When preparing for a high-stakes job interview, you can dutifully conduct your research on the company, thoughtfully consider how your experience and aspirations converge with their mission and opportunities, and compile your questions for your interviewer without ever uttering a word. All that positive work can be wasted if you don’t open your mouth and practice your answers out loud.
We all sound like great orators in our heads. When we actually start to talk, we can transform from Winston Churchill to Elmer Fudd. Rehearsing common interview answers and your elevator pitch out loud enables you to do so with fluency, poise, and confidence.
There are two accessible ways to get some visual and auditory feedback. First practice in front of a mirror. Second, record yourself and watch the video. Are there unconscious habits you are unaware of, such as vocalized pauses or nervous hand movements? Are you speaking too quickly? How is your posture—are you slouching and nervous or leaned back and arrogant? The idea of watching yourself on video may make you cringe, but whatever temporary discomfort you feel will be offset by the dividends it will pay when you arrive at your interview.
