Act Your Way to Your Next Job

To paraphrase the Bard: All your career's a stage, and all the interviewers merely players.

Jessica Sullivan's column for BNET, "New MBA Requirement: Acting 101?," struck a chord with this amateur actor and recalled some coverage we've done at TheLadders about using theater tricks to beat interview stage fright.

Jessica focuses on advice to new MBAs from Stanford professor Jeffrey Pfeffer, who advocates studying actors to win a starring role in the workplace.

At TheLadders, one of my favorite editorial packages -- which we cited in our new book, "You're Better Than Your Job Search" -- surveyed Broadway actors and theater coaches about how best to beat back anxiety en route to that interview and let your body language speak volumes.

Check out our piece titled "How to Beat Interview Fear": Stage fright, said professional actor John Treacy Egan, usually occurs about five minutes before the actor goes on stage. Actors beat back the paranoia by breathing, he said.

"Whenever you start to experience fear, the first thing that you have to do is remember to breathe," Egan told TheLadders. "Fear stops your breathing, and everything starts to tighten. Breathing opens the door to relaxation."

Bonus: Check out this gallery, titled "Body Language Speaks Volumes on a Job Interview," which features actor Egan demonstrating good and bad poses in an interview.

Remember to breathe, and practice in front of a mirror and with friends before your big moment!