How to keep calm during your banking interview

For the lack of patience and self-control, Many brilliant students fail to clinch a bank job because of a bad face to face interview.  Even if you have prepared well and have tons of information on banking awareness and all important topics, you may not be able to impress the interviewer. We do not want your hard work to go in vain. Here are a few simple tips that will help you hold your nerves in a high tension interview situation.

1. Be confident

Confidence comes from knowing deep within your heart that you have prepared for everything. So if you need to update your information on banking awareness or any other topic, get to work right away. Once you have covered everything nicely, confidence will come from within you.  Don't fake confidence and never ever try to be overconfident. When you lack knowledge and try to impress the interviewer with unnecessary eagerness you come across as overconfident. The interviewer is smarter than you, he/she will realize when you are genuinely confident and when you are trying to fake it. Knowledge gives you confidence. Be well-informed, confidence will follow.

2. Long breathes, think about something nice

When you are nervous your voice will shake and other bad things will happen too. For instance spoken words will come out unclear and incoherent which may annoy the interviewer. You don't need to shout loud but your voice needs to be steady and clear. Taking long breathes will bring in more oxygen into your system and energize your brain, it also helps in calming your nerves.  Take 4-5 nice long and easy breathes - it will help. Try it now and you will see that it works. 

Also thinking about something nice puts your nervous mind at peace. For example think of known people. This trick gives you feeling of security and calmness. Try thinking about your mother or father, anyone that drops the buzzing in your head. And keep breathing!

3. Plan and rehearse your answers

There are some common questions that interviewers ask to break the ice. Prepare them well and rehearse when you are alone. Go to the bathroom or an open field or the terrace - wherever you can talk to yourself without people thinking that you have gone mental. Rehearse the answers over and over again but do not memorise anything because if you forget that memorized answer you will be even more nervous. When you rehearse answers it becomes easy to open your mouth during the interview.

Anticipate scenarios, think what the interviewer may ask you, prepare replies that will show off your positive qualities. Every answer you give should touch upon a positive skill in you. If you don't have any positive skill, get creative, interviewers are not psychiatrists, they simply want to hear the right answers. But, having said that, don't oversell yourselves. Be genuine, be honest and give honest replies as much as possible. That is why we advise you to prepare well on banking awareness and other topics so you don't have to lie.

And finally, reach before time for your interview. Imagine if you arrived late for the interview with sweat streaming down your face and your heart beating fast, it's not what you want. Plan the route to your interview location one day before and reach early. Also, manage your expectations. Stay positive but don't expect to be successful with your first attempt. You will be putting too much pressure on yourself, and that is bad. Ignore family and peer pressure, concentrate on doing your best. Best of luck.