{"id":9546,"date":"2025-11-10T10:58:34","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T18:58:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vcea.wsu.edu\/student-success\/?p=9546"},"modified":"2025-11-10T10:58:34","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T18:58:34","slug":"interviewing-confidence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vcea.wsu.edu\/student-success\/2025\/11\/10\/interviewing-confidence\/","title":{"rendered":"Interviewing Confidence"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Leonardo Capita\u2019s article, \u201c<em>How to Be Confident in an Interview When You Keep Getting Rejected\u201d<\/em>, &nbsp;tackles the challenge of maintaining confidence during job interviews after facing multiple rejections. He emphasizes that <strong>confidence is not an innate trait but a skill that can be built<\/strong> through preparation, mindset shifts, and self-awareness: <em>\u201cConfidence isn\u2019t some magical trait only a few people are born with. It\u2019s something you can build\u2014especially when you\u2019ve got the right tools and mindset.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Why Rejection Hurts<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Repeated rejection, Capita notes, can trigger self-doubt, imposter syndrome, and job search burnout. Candidates often begin to question their worth, but \u201crejection usually says more about the hiring process than it does about you.\u201d He reminds readers that hiring decisions can depend on uncontrollable factors like internal candidates or budget cuts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Strategies to Rebuild Confidence<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Capita outlines several concrete steps for regaining interview confidence:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Seek honest feedback.<\/strong><br>Todd Davis, a senior leadership consultant, advises asking trusted peers for truthful input:<br><em>\u201cMake sure they are those you trust and who will tell you the truth, and not just what they think you want to hear.\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Prepare and practice answers.<\/strong><br>Career coach Cassandra Spencer recommends rehearsing common questions like \u201cTell me about yourself,\u201d saying,<br><em>\u201cThink strategically about what information, experiences, and skills you want to share&#8230; and practice, practice, practice.\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Reframe weaknesses as areas of growth.<\/strong><br>Davis models this approach by acknowledging he\u2019s not a \u201cmath or finance wiz,\u201d but that he works hard to manage large budgets effectively\u2014showing <strong>self-awareness and professionalism<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Use success stories.<\/strong><br>Capita encourages candidates to prepare three examples using the <strong>STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result)<\/strong> to highlight their impact and problem-solving skills.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Hold mock interviews and research connections.<\/strong><br>Davis suggests doing mock interviews and finding even \u201csome connection\u2014any connection\u2014with someone in the company,\u201d since referrals often carry weight in hiring decisions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Projecting Confidence<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even if you don\u2019t feel confident, you can <strong>look<\/strong> confident through:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Open, steady body language and eye contact.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Slower, intentional speech (\u201cConfident people don\u2019t mind a little silence.\u201d)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Wearing clothes that make you feel comfortable and authentic.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Practicing a <strong>pre-interview ritual<\/strong> to calm nerves and focus energy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Shifting Your Mindset<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Spencer emphasizes reflection and small wins:<br><em>\u201cRejection is never fun, so be sure to give yourself a little time to process.\u201d<\/em><br>She suggests reframing \u201cno\u201d as information for improvement, setting tangible goals like applying to three jobs a week or networking regularly, and celebrating progress even without offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally, Capita reminds job seekers that interviews are <strong>mutual evaluations<\/strong>:<br><em>\u201cYou were invited to be there, and the goal of the interview is to share more about your experience.\u201d<\/em><br>You\u2019re not just proving your worth\u2014you\u2019re also determining whether the company deserves you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key Takeaway<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Confidence grows from preparation, perspective, and practice. Each rejection is not a verdict on your value but a step toward a better fit. As Capita sums up through his experts\u2019 advice: <strong>You earned your seat at the table\u2014now it\u2019s about showing up as your best self.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Leonardo Capita\u2019s article, \u201cHow to Be Confident in an Interview When You Keep Getting Rejected\u201d, &nbsp;tackles the challenge of maintaining confidence during job interviews after facing multiple rejections. He emphasizes that confidence is not an innate trait but a skill that can be built through preparation, mindset shifts, and self-awareness: \u201cConfidence isn\u2019t some magical trait [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1247,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[546],"tags":[579,580],"wsuwp_university_location":[],"wsuwp_university_org":[443],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vcea.wsu.edu\/student-success\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9546"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vcea.wsu.edu\/student-success\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vcea.wsu.edu\/student-success\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vcea.wsu.edu\/student-success\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1247"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vcea.wsu.edu\/student-success\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9546"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/vcea.wsu.edu\/student-success\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9546\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9547,"href":"https:\/\/vcea.wsu.edu\/student-success\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9546\/revisions\/9547"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vcea.wsu.edu\/student-success\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9546"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vcea.wsu.edu\/student-success\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9546"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vcea.wsu.edu\/student-success\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9546"},{"taxonomy":"wsuwp_university_location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vcea.wsu.edu\/student-success\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wsuwp_university_location?post=9546"},{"taxonomy":"wsuwp_university_org","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vcea.wsu.edu\/student-success\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wsuwp_university_org?post=9546"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}