Job seeking tip: get amped

Music by Queen can be motivating.

Study finds listening to high-powered music before interviews can boost confidence

It's the type of music that makes you want to sing out loud in the car or let loose on the dance floor - but listening to bass-heavy music like 50 Cent can also boost your confidence before an interview.

Listening to Queen's We Will Rock You, 50 Cent's In Da Club or 2 Unlimited's Get Ready For This can help people feel more powerful and confident when going into interviews or important meetings, according to a US study.

The study, published by the Society For Personality and Social Psychology, found certain music could alter a person's state of mind and music identified in the study as high-power or bass-heavy left participants feeling pumped.

Biggie's Big Big Poppa, Fatboy Slim's Because We Can and Baha Men's Who Let The Dogs Out were classed as low-power and less likely to motivate. The study found people who listened to the songs first were also more likely to make mistakes.

Dr Rachel Morrison, a senior lecturer in organisational behaviour at AUT, said experiences just before an interview could impact on a person's mood and music could play a big part in that. She said not all roles would suit someone who came across as "amped".

Hays Recruitment managing director Jason Walker was not aware of clients listening to music to get them in the mood, but instead recommended interviewees kept a high standard of personal hygiene, researched the organisation and the role, and anticipated likely questions.

"Walk in with a feeling of 'if I got this job I could really add value to this organisation' and that should help you get into the right frame of mind."

The researchers played a number of songs to a group of people and asked them to rate from one to seven how powerful, dominant and determined they made them feel.

A second group was then asked to complete a range of tasks after listening to the high or low-powered music to determine their state of mind and how it made them behave.