Interview like a pro: Six actors give their best tips

So, you designed a killer resume and landed the job interview of a lifetime; great job!

Now comes the hard part; you have to ace the interview like a boss. Or, at least interview better than anybody else for the same position.

We have you covered with all the info you need to land your dream job.

We could have reached out to managers, recruiters, or head hunters for some interview tips, but where is the fun in that? You want to stand out among your peers, and so the same old interview tips that have been spun a million likely won’t dazzle your prospective employer.

Instead, we reached out to the profession that knows interviews better than anyone, actors.

If you think competition is fierce in the corporate world, imagine auditioning for films and TV. It’s not easy!

Succesful actors, know how to conquer their nerves and stand out against the competition.  So, we asked our favorite filmmakers and actors to offer up their best auditioning tips to help you crush your next interview.

Interview like a Pro: Tips to Help You Land Your Deam Role (Job)

Diane Franklin, IMDb, Twitter, Instagram

Before you go into an interview, VISUALIZE you already were told you l got the job!! This will help you relax. Now you are just going to go in to meet who you will work with, or in my case as an actress, do the work!

Remember people pay money for you to HELP THEM…not to help you. Go into your interview with the attitude “How can I help you?” If you were hiring, you’d love to work with this person!

You can always tell the minute you walk in the room if someone wants to meet you or not. Don’t take it personally. Maybe they are having a bad day. Just LISTEN and follow directions. It goes a long way.

The most important thing to realize is, unlike actors, you only need ONE employer! So don’t worry if it doesn’t work out. Just keep interviewing with as many people/companies as possible, and do your best. It’s a numbers game. You will be hired!!

Carolyn Bridget Kennedy, IMDb, Twitter, Instagram

Be yourself.  Don’t try to be “what they want” – you don’t know what they want, and honestly, neither do they.

• Listen and respond.
• Focus on being present and in the moment.
• Don’t be desperate or needy.

Remember, you are also interviewing them to see if they are a fit for you. Be a real person.

Dan Hodgkinson,  Image Management Group, Twitter

Employers want to know if you’ll get along with your coworkers. Anyone can be trained to do a certain job, but not everyone “plays well with others.” Learn a little about what the business does.Show up on, or slightly ahead of time, smelling good, looking good and smiling.

Have your transportation (car, bus, bike, walk, etc.) to your new job arranged ahead of time. Dress according to the type of job you’re looking for, for example, don’t wear flip flops to an interview at a bank. Be friendly. Confidence will take you a long way.

Ben Andrews, IMDb

If for whatever reason, I believe the stakes are high, and I’ve created anxiety within myself.Sometimes that anxiety is just pulsating. Like a hum of high powered nervousness in the background. Often I can’t even push it down with breathing. In those situations, I switch to visualizations. It’s different for different people obviously. For me, I visualize my connection to the core of the earth.

I literally imagine my feet as roots of a massive tree. I feel them rooted deep into the earth and spreading. Growing stronger and deeper. Along with breathing, it helps me feel ‘rooted.’ Pun totally intended. While it’s a bit silly, at the moment, it reminds me that I’m connected to something larger than just myself. It’s a little out there, but it has worked more than once for me.

David S. Hogan, IMDb, Twitter, Instagram

Quick audition tips from David S Hogan, actor, and acting coach, Seattle Washington:

• – Understand what you’re auditioning for.
• – Prepare the material thoroughly.
• – Reframe: It’s not about booking the job; it’s about setting yourself up to do your best work in the room.

Hydrate, breathe, relax, execute your preparation, stay open to feedback, and enjoy!”

Jim Thalman, IMDb, Twitter, Instagram

1) Begin Meditating regularly, every single day.  When you’re in the waiting room, do NOT look at your notes, do NOT do anything.  Simply sit and breathe quietly.  You will freak out the other candidates in the room with your quiet confidence and will, more importantly, allow you to tune into a deeper, stronger, more attuned to the environment inner-self.

2) The human mind will do everything conceivable to keep you inside your “comfort zone” or ‘safe space,” neither of which will EVER do you any good in the real world.  When we (any human being) attempts to leave their comfort zone, the mind kicks into overdrive, sensing danger at every turn.  This is what Academics call Fight/Flight/Freeze.

We’ve ALL had them, ‘The dreaded butterflies” but oddly enough, that feeling of butterflies is actually endorphins being soaked into the lining of your stomach, and for the next 45 minutes, you will become superhuman, if you understand that this physiological reaction is natural and truly a gift to you.

Your senses become more attuned, more acute, more sensitive in an almost ESP like manner.  THIS is what will help you through any tough situation & can help you ACE your interview if you prepare accordingly.  That means exercises that force you into uncomfortable situations.

Do NOT prep for your interview with your friend or lover, but instead, put a group together and drill interview skills, do not be kind, do not be polite, do not be sweet, GRILL them, interrupt, try all you can do to make them FAIL, time and time again.

It’s the recovery from Failure that matters. Every time your thrown off by your interviewer, recover, and with repetition, you’ll see recovery time increases exponentially.

Do this until recovery time is less than 1 second.  You will then be ready for any situation.

Interview like a Pro

Following these interview tips, you will be auditioning, oops interviewing like a pro in no time. Just make sure once you land that killer job, you start investing some of your earnings, and make sure you are avoiding common phrases that may hurt you on the job.

If you find yourself stressing out over an interview, just remember these easy tips from the filmmaker and actress Giovannie Espiritu (IMDb, Twitter, Instagram); “be brief, be brilliant, be gone.”

This article was originally published on Your Money Geek and reprinted with permission.