These tips are a contribution from Joanna Zajusz who is a hypnotherapist with InnerB Studio working with persons needing that extra help.
The goal of these tips is to help you prepare yourself for a job interview at a veterinary clinic or wherever you may apply as a new or seasoned veterinary technician.
How you present yourself is just as important as the resume and often more important. Many of us are nervous, fearful and not confident, often, for no reason. These feelings can be handled through some preparation. And, that is where Joanna comes in.
Very often, the more we care about getting a job, the more stressful the interview may be. This also applies if you are self employed, and you compete to get business from a specific client.
When you are prepared for the interview, but you still have anxiety, or worse – you experience self sabotage or panic attack, there are couple things you can do to relieve these symptoms, and to feel more confident to make a great impression.
Below you will find 4 methods – out of many you can find. The three first exercises you can do on your own. All of them take advantage of the alpha state of mind, relaxation and visualization. Alpha is a state you enter when you relax, meditate, daydream, or when you are in hypnosis.
If possible start doing them several days before. It really gets better with practice.
Technique A: Dissolve the fear
Find about 15 minutes when you can be on your own.
1. Close your eyes… take a deep breath… Ask yourself, what bothers you most about the interview?
What is this feeling that makes you anxious or uncomfortable?
The feeling may be “located” somewhere in the body.
Identify it, name it. Imagine it’s shape and color.
2. Focus on your breath. Take a long inhale and when you exhale imagine that the uncomfortable feeling is sent away in space with the exhale.
You may imagine that it dissolves and fades away.
Or that it drains down thru your feet to the earth.
or that it melts.
Repeat it until you physically feel the difference, and the discomfort is no longer there.
3. Now recall a place and time when you did exceptionally well, when you were confident, you knew what is unique about you.
What shape and color does the feeling have? What emotions accompany the state?
When you have the clear picture in your mind and you start feeling it
With an inhale imagine this feeling entering your body; imagine it taking the space where the discomfort was before. Repeat until you physically feel the difference.
With practice this exercise can take just few minutes of your time.
Technique B: Create the perfect outcome
Among many exercises within the Silva method system, the “mirror of the mind” can be helpful in our situation. You may visit www.silvamethod.com for a detailed description.
Below is a short description of what you need to do:
1. Close your eyes.
Relax.
Imagine in front of you, slightly to the right a large mirror in a blue frame.
Place the problem situation in the mirror. Identify the problem.
Study the image or the scene…
Erase it.
2. Now move the mirror in your mind slightly to the left,
imagine the frame changing colors from blue to white.
Picture the perfect outcome. Imagine a solution to your problem in the white framed mirror.
3. Step into the image.
From this moment when you think about the problem, visualize the way you want it to play out in the white framed mirror. Do it every day. Recall the feeling you associate with success.
Professional Help
Hypnosis / Hypnotherapy
If you have anxiety that affects how you perform, cases of self sabotage, panic attacks or failed interviews in the past, look for a certified hypnotherapist who specializes in this type of problems.
Hypnotherapy with a certified professional (links to Joanna’s website) are safe and have a great success rate. Just like the exercises described above, this technique also takes an advantage from the alpha state of mind and visualization.
During hypnosis session that will last 50-90 minutes, you will communicate with the therapist about the problem. Then the hypnotherapist will help you to relax using a relaxation script, deepening techniques, and music.
Hypnosis scripts are always positive and empowering however during the session the script will be also adjusted for your needs. The hypnotherapist will use your statements, phrases, that you agreed to as being the ideal solution.
Your subconscious mind will be more open to accept and assimilate the suggestion in this relaxed state, since the suggestions will bypass the critical faculty of your mind.
What happens in a hypnosis session.
What is hypnosis. (How Does Hypnosis Work)
Very often 1-3 sessions will get you the results you are looking for. The fees may vary from $75-$250 per session. If money is an issue, find a college in your area where hypnotherapy students offer sessions free – to practice.
NLP – Neuro Linguistic Programming
Also a very effective and fast way of making positive changes. Many life coaches and hypnotherapists are trained in this field, so you should be able to find someone in your area.
Once the NLP practitioner understands your problem, they will choose a technique that is most suitable to end it. In a case of problems with stress and confidence during an interview they may use an anchoring technique, Swish or future pacing.
Don’t wait for the last day to apply these techniques. Start early.
Avoid additional stressors.
A day before the interview make sure you are ready to start the next day without obstacles you could have easily avoided. They may show up if you have self sabotage problems. Why does everything go wrong when we do things last minute or need to rush?
Make sure you have enough gas in your car, that your outfit is prepared and you have water and snack ready. Before the interview take call only from people that know how to be supportive and encouraging. Others – those that have tendency to upset you – can wait.
Don’t forget to keep it light!
Belief that whatever happens is for your highest good.
Wishing you a job with purpose and meaning that supports you in all possible ways!
You can also read more from Joanna at her engaging website, Positively Rebellious.