Nerves—they affect the best of us. Some interview nerves = Good. Feeling anxious before a big event in your life is perfectly normal and actually a healthy response to the stimulus and situation you’re faced with. (And don’t forget that a little anxiety will actually help keep you sharp and quick-witted.) But obviously, it’s crucial that you don’t let your interview nerves impact your performance in a negative way.
Lots of interview nerves = Bad
If you are so nervous that you feel overwhelmed and can’t think straight then that’s not a great place to be and clearly, your performance will be affected in a way that won’t be beneficial.
Interview nerves and anxiety arise mainly through fear of the unknown and in this article we tell you exactly what to expect and how to prepare your mind and body to ensure you feel relaxed and confident during your SSB interview.
The best part about getting an SSB Interview is you have at least a minimum of month’s time to prepare to and figure out what you need to do to get yourself under control.
1. Plan ahead: This cannot be stressed enough. All too often SSB applicants get knots in the pits of their stomachs because they don’t know what to expect. Not knowing what kind of curve balls SSB can throw at you can be pretty nerve wrecking. But an easy way to walk into your scheduled SSB interview with confidence is to plan ahead and think through all of the worst-case scenarios. This includes not only reviewing all stages of the testing and formulating answers to common personal interview questions such as “why do you want to join the Armed Forces?” and “why should we select you instead of the other applicants?” but also jotting down answers to the questions you fear the most. For example, is there a particular question that you are just dreading that the interviewing officer will ask? If so, face your greatest fear and try coming up with an answer that is both honest and will reflect you in a positive light. This is not to say that you should memorize all of your responses, however; after all, some variant of these questions may be asked and you don’t want to appear robotic in your replies. But having some idea of what you could say is a sure way to get rid of some nerves. You also want to make sure that you do some thorough research on the Armed Forces—make sure to know a tad bit about India’s history at battles, its latest operations, battle tanks, artillery, submarines, acquired aircraft, etc. Not only will it demonstrate that you are serious about working for the nation but it can also give your answers some substance.
2. Accentuate the Positive: The self-help gurus are right: It pays to think positive, especially when it comes to SSB interviews. The 5-day long testing process can be exhaustive and it’s easy to get cynical, remember that even the best candidates face repeated rejections.While cynicism and bitterness can be entertaining at a dinner party, these qualities can really hurt you in job interviews. Nobody wants to employ a candidate with an attitude problem.At the same time, negativity can prevent you from seeing your key traits clearly and expressing them well in your interview. Prepare and practice with the positive attitude that you can ace this SSB interview. Fake it until you make it!
3. Don’t Give In to Desperation: No matter how desperately you want to join the Armed Forces, remember that it’s just one opportunity. Your entire future is not dependent on landing this particular service. Sure, it looks good outwardly, but it’s not your only option. So don’t over exert yourself and don’t give up either. You will get more opportunities like this in future. No matter what happens, this SSB interview will be a learning experience that will make you a better job candidate and a great professional in the long run.
4. Practice Interviewing Aloud: Role play your personal interview. No, you are not psychic and we aren’t either, so what you practice won’t be 100% accurate but it will absolutely help if you can run through a simulated interview a few times before you actually do one.Grab a friend or a family member and have them play the part of the interviewing officer.
5. Visualize A Successful Interview: Once that’s all done, it’s time to hit the hay and get some serious rest. Before you go to sleep, pre-visualize your complete journey of 5 days one more time. Imagine yourself knocking it out of the ballpark and really sailing through it with no problems.Go ahead and laugh if you want, but it’s been proven that by imagining yourself in a positive light actually does help when it’s time to do the real thing! Besides, this is YOUR imaginary interview, right?Why not have a little fun?!
