the feedback was filled with overwhelmingly positive notes such as my ability to give great detail on my previous experiences, discuss my approach towards difficult challenges and display astute knowledge related to the job and industry.

After initially not looking forward to the simulated interview, I can reflect and say that the overall experience was highly enjoyable. It has given me a newfound confidence within myself and taught me ways to cope with my anxiety, which will benefit me in the future whenever I go for a real job interview.

Outcomes

The simulated interview experience has provided me with a range of new outlooks, such as, the importance of preparation when it comes to an interview and that being mentally prepared is the key to a confident and successful interview. It has taught me how to better manage my anxiety and nerves during high-stress situations, which is something that will hugely benefit me in today’s working environment.

As a result of the simulated interviews, I have been able to push myself out of my comfort zone more and more. For example, I would have struggled to introduce myself to someone at a gig or event in the past, as this would have caused me severe anxiety, but I now have the tools to cope with these feelings. My behaviour has totally changed, and I find myself approaching people I would have avoided out of anxiety, which as a sound engineer and producer will no doubt open me up to new and exciting opportunities in the future.

[1] Ospina Avendano, D. (2020). Boud et al. Reflection Model, https://www.toolshero.com/personal-development/boud-reflection-model/, accessed [20/02/23]

[2] Walters, Robert, The Complete Interview Guide: Helping You Land The Perfect Role, https://www.robertwaltersgroup.com/content/dam/robert-walters/global/files/complete-interview-guide/Interview-guide-web.pdf, accessed [20/02/23]

[3] ibid

[4]Mayo Clinic Staff, Meditation: A Simple, Fast Way To Reduce Stress, [April 29^th 2022], https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/meditation/in-depth/meditation/art-20045858#:~:text=Meditation%20can%20produce%20a%20deep,physical%20and%20emotional%20well%2Dbeing, accessed [20/02/23]