
Psychologist reveals how to walk in, sit and what to say in ANY job interview… and 4-second rule for a big advantage
Psychologist Ian MacRae tells The Sun exactly how to walk in, sit down, and the golden words to say in any interview.
3
Because - as the UK's job market continues to weaken and wages remain stagnant - it's never felt more important to nail that first impression.
How to walk in
"Be confident when you enter, and when you are speaking - but don't be overconfident or aggressive when the other person is speaking," says MacRae, a member of the British Psychological Society.
"Aim to be confident in your own approach and your own answers without dominating the conversation."
While humbleness is generally considered a good quality - and is absolutely necessary in some jobs, such as caring roles - it's not a good idea to talk down your achievements.
"False humility is rarely well received," explains MacRae.
"If you're talking about your accomplishments, be confident about them."
There is a balance to be struck between being confident and warm.
Confidence can easily be mistaken for cockiness if it's overdone, according to MacRae.
"Research shows both confidence and warmth significantly improve social perceptions, so don't overdo the confidence so much that you fail to listen to the other person, or respond to them respectfully," he says.
"Show that you're confident you can do the job, but that you're receptive to learning."
Anger is a natural response to seeing an ex move on and have a baby, says tv psychologist
3
How you should sit
Now you might not think you need tips on something as simple as sitting in a chair - but posture is important.
According to MacRae, "it influences both how you are seen and how you feel".
To really give off the best impression, MacRae suggests relaxing your shoulders, keeping your feet grounded and your hands visible.
Try not to hunch forward.
With your hands visible, you may be less likely to fidget.
If you tend to fidget, don't take along props that you are more likely to fidget with.
Ian MacRaePsychologist
Most people fidget, especially when they're nervous.
But "pronounced, loud and exaggerated" fidgeting can be a distraction to an interviewer, according to MacRae.
"If you tend to fidget, don't take along props that you are more likely to fidget with," he says.
"The last thing you want to be doing is spinning around a vape pen or constantly checking a mobile phone during an interview - this goes for remote interviews too.
"If you tend to fidget, be very careful what you place around you on the desk. If your hands need to be busy, take notes."
MacRae also suggests modelling your posture on whoever is interviewing you - without being an obvious copycat, of course.
"Generally, when you are attentive to the other person's body language, you naturally mimic it to a certain degree," he says.
"So don't consciously try to mirror their actions but pay attention to their posture, facial expressions and body language to pick up more clues and context about the questions they are asking."
3
The advert trick
Now nobody can tell you what to say to win over an interviewer - not even ChatGPT.
But there are some golden phrases you can use, quietly given to you by the hiring company through the form of a job advert.
"Good job adverts - not all adverts - will give you some important clues and keywords about what matters," explains MacRae. "Learn the keywords and what they are often code for."
Though preparation goes a long way in an interview.
The best thing you can do is to demonstrate that you understand what's required for the role, what kind of challenges there will be, and that you have the capacity to solve those problems.
As MacRae notes, there is no "set of magic words" that is going to secure you a job offer.
But preparing some general talking points and questions relevant to the job will put you in better stead.
"The best thing you can do is to demonstrate that you understand what's required for the role, what kind of challenges there will be, and that you have the capacity to solve those problems," MacRae adds.
"Asking questions that demonstrate you understand what is required in the role can really help."
These days, people have to go through multiple rounds of interviews to land a job offer.
Another tip up MacRae's sleeve is to ask the recruiter what the next interviewer is looking for.
"They'll often tell you," he says. "And that can really help you prepare. Write down what they tell you."
MacRae continues: "If they can't or won't tell you, that's also an important piece of information if they don't really know what they're looking for."
Try to practice common interview questions with a friend or family member to make any surprise questions feel less intimidating.
The 4-second rule
It's the big day - you've done all the preparation you can, all you need to do now is walk into the job interview and shine.
But those pesky nerves creep in, and you're afraid your mind might go blank at a crucial moment.
According to MacRae, mental prep helps just as much as prior notetaking about the role.
He suggests a simple four-second rule that can help "reset your system" by quickly slowing your heart rate and lowering your cortisol - the stress hormone.
"There is strong evidence that techniques like box breathing works, in for 4, hold for 4, out for 4, hold for 4," says MacRae.
"Just a few rounds before the interview can help you relax."
If you want this technique to be really effective - it's best to start practising it now.
"The more you practise calming techniques before you need them, the easier they are to activate under pressure," MacRae explains.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


BBC News
10 minutes ago
- BBC News
Thousands of retained firefighters owed pension payments, union says
More than 10,000 former retained firefighters across the UK are missing out on pension payments, according to a payments, which became available following recent legal rulings, could be worth anything from several thousand to more than £100, Fire and Rescue Services Association (FRSA) has urged anyone who might qualify to contact their old employers to ask if they are eligible and to get help about how to or on-call, firefighters are usually based in more rural locations and answer emergency calls alongside working a normal job. They never used to get a pension. However, two legal rulings in the past few years have changed that, meaning they are now entitled to anyone who served as a retained firefighter between two dates connected to those rulings - April 2000 and April 2006 - could qualify, and not just for a pension covering those six years, but for their entire must "buy back" (pay for) the pension contributions they would have made toward any pension scheme, but that bill can be taken off any final payment they're much money that is depends on factors such as the amount of time served, how busy their fire station was and what rank they attained. 'Great bonus to the household' Peter Duncombe spent 35 years serving as a retained firefighter in Buckinghamshire and qualified for a lump sum of about £10,000 plus ongoing monthly payments of around £180."This extra pension... is a great bonus toward the household," he said."Especially with the current issues with the cost of living increases, fuel rises and electricity going up. It's just excellent really. "The lump sum, which was a great bonus, we're actually going to use some of that for a once-in-a-lifetime holiday... and the remainder will go back into the kitty for maybe another holiday in another year." So far the FRSA estimates about 16,000 people have come forward to make a of them have received lump sum payments of tens of thousands of pounds, plus monthly payments going the union estimates at least 10,000 more are eligible but haven't yet put in a urging them to contact their former employer to find out how to put in a claim or message the union via its website to get help and advice.A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government said: "It's essential our firefighters get the pensions they have earned as quickly as possible."Fire and rescue authorities are responsible for the administration of the pensions, and the government is supporting them to address issues raised by firefighters."A Local Government Association spokesperson said: "Some individuals have service that goes back as far as the 1960s and Fire and Rescue Authorities have been working tirelessly in trying to trace some individuals, to ensure that they do not miss out on this opportunity." After serving as a retained firefighter for nearly 30 years in Devon and Cornwall Paul Jarvis qualified for a lump sum payment of around £30,000 and ongoing monthly payments of nearly £200."This lump sum payment will improve my expectations and will mean that I can afford to retire nearly straightaway," he said."Then, going forward, it will boost my state pension... as well as giving me an extra monthly payment which, in these times, is a very, very useful payment."A spokesperson for the National Fire Chiefs Council, which represents fire and rescue service, said on-call firefighters play a "critical role" in the UK's emergency response and strongly encouraged anyone who thinks they may be eligible for payments to contact their pensions administrator.


Times
an hour ago
- Times
English police forces loosen fitness test requirements
Police forces in England have quietly reduced the difficulty of their fitness tests as a new analysis reveals they are among the easiest in the world. Last year, following pressure from the Police Federation, the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) issued guidance to forces to lower the amount of running required in the annual bleep test. The new standard, which has been taken up by forces including Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Thames Valley and West Yorkshire, eased the requirements from level 5.4 — equivalent to four minutes 22 seconds of light jogging — to level 3.7, equivalent to three minutes and eight seconds of the same. Some forces, such as Surrey police, have also made the change for new applicants.


The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Is your garden out of control? Don't stress: embrace the chaos
The growing season is at its peak. There have been harvests already and more to come. The boughs of our plum tree bend towards the ground, heaving with fruit, and there are new cucumbers and courgettes swelling with each warm summer day. My season started late, and since the spring equinox I feel as if I've been stumbling while I try to catch up. My crops are being outpaced by the creeping buttercup, couch grass and nettles that sneak under the chicken-wire fence. Self-seeded lemon balm and teasels pop up wherever there's a thumbnail's worth of bare soil. While it's a glorious time in the veg patch, all I seem to feel is overwhelm. While overwhelm is a feeling I know all gardeners experience at some point – whether in the depths of a long, soggy winter, or while watching blight take hold of their tomatoes, or just when contemplating a never-ending to-do list – it isn't something I see people talk about much. Beyond the carefully curated photos and the thoughtfully worded, triumphant captions shared on Instagram, there are other feelings the garden can induce that we growers ought to share more. Right now, it is a major source of frustration for me. Everything is growing so rapidly I've lost sight of what my garden can be – or what, perhaps, it ought to be. Instead of being a place of nature and nurture, joy and thriving, it feels draining and disappointing. But this isn't unusual and there is a gentle, sane way to manage these feelings. Stop. Stop trying to get on top of the weeds, the mess and the endless tasks. Just sit down amid the chaos of your garden at the height of summer and see it for the beauty it holds, not the things it has failed to be. A kind friend said to me recently that 'a messy garden is better than an empty one', and I've been leaning on the truth and reassurance of that statement to hold me steady as the illusion of control slips through my fingers. I'm also reminded of the wise counsel of skilled gardener and friend Andrew Timothy O'Brien, who wrote an entire book, To Stand and Stare, that embodies a gentler way of being with the plants in your garden. He invites us to pay attention to the garden as it expresses itself, embracing what it has to say even when it's not part of our plan, and taking the time to be with the garden instead of relentlessly doing. Sign up to Inside Saturday The only way to get a look behind the scenes of the Saturday magazine. Sign up to get the inside story from our top writers as well as all the must-read articles and columns, delivered to your inbox every weekend. after newsletter promotion We can more intentionally cultivate the relationship with our patches of earth when we ease our grip on what we want our garden to be and meet it where it is. The to-do list will persist, of course, but perhaps we can learn to live with getting less of it done.