"5" WAYS TO OVERCOME JOB INTERVIEW ANXIETY
It’s natural to feel anxiety about a job interview. Someone is about to scrutinize your appearance, mannerisms, what you say, and how you say it.
If
he likes you, it could mean a job offer, a sweet salary, and the corner
office. And if he doesn’t like you, you soon might find yourself living
in a van down by the river (okay, I’m exaggerating, but it’s exactly the kind of thing you’re thinking when you’re stressing out about a job interview).
So
yes, the stakes are high. The other fear factor in a job interview is
that someone else is in control. You don’t know what he’s going to ask
or how he’s going to behave. For many (especially Type A overachievers),
loss of control can lead to additional stress and anxiety.
Unfortunately, that pre-interview anxiety can really sabotage your performance on the big day. A bad case of nerves can lead to serious interview mistakes –including
blanking out, blurting, babbling, sweating, and fidgeting. If you
aren’t careful, the interviewer will be so distracted by your nervous
habits that he won’t even remember your strengths and qualifications.
There
is only one way to combat that feeling of helplessness and interview
nerves in general, and any Boy Scout can tell you those two words…
Be Prepared
Preparation
is the best way to overcome interview nerves, along with remembering
that a certain amount of anxiety in a stressful situation is healthy. A
bit of nervousness and anticipation may actually make you sharper and
help you perform better. The problems arise when that little bit of nervousness becomes a debilitating case of anxiety.
If you do your homework,
preparation will lead to more confidence and confidence puts you in
command — and can even make you look forward to the interview
(seriously). Confidence can also help you channel your nervous
energy into a positive force.
It’s
not so different from the way that an athlete trains to be in peak
condition on the day of the big game. The more you prepare and practice,
the more confident you’ll feel when your career aspirations are on the
line in the job interview. This confidence will help you eliminate
unattractive nervous habits (um, uh, like) and feel more in command of
your answer and body language.
So let’s talk about how to prepare in a way that will empower you and help you minimize pre-interview anxiety.
Accentuate the Positive
The
self-help gurus are right: It pays to think positive, at least when it
comes to job interviews. The job search can be brutal and it’s easy to
get cynical — even the best candidates face repeated rejection and rude
behavior.
While
cynicism and bitterness can be entertaining at a dinner party, these
qualities can really hurt you in job interviews. Nobody wants to hire a
candidate with an attitude problem.
At
the same time, negativity can prevent you from seeing your key selling
points clearly and expressing them well in your interview. Prepare and
practice (see more on how to do that below) with the attitude that you can ace this interview. Fake it until you make it.
Once
you have prepared, tell yourself you are ready. Listen to upbeat music
on your iPod—tunes that energize you and make you feel good about
yourself and the world in general. Some people prefer to listen to
guided meditations or motivating speeches — you can even record your own
pep talk.
Just
remember to cut off the music and other happy sounds when you arrive at
the job interview site. Wearing headphones at the interview (even if
it’s just in the lobby) will make you look distracted.
An
unfamiliar environment can add to uncertainty, which is why career
professionals generally recommend that you pay at least one visit to any
unfamiliar interview location in advance.
Otherwise,
you risk the nightmare scenario: getting lost or stuck in traffic and
running into your interview late, sweaty, and flustered. Give yourself
extra time. If you’re early, you can always stop at Starbucks (one will
inevitably be next door to your destination) to freshen up and
re-hydrate.
Don’t Give In to Desperation
No
matter how desperately you want the job, remember that it’s just one
opportunity. Your entire future is not dependent on landing this
particular job. You don’t even know that much about the position yet.
Sure, it looks good on paper, but it’s not your only option.
From
the interviewer’s point of view: Enthusiasm is good, neediness can be a
bit awkward. Think about it like a first date. You want to impress
and show off your best qualities. You don’t want to seem like a potential bunny boiler who has never been asked out before.
No
matter what happens, this interview will be a learning experience that
will make you a better job candidate and savvier professional in the
long run.
Focus on projecting confidence and
putting all of that preparation (see above) to use. You can’t control
the employer’s decision making process, but you can control how you
present yourself in the interview.
Keep
in mind that you are there because they liked your résumé or the
impression you made in the screening interview. That’s a compelling
reason for you to be upbeat on the day of the interview.
Relaxation and Confidence Boosting Techniques
Anti-nervousness
techniques — including breathing exercise and mental imagery techniques
— work for some. Here are some that we’ve seen work wonders for nervous
candidates:
Power Posing — Did
you know that a simple 2-minute body language trick can instantly boost
your confidence and improve your interview performance? “Power posing”
is all about posing like a superhero for two minutes before your
interview.
You
can go with the “Wonder Woman” or “Superman” and simply stand stall and
strong with hands on hips and legs confidently apart (for
more high-power poses and the science on how and why this technique
works, I highly recommend Amy Cuddy’s awesome Ted Talk on body language)
It
may sound silly, but it works. A recent study found that power posing
led to significant increases in testosterone (the dominance hormone) and
drops in cortisol (the stress hormone). This technique literally
changes your body chemistry.
A
follow-up experiment looked specifically at job interviews. The
“high-power” posers were overwhelmingly chosen by the interviewers as
hiring material.
Try it right now and see for yourself. Just remember to do your posing in private before the interview.
Visualization —
It may calm your anxiety to visualize a successful interview. Picture
yourself in the interview room making a fantastic impression and try to
vividly imagine the strong sense of positive confidence that you will
feel. You’ll get the best results if you combine the visual with the
strong positive feeling and associate the two. It’s a fast and easy way
to focus your thoughts and get a burst of confidence.
Breathing — You might also want to explore anxiety-reducing breathing techniques to
help you center yourself before the interview. Once you’re in the
interview, remember that a pause and a simple deep breath can do a lot
to calm any jitters or sense of panic. Anxiety leads to quick, shallow
breathing, which can affect your body language and your voice. Sometimes
we forget how important it is to just stop and breathe.
Pacing Yourself —
If you find yourself stumbling over your words, it’s likely that your
anxiety has taken over and you’re talking too fast. Nervousness tends to
make you speed up your mannerisms and your speech. It can also prompt
you to speak before you consider the question properly.
Slow
down and don’t be afraid of the pause. If you race to fill every
silence too quickly, you’re likely to blurt out something you’ll regret.
Don’t feel self-conscious about pausing. Interviewers expect you to pause and think before answering complex questions.
If
your pause starts to feel awkward, it’s okay to say something like,
“That’s a great question. I just need a moment to decide on the best
example to share.”
Redirecting Questions —
You aren’t going to know the answer to every question, and sometimes
that’s intentional on the part of the job interviewer. Some interviewers
ask stress questions just to find out how you react.
The
best way to deal with these tricky questions is to gracefully redirect
the question toward a similar topic you are familiar with, preferably
underlinng your strengths as
you do it. Whatever you do, stay calm and collected. Don’t let one
tough question change the tone of the interview. Focus on handling the
next questions well and ending the meeting on a positive note.
If
you follow our advice and put in your preparation time, we promise
that your nerves won’t sabotage you during your moment of opportunity.
Feel the fear and ace your interview anyway!
Google offers their own suggestions for the nervous job candidate:
Source: biginterview.com
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