Interview anxiety is nervousness, anxiousness, or panic that we may feel before or during an employment interview. It is quite common, even if we know we are well-qualified for a job. Meeting strangers in a position of authority, talking about yourself, and being evaluated and judged on your appearance, demeanor, and ability are all valid for nerves and stress. Symptoms may be physical, similar to an increased heart rate, or internal, like contending studies. Interview anxiety can live by itself or be related to generalized anxiety or social anxiety complaint. Some people may witness anticipant anxiety in the days leading up to the interview, marked by worries about what will be. Still, interview anxiety can be managed with helpful tools and exploration-grounded strategies.
Why do we get nervous during an Interview?
Job interviews are bogarting and feeling nervous is accessible. Interviews can mean meeting new people, having to talk about ourselves , and feeling like an imposter who isn’t qualified for the job. Pressure to ameliorate or change our employment situation, whether because of dissatisfaction or for fiscal reasons, can add another subcaste of anxiety and stress.
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Anxiety can affect a job interview by causing distracting and uncomfortable physical sensations similar as a racing twinkle or sweating. Anxiety and unease may also make it delicate for us to answer questions courteously. Preparing in advance and taking steps to manage our anxiety can help combat these passions in the moment.
How to relax before an Interview
In the days and hours leading up to an interview, taking proactive steps to prepare ourselves will help us manage interview anxiety. While it may be difficult to achieve a true state of calm, we will feel more confident if we are making an effort to cope with our anxious feelings.
Practice self-care:
Taking care of our body can go a long way toward alleviating nervous energy and helping us to feel more calm. Avoiding caffeine, getting enough sleep, and exercise regularly. Keeping ourselves in a good health is a consummate when facing potentially stressful situations.
Visualize success:
Find a quiet space where we won’t be disturbed, close eyes, and visualize ourselves being successful in our interview. While it may feel silly, imaging success is further than just positive thinking. When done correctly, it prepares our brain to behave in a certain way. This fashion is used by elite athletes before competitions to ameliorate performance.
Do your research:
Research is a good stress reliever. Before the interview, learn as much as we can about the potential employer and prepare answers to common interview questions. Every bit of preparation helps to increase our comfort level and make us feel more confident during the interview.
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Remove stressors:
Reducing stressors unconnected to our factual performance in the interview, similar as uncomfortable apparel, getting lost, or showing up late, is helpful for calming jitters as well. If we aren’t familiar with the location of the interview, we should give ourselves plenty of time to find it or do a trial run a day or two before. If our interview will be over a video platform, we should make sure to install apps needed.
Be prepared:
A well prepared interviewee has an immediate advantage in an interview. Feeling prepared will also make our confidence and reduce anxiety. Bring everything we need for an in-person interview, including Resume, Cover letter, Business cards, References, Certifications and all.
How to get over interview Anxiety
No matter how much we prepare in advance, we will likely still feel nervous during the interview. But this is completely normal. If we feel anxiety our anxiety mounting during our discussion with a prospective employer, there are strategies we can use to calm our nerves.
Don’t succumb to pressure:
Sometimes, we are grilled during an interview so that the company can see how we handle stress. In these situations, it may be tempting to helical into negative automatic thinking, similar as “They know I can’t handle the job; I should no way have applied” or “They don’t like me; I will never get the job”. If we notice ourselves doing this, do the best we can to stop. Try to realize what the interviewer is trying to accomplish and don’t let them upset you. Remember other candidates were likely treated the same way and being asked tough questions is not a reflection of us or our capabilities.
Ask questions:
Interviews are not just for the potential employer, they are also an opportunity for us to get to know the company. We are deciding whether we want to work for them just as much as they are deciding whether they want us to work for them. Ask questions that show us are curious as to how the organization might fit our goals and ambitions for our career.
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Release anxious energy:
Anxiety has a way of peeking out even when we think that we have it well-hidden. If we find ourselves fidgeting, do something to release anxious energy that will be less noticeable, such as wiggling toes or doing some subtle progressive muscle relaxation exercises. We might also try a few deep breaths (either before the interview or during the interview).
Take your time:
Remember, we don’t have to answer questions immediately after the interviewer asks. Pause before answering to collect our thoughts. We can also deflect the question back to the interviewer to make sure understood it and to give us extra time to compose our reply. If we worry about drawing a blank during interviews, take notes as the interviewer speaks. This takes the focus off of you and allows us to refer to our notes after a question is asked. If we draw a blank, continue to take notes and say we want to collect our thoughts before responding.
Increase your confidence:
Increase confidence by considering the value we could bring to a prospective employer. Try not to critique as we prepare for the interview. If the hiring manager didn’t think we had positive qualities and experiences, we wouldn’t have been asked for an interview.
When to get help?
Feeling nervous before and during a job interview is a very common thing. It happens to almost everyone. However, if anxiety is interfering with our ability to get through a job interview or cope with other social interactions, it could be that we require more than self-help. This might mean treatment in the form of anti-anxiety medication or therapy.
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