Anxiety and Interviewing
I would like for all of you who deal with severe anxiety, how do you handle interviewing without showing it? I start sweating terribly and lose my train of thought and it is just becomes a mess! It is even worse now because I haven't interviewed in years, except for recently. I know I have not gotten jobs because of it. Please help if can help or relate. Thanks!
I used to have a lot of anxiety when going to interviews so now when interviewing I do the following...
Do all the research on the company and the person you are interviewing with. LinkedIn is your friend, Glassdoor to get to know the company. Look up anything and everything you can once you get the interview so you know what you are getting into.
Ask a family member or friend to interview you...practice as much as possible.
Know the position you are interviewing for like you have worked it forever. You should be a pro at what you are applying for or at least have done the job enough to speak on it at length.
At the interview, do not be afraid to tell the interviewer you are nervous. I have started many interviews this way. It puts both of us at ease, some of them will make a joke about it and try to relax you with banter first.
This is a last resort and one I do not normally recommend, however, for those with severe anxiety...you may want to consider getting medication to reduce your anxiety prior to going on the interview.
I hope this helps! Good luck!
Some jobs are definitely Not worth getting worked up over, but you won't know until you actually do the job for awhile.
I have anxiety just calling back to certain companies about positions and openings. Calm yourself first. I know that’s hard but the interviewers are humans too. Be mindful, be respectful, and get your skills and purposes for joining across to them.
Melanie, I think you learn from every interview and it will get easier the more you do. There are a lot of reasons you may not get the job and not necessarily because your anxious. I think you need to think of the interview as a learning experience and not as a have to get even if you need it badly. Don't put too much pressure on yourself and perhaps that will help calm you down. Good luck!
Great question, Melanie! I think what you have to do is view interviews like you are having a conversation with a family member or a friend and relax and have fun! I would keep your answers to the questions as short as possible as you don't want to go off on a tangent and lose that train of thought. I think if the interviewer were to ask behavioral type of questions, then take your time to gather your thoughts before answering.
Mock interviews with a friend or family member would help as well to lessen the anxiety, and I can tell that you will nail the interview and become much better at it. Good Luck!
I have bad anxiety, especially in interviews. I stutter and lose my train of thought, so I go all over the place when talking to these people I don't know
Hi Melanie,
I agree with the previous advice doing your homework and mock interviews.
Also, consider video taping yourself responding to the common questions: Tell me about yourself, why do you want to work for this company, what are your strengths/weakness etc. Practice until you're comfortable. Always have at least five questions.
Good Luck!
First thing for fun, watch Bob Newhart’s “STOP IT” on YouTube. Second, nobody can give you anxiety, it’s only YOUR reaction to something. Act, don’t react!