Career Chat // Managing anxiety before a job interview // CLOSED

Hi there,

I’m Debstar. Happy New Year.

It’s great to be back connecting with you. I am very much looking forward to our Friday sessions and chatting about work related topics. At Ostara, I work with clients with a range of mental health issues to help them build their confidence and skills so they can return to work.

Being the fresh new year, we thought it would be great to make our first topic Interviews, and particularly how to manage anxiety before an interview. It’s normal to feel nervous and anxious before an interview. Having said that, there are a range of practical strategies you can implement to help you relax and feel as good as you can before your interview.

Today I will share tips and ideas to help, and would really like to hear your thoughts and ideas too.

One thing I always do is make sure I leave plently of time to get ready and arrive at the interview. Cutting it fine and rushing is particularly stressful, and can lead to huge nerves on arrival, or can sometimes make you late. Not a great start, if it can be avoided.

What do you do to help you relax before an interview? And what causes you the most anxiety? By talking about these things, it can help us to look at and address these challenges.

Look forward to hearing from you 🙂

Hi @Debstar

I agree cutting it fine can make things stressful.

Preparing well ahead of time can help. I also find thinking about possible questions that might be asked, and what I would say in response. I also get friend to 'mock' interivew me. Even talking to myself in front of the mirror helps too!

To get a sense of what an interview might ask, I usually look at the position description. I find that they're usually a good guide.

Also, not drinking too much coffee can help too.

Preparation can help ease the anxiety, but I find that I still get nervous in interviews. It would be even worse if I didn't prepare though!

Thanks for your contribution @BeHappy.

Some useful suggestions listed above. Preparing questions and answers helps a lot as does practicing with a friend or in front of a mirror. I have known people to even talk to the pillows on their couch :). This may sound a bit ridiculous, but it’s all about practicing so you feel more comfortable and confident when the questions are asked. Using the position description as a basis gives a good guide to the sorts of questions that are going to be asked too. And reducing coffee intake can help relax you, and help you stay calm.

Even with all the preparation, it is still normal to feel nervous in the interview, but as mentioned, it certainly reduces the nerves.

One of my very favourite ways to reduce anxiety before an interview is through becoming aware of my self talk. Before I started listening to my thoughts I used to feel this sickly anxious feeling developing inside me, and didnt know how to deal with it. But once I started really listening to what I was saying, I was able to change my thoughts to empower me rather than have me feeling worse.

Rather than saying things to yourself like “there is no way I am going to get this job” or “I am going to miss out again”or ‘’I can’t do this” or “someone else will get it, they will never like me” (all thoughts that disempower you) what if instead you could tell yourself these thoughts are not true and change your thoughts.

Instead you could say to yourself “Others who have been in my situation (or a similar situation) find work. Surely it can happen for me too”. Or “they have asked me in for the interview so they already think I have the skills for the job. I am going to take a few deep breaths. I can do this”. “With practice, I am getting better at interviews. I am doing ok, I will take it one step at a time. I am gaining experience. I will get there”.

The positive and negative thoughts both feel so different. Have a think about if there is room for you to adapt your thoughts before an interview.

Feel free to share what works for you and/or your challenges 🙂

I forgot to mentioned to plan my journey to interview well-ahead of time. It's horrible, getting lost and then getting to a job interview late. It's happened to me! Not a great start.

I try to arrive about 10 minutes early. Anything earlier, or late, I'm told, may look like poor time management. Do you agree with this @Debstar?

If I can, I also try just to get into the vicinity of where my job interview is at. That way, I can go to a local cafe (and not have coffee!), and have a drink, and go over my notes.

@Debstar what would you recommend taking to a job interivew?

Hi again @BeHappy

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I totally agree. Any more than 10 minutes does look like poor time management. Going to a nearby café to have a drink and go over your notes, or going to a nearby bathroom to freshen up can be a great way to ease your way into it, and be ready to go into the interview at the suitable time. I ideally like to walk into the interview about 5 minutes early, but that is my personal preference.

What should you take to an interview? Great question.

I always recommend taking several copies of your resume in case the people interviewing you need a copy during the interview. Bringing your resume in shows how organised you are, and is especially good if those interviewing you need extra copies.

Also bringing along examples that you can share in the interview, so when they say “tell me about a time..” you have examples ready, ideally that relate to the type of job you are applying for. I always say, if you have them, give work examples, if not, volunteering examples, and if not, general life experience examples.

And bringing along written questions to ask them about the role at the end of the interview. It shows that you have given the role some thought and consideration, and ultimately that you are interested in the role.

And this may sound cheesy but definitely bring a smile and a positive attitude and a genuine interest in the role and the company 🙂

You might like to add something to this conversation 🙂

A friend once told me to view an interview as a 'date'. The purpose isn't just so the company can make a decision about whether they want you or not, it's also so you can get a feel for the company and the position and make sure it's something you want too.

When they re-framed that, it made it a little less nerve racking.

This is such a wonderful way to look at the interview @coffeegirl.

The interview is as much of an opportunity for them to interview you as it is for you to interview them, and decide if it is somewhere you want to work.

Re-framing this is a great idea, and it makes sense that looking at the situation in this way makes it easier to handle.

Another recommended technique is deep breathing.

A lady in one of my courses got particularly nervous about interviews. She called me after the course to tell me she had practiced a breathing techniques before her interview - breathing in for 4 breaths, holding for 2 and out for 6 breaths (something we learn on our Work for Wellness course). After practicing for 10 minutes she was so much more relaxed (yet still alert). She drove to the interview, and in the car, discovered a visible hole in her stockings, temporarily freaked out and then decided to do a few more minutes of deep breathing. After a few more minutes of deep breathing, she thought, "I can't do anything about the stockings now", and calmly walked into the interview. To her credit she relaxed,smiled, answered all of the questions and got the job. Amazing what shifting your thoughts and relaxing can do to effect the overall outcome.

Anyone else want to share ?

Hi All,

Wonderful connecting with you today. Hope you gain some tips and ideas or even reminders from this forum.

Look forward to connecting again next Friday. Our topic will be Interview Dos and Donts.

Have a great weekend, and chat then.

Debstar 🙂