Five panda pointers: Travelling to an interview

Welcome to the first of our ‘Five Panda Pointers’, where we will cover our top 5 tips and picks for a variety of topics. We thought we’d start with something to help you relax if you have started 2016 with a job search, or already have an interview lined up.

We’ve offered a number of interview preparation techniques, but what do you do when you are actually on your way to the interview itself? It’s got to be the most nerve wracking part right? Here are our five panda pointers to consider for your journey to the big interview!

1) Take in the commute

One thing you should not ignore is the actual journey itself. We suggest taking a little portion of the journey time to study the route you are taking, and how you find it fitting with a daily schedule should you get the role. A commute is a big part in job acceptance decisions, so don’t forget this is a great taster of what to expect. You might be travelling from your current job location, but you can still get a feel of different transport links, stations and the surrounding areas of your potential new role. (You might not be travelling at peak time, but it’s still great to take it all in.)

2) Compile a positive playlist

Everyone has a collection of songs that make them smile, relaxes them or gets them ready to tackle daunting tasks. We’ll call this your own personal and positive playlist. Pick your chosen songs that will relax those nerves and welcome the excitement that a really successful interview might bring…a brand new job! Added bonus if you’re driving: why not increase that positivity and sing along? No? Just us pandas then…

3) Pick some reading material

Another method of stress release is reading. (If you’re driving, put the book down now…we don’t encourage hands free driving!)  Distract yourself with any subject matter you think will keep you calm and open your mind up, be it a fiction book or a newspaper.  It beats having your interview notes swimming around your mind, getting the wires crossed and affecting the preparation you have done previously. 

4) What will the job change for you?

What is it they say? “Think happy thoughts!” If you’re interested in a role, and going for an interview, you have probably gone over why you are interested in the job. Furthermore, thinking over the positive changes to your career and home life is vital in the job search process. Think of these as you make your way there, and you’ll be surprised with how quickly the nerves dissolve. In its place will be a steely determination to nail the interview with confidence, and secure that positive change in your life.

5) No more preparation or research

We completely understand how tempting it would be to dig out some preparation notes to look over a few more times. It is recommended that you are confident with everything you need to know before you leave. It will do you no good to keep over reading, over rehearsing and stressing yourself out right before the big interview. Remember the most relevant of your job history will come naturally to you, and it will be more feel more comfortable for all involved if you are not reading from a script. Use this time to simply relax and save all that information for the interview itself. 

So there you have it! Consider these five panda pointers for your next interview, and see how they go!