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How do I feel more at ease in a job interview?

A job interview is far from stress-free, but it'll be easier if you keep these points in mind.

  • Prepare yourself by studying the job's duties beforehand. And try to anticipate the questions you'll get by going over the merit criteria.
  • During the interview, if necessary, pause right after a question to think about your answer. The pause may seem uncomfortable, but it gives you the time to gather your thoughts before answering.
  • If a question has many parts, you can ask that it be repeated, even a couple of times, if necessary.
  • If you wish, you can ask to come back to a question later on in the interview.
  • Use the paper and pencil provided. Feel free to jot down the points of a multi-part question to make sure that you don't miss anything. Take a moment to make some notes about the points you want to cover in your answer.
  • Even if you've asked to be interviewed in one language, you can still ask to have a question repeated in the other official language.
  • Ask for clarification if you don't understand a question. The interviewers will likely answer unless the answer would give you an unfair advantage.
  • Once you have answered a question, the interviewers may pause, sometimes for what seems a long time. Let the silence continue and wait for the next question.
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