Overcome a Fear of Interviews

If your hands tremble and your knees turn to jelly every time you walk into a job interview, you’re not alone. You don’t have to let a fear of interviews limit your career prospects, though. The first step towards overcoming your fear is to adjust your mindset about interviews. After that, put plenty of time and effort into preparation, so you’ll feel more confident on the big day. Finally, learn some strategies for getting through the interview itself.

Steps

Preparing for Interviews

1. Familiarize yourself with the job you’re applying for. Learn everything you can about the position you’re trying to get, the people who will be interviewing you, and the company itself. Read the company’s website, and look for your interviewers’ profiles on LinkedIn. The more information you can find, the more confident you’ll feel during the interview.
   • If you don’t do your homework beforehand, the interviewers will probably be able to tell you didn’t prepare much, and they might take you less seriously.
   • Also, make sure to take time to consider how this job fits in with your career goals and consider how you will express this during the interview.
2. Memorize your resume. Learn your resume backwards and forwards so you can talk about your past job experience without drawing a blank. Think about whether you want to highlight any of your past work in particular and, if so, what you want to say about it.
   • For instance, you might want to talk about how a past job gave you important skills you’ll need to succeed at this job.
   • Come up with some examples that demonstrate your skills and write up a few summaries. For example, if the interviewer asks you to tell them more about your programming skills, then you should be able to list your skills and give examples of how you have used those skills, such as sharing about the time you created a new end-user interface for a large company database.
3. Think about how you’ll answer the most common interview questions. Certain questions tend to come up at every interview. Find a list of these commonly asked questions and think about how you want to answer them.
   • You can find a list of commonly asked questions at https://www.themuse.com/advice/how-to-answer-the-31-most-common-interview-questions.
   • Answer questions honestly, but don’t make yourself look bad in the process.
   • For instance, if the interviewer asks why you want this job, don’t just say “I need the money,” even if it’s true. Say something specific to the job, like, “I find it really satisfying to keep things organized and help people find what they need.”
4. Keep in mind that it is okay if you don’t know all the answers. It is perfectly fine to let the interviewer know that you do not know the answer to a question. You can always get back to them with an answer later on. Admitting you don’t know the answer to something and getting back to the interviewer with an answer later shows that if you do not have an answer, you’ll look for it. It also shows that you follow through on things you say you are going to do.
   • Try saying something like, “I don’t have an answer right now, but I will look into it.” This also gives you a reason to send a follow up note or email to the interviewers after the interview.
5. Ask a friend to practice with you. Get someone to do a mock interview with you, so you can practice responding to questions in real time. Give your friend a list of questions you want to practice answering, but ask them to throw in a few unexpected questions of their own, too.
   • Invite your friend to give you feedback on how you speak and carry yourself, as well as how well you answer questions.
   • You can also improve your interview skills by filming yourself. Watching yourself from an outside perspective will give you a good idea of what you need to improve.
   • Pay attention to your nonverbal communication, such as your body language, facial expressions, or manner of speaking. Consider what these things will express to your interviewer.
6. Think of some questions you want to ask the interviewer. You can make a good impression by asking some questions of your own at the interview. Commit your questions to memory ahead of time.
   • Make sure you’ve done your research before you come up with questions. Don’t ask a question if the answer is easy to find yourself.
   • Good questions include, “Why do you like working here?”, “What are the company’s main goals?”, and “How do you gauge an employee’s success at this company?”

Changing Your Mindset

1. Shift your perspective. A job interview is just a conversation, not an interrogation. Its purpose is to see if you’re a good fit for the company (and vice versa). While it’s important to make the best impression you can, the interviewer isn’t analyzing your every move for mistakes, so try to relax and focus on the real purpose of the interview.
2. Remember that you are interviewing the employer, too. An interview is a two-way street. Yes, the employer has the power to decide whether or not to hire you, but interviews also give you the opportunity to find out if you actually want to work for a company or not. Take an active attitude towards your interviews, and you may feel more confident about the whole process.
3. Focus on your strengths. Think about everything that makes you a great employee – your education, past experience, and personal qualities. Remember that if a potential employer calls you for an interview, they’ve already noticed these good qualities, so they’re starting off with a positive impression of you.
   • You don’t necessarily need to have years of experience or an extensive education to be a good employee. Personal qualities like perseverance, organization, and great people skills can also make you a strong contender for a job.
   • Consider how your weaknesses can be turned into strengths. For example, if you have a tendency to accept too many projects at once, then you might work on learning to practice intentional scheduling and prioritizing.
4. Know that rejection isn’t the end of the world. It’s no fun to give a bad interview or to get passed over for a job, but it happens to everyone. Don’t be too hard on yourself when an interview doesn’t go well. Instead, think about what you can learn from the experience, and remind yourself that there are lots of other jobs out there.
   • For instance, if your mind goes blank in the middle of an interview, you might want to spend more time practicing before the next one.

Getting Through Interviews

1. Arrive early. Give yourself plenty of time to get to the interview. Leave home earlier than you need to, so traffic delays or bad weather don’t make you late. Once you arrive, take a few minutes to compose yourself.
   • It’s good to show up several minutes early, but don’t walk into the building more than five or ten minutes ahead of time. Wait outside or in your car until it’s almost time for your interview.
   • If you are waiting in a reception area, make sure to be professional. Interviewer will sometimes ask the receptionist how you behaved while you were waiting.
2. Take deep breaths. Breathe deeply to calm down and relax, both before and during the interview. If you feel yourself tensing up, take a long, slow breath through your nose.
   • Breathe into your abdomen, not your chest.
3. Use confident body language. Even if you’re not feeling confident, you can “borrow” some confidence with your body language. Stand or sit up straight, with your shoulders back. Make good eye contact with the interviewer throughout the interview, and don’t forget to smile.
   • When you carry yourself like a confident person, you’ll start to feel more confident for real.
4. Be yourself. Don’t mistake putting your best foot forward for putting on a fake personality. If you get hired, your real personality will come out eventually anyways, so just be honest. Speak and present yourself the way you normally do.
5. Be honest if you’re nervous. If the jitters are getting the better of you, just come out and say so. Being honest will help you relax a little bit. The interviewer probably won’t judge you negatively, either – being nervous shows that you care about getting the job.
   • For instance, if your mind goes blank on a question, say something like, “I’m sorry, I’m a little nervous right now.” Then take a deep breath and give the question another try.

References

See also

• Take Time Off for an Interview
• Prepare for an Internship Phone Interview
• How Do You Build Relationships Interview Question
• Rock Your Media Job Interview
• Explain a Termination in a Job Interview
• Take Control in Your Interview
• Answer What Is Your Biggest Failure
• Prepare for an Informational Interview
• Succeed in Your Final Interview
• Keep a Job Interview on Track

Read more ...