Let's face it, most of us do not enjoy going to job interviews - and not only do we not enjoy them, we sometimes actually dread them. But who can blame us? They can be nerve racking, stressful, and sometimes they can even be embarassing. Through personal experience, I can tell you that I have been through all of those not-so-positive job interview moments. The good news, however, is that I found a way to not only enjoy job interviews, but to actually produce multiple job offers a as a result. I’m laying out here a few of the things I personally do that have landed me many interview successes in the past, and probably more success in the future (should I decide to leave my current job, that is).

Go Through Mock Interviews

In college, I was part of a professional organization that put us through MANY mock interviews. In the beginning, they were awkward and nerve racking. Over time, they actually became kind of fun and I noticed my confidence improving after every single mock interview. I even went to a career center after graduation, set up appointments with a counselor, and went through a mock interview with him, which was recorded on DVD. He gave me this DVD so I could watch myself over and over, and he also gave me a written evaluation. Watching this DVD over and over let me see personally what I looked like, and what I should or should not say (and do), what to repeat, and what to improve. I highly recommend going through the mock interview process several times through career centers, friends, acquaintances, or even use a mirror with an imaginary interviewer (videotaping optional).

Maintain Your Excitement

Chances are, you get excited when you get a call back for an interview. The hard part is that excitement could soon lead to second guessing yourself and nervousness. Shake off all that nervousness by imagining how great it would be when you get that job, how great of a job you would do once you got it, and reminding yourself you can just move on to the next interview if for some reason you don't get it. This excitement will show during your interviewing, and will make you come off as positive, confident, and enthusiastic - three of the main traits interviewers look for in a candidate.

Play The Numbers Game!

If I were to give you one piece of advice on interviews, this would be it. If you're still pretty nervous during interviews, apply for plenty of jobs and go to every single interview you get called back for, even if you're no longer interested in the job. This will take the pressure off of you and allow you to "practice" and gain confidence and self assurance for interviews. Don't put all your eggs in one basket, so spread yourself out in this case by going to many interviews while reflecting on how you can improve each time. Over time, you will not only get more and more confident in job interviews, but you will also find yourself with multiple job offers on the table.

By going through mock interviews, maintaining your excitement, and playing the numbers game, you are well on your way to snowballing your confidence toward the realm of interviewing. Following these guidelines will not only set you up for success for that job you really want, but will also set up you for interview success in the long term.