Are You Melting Instead of Shining In The Hot Seat At Interviews?

by Shea Ki

Why is the process of trying to be selected for professional opportunities we desire often soul-crushing?

As one of Snow Patrol's best songs shares,
"It shouldn't need to be so f**king hard!" 

(By the way, if you DM me on Instagram the title of what song I'm referring to with that lyric, you will score an Upgrade My Interview $15.00 e-gift card you can use towards any products in 2021 at my store. )

I could write ten blogs and still not fully address all the broken systems, bias practices, and outdated methods involved in most of today's hiring processes. But as you know, especially if you are aware of the Law of Attraction, what we focus on grows. I would then instead prefer we give our attention more to what parts of how interviews go that we can control. Mastering this takes time, but it is how we become able to attract opportunities that light us up. 

After over a decade working in employment centers, coordinating job fairs, hiring top staff, and training employment specialists, I know first hand what does NOT work to be offered opportunity that fits and feels good. As you can tell from my website, my favorite area to shine a light on in the hiring process or in business promotion is the interview. Today in this post, I am sharing three common mistakes and how I recommend to fix them so employers or your future potential clients will, "JUST SAY YES!".

Okay, I promise no more Snow Patrol song references.

Well, only if you Don't Give In, Open Your Eyes, and give me some Chocolate. 🎵 
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I couldn't resist. (I miss going to concerts so much during this pandemic time, can you tell? 😊)

Okay, back to business. This blog post will cover three mistakes that are likely holding you back from representing your best, authentic self at interviews. I also will provide suggestions on what to do about it and share with you an upcoming professional development opportunity that will help you stop getting in your own way at interviews.  ​

Mistake 1: Believing that interview prep has to be boring.

Can you recall an amazing concert or play you have been to? Or perhaps you saw a TED Talk or other speaker that you get inspired by when you think about it. Behind almost every amazing performance there was SO much positive energy and joyful, consistent practice put into it. However, because our brain wants to protect us from change and often uses procrastination to do it, we can easily fall into the trap of not giving interview prep  enough time and attention. 

Here are a few questions I ask those who I coach that I see struggling to make interview prep enjoyable. I have linked where you can find Upgrade My Interview resources into the question to save you some time in fixing this problem (in blue).

What can you bring into your interview prep to make it more enjoyable? 

Are you doing a ritual before starting your interview prep to align with your higher self?

Have you plugged interview prep activities, such as creating engaging stories, into your calendar so you can create or practice them without being interrupted? 

►I recommend scheduling at least 30 minutes a week of interview prep if your goal is to be ready for professional opportunity. Double that to two times a week if you are actively wanting a career change and the time of putting yourself out there for interviews is near. And double it once again to 2 hours a week if an interview is scheduled. If you want suggestions and tools on how to best structure those blocks of 30 minutes of interview prep, check out the free professional development opportunity at the end of this blog post. 

Mistake 2: Pushing too hard against yourself. 

We might start out feeling good or at least not so resistant to getting interview prep done, but then as we get into it negativity sneaks in. For example, we begin to search something up online about interview tips and suddenly get a ton of websites and videos telling us how HARD, DIFFICULT, AND STRESSFUL it is and that there are one hundred things you are not doing right. (My apologies if you found this post when doing that search, but I hope you are recognizing that what I offer is interview stress-relief rather than adding to your burden). 

I'm not saying there isn't pressure and much at stake in an interview, but I am suggesting that the more we push against anything the more struggle we make for ourselves. This is one reason I offer information in my interview coaching about law of attraction. LOA is an amazing and stress-relieving way to approach interview prep that brings ease and clarity into how we  practice and show up to share our professional value. Like many holistic tools, those interviewing you never have to know you are using it and yet the potential it brings for interview success is limitless. ​​

So much career momentum becomes possible when we learn how to master our mindset, body language, and energy before, during, and after an interview. I'm happy to be on this journey with you to learn how to make this happen.

​►Explore the holistic printables, tips, and guidance in previous blog posts and the videos on my resources page. This will help you learn how to powerfully influence the outcome of your interview with much more ease. 

Mistake 3: Practicing alone.

One, if not all, of these scenarios has likely happened to each of us:

Rejection that burned down a professional dream.

Feedback at work from someone that hurt deeply.

Putting so much energy and effort towards something that didn't turn out the way we wanted.

These are just some of the common, hard experiences that have become inner blocks to interview success that I often see with clients. Unfortunately, our society hasn't yet normalized talking about career "failures" or low points with others. As part of being conditioned in ways that don't serve us, women in leadership or who want to move up in the workforce have a protective tendency to not practice for interviews with others and get the feedback needed to grow. I experienced this harmful hesitancy myself for many years, even though on the outside I was seen as a successful manager. 

Skipping the step of processing past inner turmoil experienced on our career journey can greatly slow down our career development. Even those in top positions who are desiring more often get weighed down by imposter syndrome, perfectionism, or analysis paralysis because of a system that is set up to keep women out of top positions. Not reaching out for the support needed to interview better holds so many amazing women back. ​

​►Are you not sure how to start building an enjoyable interview prep plan, influence the outcome of what happens in the hot seat, or stop going about practicing for big moments alone?

​I'll be sharing ways to boost your clarity, calm, and confidence for a better interview in an upcoming 5 Day UMI Challenge in April. This free, professional development opportunity is going to challenge you to learn how to ENJOY the inner work and outer practice needed for interview success. You will get a sample of some of the UMI FUNdamentals that I teach other women and amaze yourself at how much you can boost your interview skills in one week.

You can join the UMI Tribe for this challenge by subscribing to my email list. It the best way to stay notified when opportunities like this will begin. During the upcoming 5 Day UMI Challenge, I'll load you up with some of the holistic essentials and practical tools for your interview prep plan that will save you time and ease your interview stress. ​​

Until then, take extra good of yourself. The world of work needs your light. 

​☯️Namaste,

About Shea Ki

Shea became a certified career development professional while managing employment centers and helping employers find their best hires at job fairs for over ten years. She has received awards for her impact on the future workforce, earned a Masters in Counseling, and a degree in Communications. She attends trainings regularly to stay on top of what employers are looking for and entrepreneurship best practices. She also has completed a variety of intensive courses on Reiki, meditation, yoga and other methods for stress reduction and intuitive insight.
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This blend of practical experience and spiritual connection helps Shea Ki quickly zero in on how to best help her clients speak about their professional value with ease, clarity, and genuine confidence. 

You can get more #upgrademyinterview tips about how to shine in the hot seat by following Shea Ki on LinkedIn or join the UMI Tribe by subscribing to her free, monthly editions of Shine In The Hot Seat.