Are you going for an interview? If you are not well prepared and ready, the job interview stress can weigh you down and make you lose the job.
Job interview stress can be overwhelming if not properly handled. You need to be aware of certain things that can help you overcome the job interview stress.
In this guide, I will be showing you effective tips on how to handle job interview stress.
How to Handle Job Interview Stress
Below are effective tips that will help you overcome stress, and also make you confident in the interview.
#1: Prepare and practice for the interview
There is this saying “practice makes perfect” that applies to all acts. Job interviews are no exception. If you want o overcome job interview stress, the first step you should rely on is preparing and practising for the interview.
Preparing for the interview
If you are unsure of the interview settings, don’t have reasonable knowledge about the company, can’t figure out the best outfit to put on for the interview, you will be completely overwhelmed.
Once you can have knowledge about the above-listed points, your anxiety level will reduce which will make you attend the job interview with a high level of confidence.
Below are certain steps to take for effective interview preparation.
- Research the company: the company’s official website is like a library that contains most of the valuable information about the company. It’s About us, Events, Press Releases/Blog pages are filled with valuable contents that can help you prepare well for the interview. Google News is also a great place to get latest news about the company.
- Conduct informational interview: informational interview can help you handle job interview stress since you will be having a direct conversation with an employee in the company. The valuable insider tips you will get from the informational interview you conduct can help reduce job interview stress.
- Make inquiries: if by any means you are unclear about certain things like the outfit to put on, the direction of the interview venue, you should contact the hiring manager (if you have his or her contact) or the company’s help desk for assistance. You are trying to reduce or completely alleviate job interview stress, so you should be totally informed.
Practicing for the interview
If you are unsure of the questions that will be asked; whether it is traditional interview questions, behavioural interview questions and/or situational interview questions, you will be restless. But when you have an idea of the questions that are likely to come up in the interview and you have practised some thoughtful answers to the questions, the job interview stress will be reduced.
Steps to take to practice for a job interview
- Practice common interview questions: questions like “tell me about yourself”, “what are your strengths and weaknesses?”, etc. are common interview questions that are very likely to come up in your interview.
Check out our common interview questions and answers that work.
- Conduct mock interview(s): to be familiar with the interview settings, get a feel of how the actual interview is like, conduct a mock interview with a mentor, friend, or family member. During the mock interview you have the opportunity to be familiar with the overall activities of an actual interview.
#2: Don’t count on only one job
When you put all your eggs in one basket, you will only be focused on that basket and if anything happens to it, you risk losing everything and have to start afresh. The same applies to a job interview.
Once all your hope is on a particular job, your level of anxiety will be very high because if you fail you will have to start afresh job hunting.
The best way you can handle this job interview stress of losing is by conducting a vigorous job search to get as many job interviews as possible. When you can get about three to five or more job interviews at hand, you won’t be bothering so much about the job interview stress of having just one interview at hand.
#3: See interview as conversational not interrogational
Instead of bothering yourself thinking about an interview as a means for interrogation, see it as a means for conversation. That is a two-way thing; a conversation between you and the interviewer.
An interview is about finding out whether you are the best fit for the job if you have the right skills and experience for the job.
With this in mind, try to act natural but still maintain a level of professionalism when giving your answers to the questions that will be asked. Instead of memorizing interview questions, have a list of your top skills and experience that makes you the best fit for the job so that you can easily weave it into your answer.
#4: Keep in mind that your interviewers are human
Let’s for once keep formalism aside. The interviewers you will be having a conversation with within an interview are actually humans. They too might actually be nervous.
The interviewers know that interviewees on the day of the interview are nervous due to the job interview stress. They know that due to the anxiety you may make one, two, or a little more mistakes during the interview.
In fact, they’ve been in your shoes before so they know what it is like to participate in a job interview and also to face job interview stress.
#5: Focus on success
According to many athletes and career coaches, when you visualize an image of success it can improve your performances and help alleviate anxiety.
Same with a job interview, once you visualize images of you having a successful conversation with the interviewer, images of you signing the employment contract, it will help improve your overall performance and confidence in the interview, and also help alleviate job interview stress.
Conclusion
It is normal o be tensed before, during, and even after an interview. But always remember that even if you are unable to land the job you interview for, it simply means the job is not the perfect one for you and there are other ones out there for you. Be positive and stay focused. Whatever it is the outcome of the interview is, take it as an experience and don’t allow the job interview stress to completely weigh you down.
That’s it on my guide on effective tips to handle job interview stress.
I’d love to hear from you
I hope you found the guide helpful?
Are you going for an interview? Which steps(s) do you plan to take right away?
Feel free to drop your comment below.
image credit: Fab Magazine