What to Do if You Get Flustered During a Job Interview
Simply Hired Staff
So you’re nervous about an upcoming job interview? Don’t worry, as it turns out, you happen to be in great company. Some of the best and brightest, from musicians to actors to entrepreneurs, are prone to freeze when they encounter the spotlight. It’s said that Laurence Olivier himself once succumbed to the paralyzing condition.
Now that we’ve established nervousness can and does happen in the context of the job interview, the next step is in learning how to both conquer the event and harness the otherwise unproductive energy it creates. On that note, here we’ve compiled our top six suggestions for overcoming a case of the nerves while interviewing for the job of your dreams.
Make Small Talk
One of the sure-fire ways to break through a case of the nerves during a job interview is to engage in a little bit of conversational small talk. Discussing anything from the weather to your travel into the interview site can open up common avenues of communication. It’s never a bad idea to treat the first few minutes of any interview discussion more as a “get to know you” session. This can help eliminate the feeling that you’re engaged in an interrogation of your job skills and more in the mood to express your individual qualifications for the job at hand.
Ask a Few Questions
Engaging in a bit of Q&A is another effective method for busting through a case of employment stage fright. Asking your interviewer a relevant question or two about the position puts the ball back in their court and allows you a moment to catch your breath. This technique scores bonus points in that it also takes the onus off of your interviewer to drive your engagement. After all, employers can get stage fright too.
Relax Already
According to those in the physical and mental stress and nervousness know, focusing on relaxing physically can impact your confidence and anxiety levels during high performance situations, such as an interview. Try rolling your shoulders, stretching or performing similar repetitive physical motions to help calm your body and mind before an interview. Exercise a few hours before can also help produce feel-good hormones that help boost energy and confidence levels. As a bonus, a relaxed physical state also projects more confidence to potential employers, acting as a double whammy for job seeking success.
Don’t Forget You Are Awesome
One of the most important techniques for nailing an interview is remembering the qualities and characteristics that got you in the door in the first place. Think of this approach as the mental psych up. There was obviously attractive traits as far as experience, skills and communication abilities that brought your resume to the top of the pile. Focus on these positive qualities for a nerve-busting dose of confidence prior to opening that interview room door.
Embrace the Nervousness
While it’s certainly a useful trait for conquering a case of interview-induced jitters, we have to admit that acknowledging the elephant in the room is one of the harder solutions for overcoming nervousness. Admitting to a bout of the nerves with friends or family can go a long ways towards helping you overcome the monster that is doubt on the day of. During your interview, acknowledge to yourself that you’re feeling jittery and use that energy as fuel in your discussion, body language and more. They say that embracing your greatest weakness is an essential key to success and that certainly proves to be the case during your prospective job interview.
Prepare Away Nerves
Another oft-repeated saying is that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. This certainly holds true when it comes to ridding yourself of doubt during your job interview. Psych yourself up for the big day by covering all your bases. Perform research on the company you’ll be interviewing with, re-read the job description and go over a few potential answers to questions you may be asked. Lay out your interview outfit the night before to avoid last minute scrambling and waltz your way into a confident persona.
Have a tip or trick we missed? Drop us a comment and maybe your suggestion will provide helpful advice for another job-seeker!
Article Updated from the Original on September 27, 2017
