Alan,

Thanks so much for the very helpful response. Again, do appreciate the quality and value of the Interview Success Formula. Unfortunately, however, I had an interview today and I was pretty awful. I prepared, but I was so clumsy. Clearly the one thing I have neglected to do, and you do state it very clearly in the materials, is practice. Certainly disheartening, but I've just got to bear down and forge ahead. All the best and again, thank you!

John

Can you relate?

I think we've all experienced one or two clumsy interviews like this. You think you're prepared and you feel ready. But when you walk into the room, it's like your brain melts into goo and you forget everything you wanted to say.     

Why does this happen?

How do you stop this from ever happening again?

I'll tell you in this email.

A few weeks back, I was reading some answers on Quora (a social network where you can ask questions about all kinds of stuff and others will answer). Someone wanted to know what if feels like when you're a soldier and the enemy fires at you, and a few ex-soldiers shared their stories.

Apparently, here's what happens:           

The moment you hear gunshots and shouting, your brain melts into goo and you forget everything you're supposed to know. But it's okay, because your training kicks in and you just do what you're supposed to do without thinking. 

This is why they drill all that stuff at boot camp.                

Let's talk about job interviews again.                      

Now, I'd love to tell you that Interview Success Formula is a magic potion, and that all you need to do is drink it and you'll magically ace the interview.                           

But that's not how it works, and you know it.                      

Like John said above, you need to practice. Not just once. You need to say your answers out loud several times (I recommend half a dozen) in front of the mirror, or with a friend, or to your cat, or in your car.     

Make it a ritual for a week.                         

When you brush your teeth in the morning, tell the mirror what your biggest weakness is. When you're driving to the store, tell the road why there's a gap in your resume. When you're feeding the cat, tell her where you see yourself in five years time. (You get the picture.)                     

Even better, make sure the answers you're practicing are the "go-to" answers we help you prepare throughout the Interview Success Formula course.                          

Yes, it's work.                   

But if you're serious about landing your dream job, you'll do it.                                   

Do this, and the next time your brain melts into goo and you forget what you're supposed to say, it won't matter. Because training will kick in and the right words will roll off the tongue. You'll never experience a clumsy interview (and blow a great opportunity) ever again.                             

That's my two cents for today.