A Little Psychology For a Winning Focus In Job Interviews

© More from this issue

          

Networking: Make the Most of Every Opportunity

Resume Tips - The Do’s and Don’ts

Dealing With The Media During The ‘Silly Season’

Avoiding Major Mistakes in the Interview Process

How to Handle Coaching Salary Negotiations

Should a Coach Employ an Agent?

A Little Psychology For A Winning Focus In Job Interviews

So you know the X’s and O’s of the game, are confident in your coaching ability, and know football inside and out, but doing job interviews scares the heck out of you. You are not alone. Many people when confronted with tough questions want to hide under the trainer’s table.

As a mental game coach, I help athletes prepare to do battle on the playing fields.However, the same concepts I teach athletes to get focused for a game can beapplied to helping football coaches get their “game face” on wheninterviewing for a new job. What can you do to prepare mentally for the interviewprocess?

First, I am sure you anticipate the tendencies of your next opponent and seta game plan to beat that team. The same concept that you already know how todo, you can apply to the interview process. You will want to know who is doingthe interview and a little about the organization so you can anticipate the questionsyou may get. Also, you will want to prepare a list of questions you might askthe interviewer about the job. It’s all about being prepared in your mind.You should think about your response in detail to each question that you maybe asked. In addition, be ready to spill your philosophy about coaching. If youdon’t have one, you had better work on one.

When it’s time for the interview, you want to be yourself, be confidentthat you know your stuff, and feel ready to handle any question. Just as I wouldtell one of my students, I would tell you to leave your other “life issues” outof the interview office. Now is the time to focus on your “game plan.” Becertain to focus on the questions and comprehend what is being asked first, andthen give a confident reply. Sometimes we lose the message (question) becausewe are too busy with our own agenda and formulating a response in our mind. Ifyou don’t have a great answer related to the specific question, don’tguess. Answer the question with a response you are confident that you can deliver(comment on what you do know).

Remind yourself what you need to focus on in the interview. In other words, whatis relevant to focus on during the interview? List these task cues such as listeningwell, displaying confidence, your game plan, good communication skills, etc.If you get off task and your mind wanders, pull it back to the present moment.I would also anticipate any distractions you might encounter that would pullyou off your “game” and have a strategy to cope with that distractionready to be put into action.

Just as you scrimmage to prepare for the weekend game, you can do some role-playingto prepare for the interview. Try role-playing with a friend or colleague usingsome of the questions you anticipate will be asked in the interview.

Dr. Patrick J. Cohn is an author, professional speaker, renowned mental gameexpert, and a contributing writer for AFM. For more information, contact Dr.Cohn at: PatrickCohn@peaksports.com or visit www.peaksports.com.

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