The pitching ace has 4 terrific innings, but then gets into a real jam in the 5th. His control, which had been masterful, slips. He gives up a base hit and walks two; now the bases are loaded with nobody out.
This game matters; it's late in the season, the team is in the thick of a pennant race, and a loss tonight will cost them a full game in the standings.
Pressure.
What happens next is a mostly a function of what's going on in the pitcher's head.
Is he going to fold?
Will three - or more - runs score before the inning is over? Will he get pulled from the game? Or will he have the mental toughness (and confidence) to shake off the mistakes he's made, focus on the present, and get three outs without giving up any runs?
It's pretty impressive to watch a pitcher dig a deep, deep hole - and get out of it.
The same type of thing might happen to you if you've got a marathon day of interviews. The first few might feel like they went great. You liked them, they seem to have liked you...all is well.
Then things go south quickly.
You meet with a very difficult, challenging interviewer - who also happens to be a member of the executive management team. You can feel a negative vibe the minute you walk into the room, and it never improves. You can't warm this guy up. His attitude intimidates you, and knocks you off your game. Some of your answers are weak; you don't communicate your key selling points as clearly as you should. Your self-confidence wavers. You walk out of there knowing this didn't go well.
The problem is....you have two more interviews to go.
What happens next? Are you going to fold? Or - like the pitcher with the bases loaded...will you get yourself out of this jam?
In many ways, you're just like the athlete. This is a head game. You can't dwell on what just happened, hang on to whatever mistakes you made (or think you made), and let your fears undermine your self-confidence. If you do, there's a good chance you'll blow the interviews you have next.
You've got to shake that last conversation off...put it out of your mind...and do what you have to do to make sure you perform at your peak in a clutch situation.
Like the athlete, you have to regain psychological control following an unexpected event; you have to be able to adjust to change; you have to thrive on the pressure of competition.
Forget about that one bad interview. It's over. There' s nothing you can do about it right now. Reset, walk into the next meeting, and give it your all.
Rebecca Metschke helps professionals improve their marketability. The author of The Interview Edge (http://www.TheInterviewEdge.com), a comprehensive career guide to career management, she also writes a daily blog posting strategies, tips and advice for those whose careers are in transition (http://blog.TheInterviewEdge.com).
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