Work the wait: Use pre-interview pause to your advantage

Whether it’s nervous energy or bottled-up enthusiasm, many job seekers say they feel an adrenaline rush before meeting with a recruiter, especially if the interview is for a job they really want.

“My mind begins to race a little, and I can feel my heartbeat,” says Josh Praughn, a financial analyst who specializes in nonprofit organizations and is a self-described “habitual job candidate.” “It’s almost like my brain is getting into race-car mode. It’s a definite rush.” And then? “Then it usually goes like this: ‘You can have a seat, Mr. Praughn. Someone will be with you in a few minutes,’” says the 41-year-old Chicago resident. “And then everything shuts down.”

Praughn says most of his pre-interview waits last 10 minutes, but in some cases he’s sat in his potential employer’s lobby and then his interviewer’s office for more an hour. “It’s like going to the doctor,” he says. “You get there, sign in and wait for your name to be called, Then you get called back to the doctor’s office and you sit on the exam table for another half an hour. You might have excruciating pain in your head, but you’re so tired of waiting that when the doctor finally comes in, you tell him everything’s fine.”

Don’t fade away

What bothers Praughn the most, though, is that he says he often loses his train of thought while sitting for an excessively long time. That’s a fairly common issue, says Jean Healy, a career coach and HR specialist based in Oakland, California.

“When you’re interviewing for a job, the smallest thing can push your top-of-mind thoughts somewhere in the back, where they get lost with all the clutter of your daily life,” says Healy. “You have to start the process again by sitting down and hitting the reset button. I like to tell my clients that if they’re truly a great candidate for the position, they work through the delay. They need to stay sharp and focused.”

Healy suggests three ways for interviewees to stay in the moment when faced with delay.

1. Take a moment: Have a seat, gather your things and take a few deep breaths. Since you don’t know how long you’re going to be waiting, don’t go straight for a magazine or your phone. Instead, go over any notes you might have or start visualizing your initial greeting with your interviewer. You don’t want to take yourself out of the game by drifting off into some other place.

2. Do some writing: You probably have a small notebook or pad of paper in your briefcase or purse, so take some time to jot down a few things that you’ll want to say during the interview. The process of actually writing out the words will help you recall them when the interview begins, whether it’s in 10 minutes or an hour. If you can’t stay focused on the interview, write about your current thoughts. Putting them down on paper will help you flush them out of your system.

3. Move: You don’t need to sit in one place if you are waiting for interview to begin. Be an active participant in the waiting process. Instead of sitting and counting down the minutes, keep up your energy by abandoning the couch and taking a quick walk around the room or down the hall.

Mind and body

Sean Chang, a Boston-based sales consultant for Amazon.com retailers, says he’s had to wait for interviews not only with potential employers but also with potential clients. Chang says he’s able to keep his train of thought by engaging in some sort of repetitive movement.

“It might look a little OCD to people, but if I have a pen, I’ll move it from hand to hand, or if I have a briefcase, I’ll rearrange everything that’s inside,” says Chang. “It helps me separate my nervousness and anxiety from what I’m thinking.