Affirmations for a Job Interview That You'll Actually Believe

The affirmations that help before a job interview are short, believable and about things you can actually do: “I’ve prepared for this,” “I can be nervous and still answer well,” “You know your work, Sam.” Research points to three things that help more than big confident statements: writing about what you value the night before, calling your nerves excitement, and talking to yourself by name. Below are affirmations for each stage, from the night before to the walk out the door afterward.

What the research says helps before an interview

Writing about your values. In one experiment, 85 people did either a values-affirmation task or a control task before a stressful lab challenge. The people who affirmed their values had significantly lower cortisol responses (cortisol is a stress hormone) than the control group (Creswell et al., 2005). In most of this research, people write about the personal values that matter most to them, and doing so can ease the stress and defensiveness that come with feeling threatened (Cohen & Sherman, 2014).

Calling nerves excitement. In one study, 140 students prepared a short speech on why they’d be a good work partner, to be recorded and judged by a committee of peers. Right before speaking, they stated either “I am excited” or “I am calm.” Independent raters judged the “excited” speakers as more persuasive, competent, confident and persistent, and those speakers talked longer (Brooks, 2014). That’s close to what an interview asks of you.

Using your name or “you.” In another study, students had 5 minutes to prepare a speech on why they were qualified for their dream job, to be given to a panel of interviewers. Before speaking, they reflected on their feelings using either “I” or “you” and their own name. The second group was rated as giving better speeches and felt less shame afterward (Kross et al., 2014).

Keeping it believable. People with low self-esteem who repeated “I’m a lovable person” felt worse than people who didn’t. People with high self-esteem felt better, but only slightly (Wood et al., 2009). An affirmation your mind argues with may not help on interview day.

A 10-minute values exercise for the night before

This is a simple version of the writing exercise used in self-affirmation research, where people write about values that matter to them (Cohen & Sherman, 2014). It isn’t about the interview at all. Writing about something you value is a reminder that there’s more to you than one hour in one room.

1. List a few values. For example: family, friendship, honesty, creativity, learning, faith, humor, helping others, hard work, independence.
2. Circle the one that matters most to you right now. Not the one an employer would like. Yours.
3. Write for 10 minutes about why it matters. When did it shape a decision you made? Who taught it to you? When did you act on it even though it was hard?
4. Finish with one sentence that starts “I’m someone who…” For example: “I’m someone who keeps showing up for the people who count on me.”

Keep that last sentence. It’s your first affirmation for tomorrow.

Affirmations for the night before

• I’ve done the preparation I could. The rest can wait until morning.
• You’re allowed to rest tonight. Rest is part of getting ready.
• I’m someone who [your sentence from the values exercise].
• One interview doesn’t decide who I am.
• Tomorrow I only need to be myself, prepared.
• I can’t control every question. I can control how I show up.
• You’ve learned things in your work that are worth talking about.

If you have a few more minutes, picture tomorrow going well step by step, including the question you dread most. Our future self visualization script walks you through one.

Affirmations for the morning of

Say these out loud if you can. Words you say aloud are easier to remember, and our guide on saying affirmations out loud or in your head explains why.

• Today I get to talk about work I care about.
• I am excited. (Say this one out loud.)
• You know your experience better than anyone in that room, [your name].
• I can be nervous and still answer well.
• I’ll listen to each question, take a breath and answer the one they asked.
• It’s okay to pause before I answer.
• I’m here to find out if this job fits me too.

Affirmations for the waiting room

Keep these short. You can whisper them, or say them silently while you breathe out.

• I am excited.
• You’ve got this, [your name]. One question at a time.
• This racing feeling is energy. I can use it.
• I’ve prepared. Now I just talk.
• Slow down. Smile. Listen.
• They want to find the right person. Let them meet me.

When your heart speeds up, try not to fight it. Nerves and excitement are both high-energy feelings that show up before a big moment, and people who named the feeling as excitement did better than people who tried to calm down (Brooks, 2014). Saying “I am excited” gives the same feeling a more useful name.

When a question throws you

Have one line ready for the moment your mind goes blank:

• “That’s a good question. Let me think for a second.” (To them, out loud.)
• “You know this. Start with an example.” (To yourself.)

Take the pause. A few seconds of thinking is fine, and it beats rushing into an answer you don’t believe.

Affirmations for after the interview

However it went, the walk out the door is a good time to be kind to yourself. People tend to replay a stressful performance over and over, and in the dream-job speech study, reflecting with “you” and your name came with less of that replaying afterward (Kross et al., 2014).

• You showed up. That was the hard part, [your name].
• I did my best with what I knew today.
• One answer I’d change doesn’t erase the good ones.
• Whatever they decide, I learned something for the next one.
• I’m proud of myself for going.
• The right job is still out there, and I’m closer to it than I was yesterday.

Then write down two things you’d say differently next time and one thing that went well. That turns the replay into notes.

Today’s small step

If your interview is coming up, do the 10-minute values exercise tonight and finish it with your “I’m someone who…” sentence. Then pick two lines from the waiting-room list and say them out loud once, so they’re ready when you need them.