Job interviews and Anxiety
It’s normal to feel anxiety about a job interview. Someone is about to analyse your appearance, mannerisms, what you say and how you say it.
Another fear factor is that someone else is in control of your future, you also don’t know what they are going to ask or how they are going to behave. For some people loss of control can lead to stress and anxiety. Unfortunately sometimes the pre-interview anxiety can sabotage your performance in the interview. Anxiety during an interview can lead to blurting out things you don’t mean to say, babbling on about stuff that isn’t important to the interview or fidgeting with something. This can lead to the interviewer being distracted by your nerves and they forget what your strengths and qualifications are.
How to do well in an interview with Anxiety
There are ways to overcome that stress and anxiety when it comes to interview nerves. One of these is being prepared. You need to also remember that a small amount of stress and nerves during an interview is completely normal and 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 case of debilitating anxiety. But how do we do well in our interview when we have anxiety?
There are several things that you can do before an interview to ensure that your anxiety levels are lowered and you feeling more confident. The first thing you can do is to be prepared. Being prepared is probably the most important thing that you can do, we can help with this at Work Opportunities by creating an environment for a mock interview where you can practice some of the things that you might say or being prepared for whatever questions may come up in your job interview. Doing a mock interview can not only help with being prepared but it can also help with your confidence levels when it comes down to your actually job interview.
With your employment specialist you can also learn about and practice some of the different styles of interview questions you may encounter such as competency or behavioral based questions and learn how to answer these in a way that is reflective of your skills and abilities.
Another way that you can do well in an interview when you have anxiety is by being punctual. If you are running late to your interview this can cause you to be flustered maybe a little bit sweaty. Try to be early make sure you can give yourself extra time maybe go get a coffee and try to relax a little bit before you go to your job interview.
What is interview anxiety?
It’s normal to feel anxiety about a job interview, even if you know you’re well qualified for the job. Someone is about to analyse your appearance, mannerisms, what you say and how you say it. This person is also in control of your future and you don’t know what they are going to ask or how they might behave. Some people may experience anticipatory anxiety in the days leading up to the interview, others may be more anxious on the day or during the interview itself.
Sometimes interview anxiety can sabotage your performance. You might talk about things that aren’t important, or fidget. This can distract the interviewer and they might forget about your strengths and qualifications. However, interview anxiety can be managed with helpful tools and techniques.
Important interview skills to conquer your anxiety
How to manage anxiety and do well in an interview – being prepared
Remember that a small amount of stress and nerves is completely normal and healthy, and usually makes you sharper and helps you perform better.
Learn as much as you can about the company you are applying for. Find out their mission, vision and note what you like about them. Prepare some questions to ask your interviewer to show your interest in the company.
Make sure you know your CV inside out, which will help with your answers to questions.
Practice answers with a mock interview We can help you through the process of a mock interview. We will prepare the environment, come up with some mock interview questions and give you feedback on what you did well and what you could work on. We can also help you learn about and practice some of the different styles of interview questions you may encounter, such as competency or behavioural based questions. Doing a mock interview can really help with confidence levels when it comes to your actual job interview.
Sort out your outfit Decide on your outfit well ahead of time, and make sure it’s smart, clean and ironed, including clean shoes. While you might want to wear something new, make sure it’s comfortable.
Know the way You may want to do a dry run before the interview if you feel nervous about finding where you need to go. Paper maps can sometimes be really helpful!
Print out all documents that you need before the interview. We can help you with this if needed.
Be punctual Running late can lead to feeling flustered or a bit sweaty. Be early – give yourself extra time maybe get a coffee and relax before its time to go to your interview.
Know who you are meeting Find out how many people you’re likely to meet and who they are. Knowing if it’s a one on one meeting or a panel format can affect the way you prepare.
Rationalise your fears It’s not the situation that causes anxiety but our perception of it. Try to identify any negative thoughts you have about the interview and challenge them. For example you might think that you aren’t good enough or qualified enough for the job. You can challenge that thought by saying ‘I am qualified for this job because I have worked in this area for X years.’
Inject some perspective When you’re feeling nervous, everything seems tough and forbidding. It’s tempting to see your interviewer, for example, as a heartless examiner who’d like nothing more than to catch you out. An interview is just a conversation about your skills and abilities. Injecting some perspective can help calm you down. Your interviewer is another human just like you.
Dial down the pressure It’s also important not to put too much pressure on yourself - you might really want this job, but if you don’t get it, there will be others. You just need to find the right one for you.
