Unless you’re completely oblivious to the sports world, you know who Roger Federer is. Earlier this month he earned the tennis world’s number one ranking, becoming the oldest player to ever hold that spot.
As an avid tennis fan and player, I have followed Roger Federer very closely in my life, and he’s not showing too many signs of slowing down. Over the years I have learned a lot from him, both on and off the court. The things he’s said after wins and losses alike have helped inspire me in an unlikely way – in job interviews.
“What I think I’ve been able to do well over the years is play with pain, play with problems, play in all sorts of conditions.”
This quote can relate to many things. For me, it works especially well for interviews. When I go into an interview I control my own destiny, much like Federer does when he steps on the court. Whether you have pain mentally or physically, it’s important that you just play the game. Give the interviewer your best shot and you’d be surprised at what you can do for yourself.
Life sends unexpected problems at you every day, and to be completely honest, no interviewer wants to hear about it. You’re there for a reason, and that’s to show them that you’re the best fit for the position. If you just play your best game in the interview, you’ll be good to go.
“I’m a very positive thinker, and I think that is what helps me the most in difficult moments.”
Positivity is key in an interview, just like it is key to win 20 Grand Slams. It’s important to put a positive spin on everything, especially failures. Companies don’t want a pessimistic person to join their team. If you talk about a time you failed and blame it on someone else, that won’t look good for you.
The next time you’re in an interview and you feel the nerves coming on just remember this quote. Just think positive. Most of the time when you think something is going wrong in an interview, it really isn’t. Talk yourself up and be positive. You’ll be surprised how much this helps you nail the interview.
“The serve, I think, is the most difficult, you know, in terms of coordination, because you got the two arms going, and you got to toss it up at the right time so.”
As someone who has played competitive tennis for a long time, I can attest to this. The serve is by far the hardest part of tennis to master. Everything else takes half the practice, but the serve can always be better. So too can certain parts of your interview. Whether it’s your “tell me about yourself” answer or the pace at which you speak. There are just certain things that are more difficult.
Personally, I struggle with talking with my hands too much. It’s just what I do. So I work on it. I tell my friends and family to call me out when I do it because it’s distracting in an interview. Find something you struggle with during your interviews and work at it tirelessly. It’ll give you more confidence, which will only lead to a better interview.
“I feel a bit awkward playing in a red shirt out at Wimbledon. But I don’t dislike it.”
This is one of the more comical Federer quotes. You can see his sarcastic smile on his face in your head as he says this. Sometimes it’s okay to be the center of attention, and that’s something you have to be comfortable with.
The amount of awkward moments I have had in interviews is countless. However, I’ve learned to love them. A few times I have shown up way overdressed, making me feel awkward and out-of-place. I quickly remembered that it’s never a bad thing to be the best dressed in the room, and ended up nailing the interview. Awkward moments in an interview are inevitable. If you handle them correctly, you’ll have great success.
Federer has had a great career in tennis and is still beating his opponents with ease. If you take a few of his quotes and apply them to your next interview, you too will have vast success!
