Once Upon A Power Pose

Read on to find out how a simple 2 minute power pose can help you get your dream job:

Beep beep, beep beep, beep beep

My alarm was telling me to get up. It was the day of a job interview that could change the path of my career.

Leaping out of bed, I jumped into a star shape (aka Power Pose) exclaiming “I am going to win at life today!” I was just so excited.

I first learned about Power Posing when I read Amy’s book. She talks extensively about how power posing can help you portray confidence with just your body language. This is her iconic Ted Talk in Edinburgh where she brings the concept to life.

I grabbed my pink fluffy towel, hung it on the heated towel rail and spun the dial on the shower. The water rushed out sprinkling tiny drops like fairy dust on my face. “I could be in a spa,” I smiled to myself. The water from the shower felt like it was massaging my back, washing away any tension I had.

From reading Amy’s book I knew that the mind/body link is so strong that not only does the mind influence the body, but the body also influences the mind. I owed it to myself to be mindful even for a few moments giving my mind and body a rest.

As I spent a moment looking at the colourful, you could say childlike, label on my new ‘Unicorn Sparkle’ shower gel, I thought;

“If I don’t get this job after showering myself in unicorn sparkles, then there’s something wrong with this world.”

10 minutes before my interview, I went over to a full length mirror and did a power pose.

With my feet just over hip with apart, I lifted my arms and spent 2 minutes reaching up to the sky as if my fingers could touch the stars.

It really is a celebration pose. As I stood in front of the mirror I remembered crossing the finish lines of the marathon’s I have run, I could feel the adrenaline tingling through my veins.

Sitting in front of my laptop on Microsoft Teams, I was full of excitement. I couldn’t wait for the interview to start, counting down the minutes in anticipation. There wasn’t a single dastardly nerve in sight waiting to trip me up.

According to Amy’s study; the increase in testosterone generated by a power pose even just for 2 minutes will boost your confidence and help feel more at ease in tense situations.

I sailed through the questions, which started off with the usual “Tell us a bit about yourself”. As I was sharing my gloriously crafted answer (even if I do say so myself) it felt like I was almost singing it to my interviewers, like a melody you might hear on a sunny summer’s day. 

A lot of people just want to forget interviews after they finish them, but I still remember mine clearly thanks to Amy’s advice: “Preparation is obviously important, but at some point, you must stop preparing content and start preparing mind-set. You have to shift from what you’ll say to how you’ll say it.”

This new job meant everything to me, my heart was out there, on the line for everyone to see.

Like a yacht on calm seas, adjusting my sails occasionally when I needed to relate an example of my previous achievements to suit, I answered all the questions. This was unusual given that competency questions (I think) are one of the most difficult types of interviews to relax in. 

I was present in every moment. I didn’t rush my answers which enabled me to communicate with ease and adapt as needed, showing no signs of stress or anxiousness.

The interview ended and I knew I had done all I could.

‘If I don’t get this job now, it’s not meant to be. I wouldn’t change anything,’ I thought.

I got the job!

I wasn’t the most experienced they said, but the values and behaviours I had demonstrated shone through. In other words, they trusted me to do a good job.

In the book Presence, Amy says, ‘trust is the conduit of influence, the only way to establish real trust is by being present.’

You too can learn to be present. Free yourself from your nerves and anxiousness, just like I did with simple 2 minute power pose.

You can watch Amy’s famous YouTube Video here and you can buy her book in all the usual places.

A two minute Power Pose is the secret to getting your next dream job.