Last week as I arrived back to the office after lunch, I saw a well-dressed woman waiting in the lobby.  My immediate thought was that she was here for an interview.  It got me thinking about the numerous interviews that I’ve had where that short period of time spent waiting in the lobby for them to call you in was very nerve-wrecking.  You just sit there with such anticipation, rehearsing lines in your head, trying to remember to have a firm hand shake, to smile, be confident, think before you speak, and what not.  A million thoughts rushing through the head, which then reminded me of a psychology experiment I was involved in during college.  I think they were trying to test or prove that people become less nervous or more calm when they are interacting with someone or something familiar.  The experiment went something like this.  You go into a room with the tester/psychologist person and you sit down at a table and they strap on something to measure your pulse.  Then the tester person tells you to give a 3 minute speech on an undetermined topic.  This is where you’re supposed to freak out about giving a speech and your heart rate is supposed to spike.  Then the tester person leaves and your friend comes in and talks to you.  This should calm you down.  Then the tester person comes back and finishes.  I think it works, being able to interact with someone/something familiar definitely calms the nerves.  So I thought about people going for interviews and how great it would be if while they were waiting in the lobby, they bumped into someone they knew that currently worked at the company.  I totally think this would help me relax.

What do you think?