It isn’t just haunted houses and horror movies making you want to hide under your covers this season. For an introvert, interviews can be scarier than Halloween. While your first instinct might be to clam up and not share your innermost thoughts with the person across the desk, it is pretty clear an interview requires introverts to come out of their shell, even just the littlest bit to convince a hiring manager they’re worth a shot. If you want to know a few things that can get you through the process, here are some tips to help you step outside your comfort zone.
Conserve Your Energy
As an introvert, you are keenly aware you only have so much energy to give to outside stimulation. Talking to people is hard, and it can make you feel like you want to curl up in a warm blanket and not come out for a week. If you know you have to interact with a hiring manager, take time out of your schedule ahead of that meeting to conserve your energy.
Embrace Your Nature
Never assume companies are only looking for extroverts, or that they believe introverts are bad. There are a lot of amazing things about being introverted, so make sure you’re embracing those benefits. For instance, as an introvert you might prefer reading and solving problems. Or you tend to think things through at length before offering solutions.
What Would an Extrovert Do?
At the same time, you can take a page from your counterpart’s book. Extroverts are generally engaging and confident, so it’s essential you are also able to put forth this side of your personality. Talk to the extroverts in your life to better understand how they conduct themselves in similar situations to help you better decide how to incorporate some behaviors into your interview.
Follow Up in a Thank-You Note
It is often the case that introverts are much better at communicating in writing than they are in person. So, don’t beat yourself up if you forget something in the interview process. When you send a thank-you note after the meeting, go ahead and include anything you forgot to say to reiterate that you’re interested in the job.
Are you frightened about your next interview? Harvard Resource Solutions is now hiring for jobs in Southeast MI! Browse our open jobs, or click to contact us today.
