HOW TO DEAL WITH INTERVIEW STRESS
Interview with confidence
HOW TO DEAL WITH INTERVIEW STRESS
Interview Stress – how to work with it.
Interviews can be stressful, preparing for them, walking into them, and being in them. Over the years I have helped many clients who have come to me because they have an interview coming up and the weight of expectation feels enormous. They may be stressed about how they will come across, how to conduct themselves or how to manage their nerves. However it is one thing that ultimately unites them, interviews leave them feeling out of control.
Job interviews mean a lot, they represent your life moving forwards, or being able to sustain the life you already have. Therefore many people want a formula that will guarantee them the job. Something that will make them the best candidate on the day.
They apply pressure to themselves because they must get this job. What underlies this is a sense that if they are not successful in securing the job, it will reflect on who they are as a person. An unsuccessful interview will bring their very being in to question. What is wrong with them? Why can’t they get a job? What if … what if … what if …?
What many people don’t realise is that having a mindset focussed on “what if?” is the very thing that is making them feel stressed. You can be the best candidate on the day, but if you have a “What if?” mentality in your interview you will most likely come across as nervous. Nerves can lead to you feeling stressed, and stress tells your brain to release stress hormones which switch your blood flow from your brain to your muscles. Not enough blood going to your brain leads to your mind going blank. A blank mind means you forget your answers, you seem flustered or worst of all, you come across as under prepared.
How do you combat interview stress both before, during and after?
- Preparation is key to combating anxiety.
- Use the internet and LinkedIn to learn about the organisation, the people and the job.
- List your skill set against the job specification and be clear about your strengths and areas for development.
This is essential to interview stress reduction because it gets you ready for the interview and means that you will know in your rational mind you have prepared yourself and built your knowledge specifically for this job interview, thereby giving yourself a greater chance of being the best candidate on the day.
- Write out your worst case scenario.
- How bad could the interview go?
- What will it mean if you are unsuccessful?
- What will you do (what actions will you take) if you don’t get the job.
This is essential to relieving yourself from those interviews stresses based on feeling out of control and your identity being dependent on being successful. If you have a plan for not being successful you will feel more relaxed when the interview day comes around. You will have your own coping strategy in place. This is an essential element in emotional resilience.
For more information and help preparing for your interview get in touch today and arrange your free meet and greet consultation.
Good luck and wishing you a happy and confident day!
Lydia