Nervous at Job Interviews? Follow These 8 Steps
Job Search July 25th. 2008, 1:35pmBy Bonnie Lowe
You’ve studied the role. You’ve rehearsed your lines. You’re in costume, about to make your entrance. You know a tough critic is in the audience. You also know that your performance will affect your future, one way or another.
Everyone who has been in this situation has suffered from stage fright. Everyone. Even a great actor like Sir Lawrence Olivier. Even a great singer like Barbara Streisand.
Going to a job interview can be just as stressful as walking onto a stage in front of hundreds of people. You don’t have to be an actor or singer to suffer from stage fright (which is just another name for anxiety).
We all know the symptoms. Your heart pounds. You mouth goes dry. Your palms get cold and clammy. What other people describe as “butterflies” in their stomach feels more like a herd of buffalo in yours.
How can you possibly go on like this? Here’s how…
Before the Interview
1. Prepare and practice. Performers rehearse. Students study. Athletes train. When you know the material thoroughly, you will be more confident and less stressed. Study the job description, research the company, anticipate questions, develop and practice your answers. Remember the 5 Ps: “Preparation & practice precede peak performance.”
2. Focus on your value. Feel good about yourself. If you weren’t among the best of the applicants, you would not be going to an interview. Tell yourself the company needs you as much as you need them. If they don’t hire you, it’s their loss-and you’ll find a better job. Be confident (but not arrogant).
3. Realize that nothing is wrong with you. Being nervous is normal. The interviewer will understand. He or she may be nervous, too.
4. Train your brain. Your brain is responsible for your physiological reactions-the pounding heart, sweaty palms, etc. But it also responds to your actions. If you ACT calm and happy, your brain will get the message that you ARE calm and happy-and will stop producing the symptoms of anxiety. Repeat to yourself that you are calm and happy. Slow your breathing. Think of something that makes you smile, such as a silly puppy. Make sure you actually smile.
5. Recharge your brain and body. Be sure to get plenty of sleep the night before your interview. Eat a healthy breakfast if your interview is in the morning; a healthy lunch if it’s in the afternoon. If you go to the interview tired and hungry, your brain won’t function at peak performance. You need an alert, nourished brain to maximize all of the steps in this article.
During the Interview
If you follow the previous five steps, you’ll be well prepared for the interview. When you’re well prepared, you’ll be less nervous. But there’s nothing wrong with still being a little jittery when the time comes to “give your performance.”
6. Realize it’s a temporary condition. Even if your heart is pounding as you walk in (don’t worry, no one but you can hear it), you’ll start to relax within five minutes or so after you start talking. This is the reason many interviewer’s begin the interview with questions designed more to put you at ease than determine your fitness for the job. Think of the “Tell me a little about yourself” request as a natural question someone would ask you at a cocktail party. They just want to get to know you. Talking about yourself (a topic you’re very familiar with), will help you to relax.
7. Be yourself. Think of the interviewer as an acquaintance, someone you’re happy to have a conversation with-relax and be yourself. Be professional, but also friendly and personable. Smile.
8. Be helpful. Focus on this: during a job interview, you’re not being judged by a superior; you’re trying to be helpful to someone with a problem. We all enjoy helping others. When you’re doing something you enjoy, you won’t be as nervous.
In Summary
Nervousness is a state of mind. You may not be able to avoid it completely, but you can control it. Following these steps will help to ease your stage fright, make you less nervous during your job interview, improve your performance, and increase your chances of winning the job!
Bonnie Lowe is author of the popular Job Interview Success System and free information-packed ezine, “Career-Life Times.” Find those and other powerful career-building resources and tips at her website: http://www.Best-Interview-Strategies.com.
