A job interview is one of most stressful situations you can put yourself in.
This is because, most people, fear being the center of attention.
It is the fear of being rejected by the hiring manager that creates stress and anxiety. Job interview stress changes the candidate’s behavior which in turn creates a weak interview identity. Answers are weak, lacking detail and filled with an excessive number of filler words and weak language.
This article will explain how to handle job interview stress to create a strong interview identity that results in job offers.
Is a job interview a stressful situation?
Stress happens:
- When we experience something new
- When something unexpected happens
- When we feel we have little control over something
All three stress activators can happen during a job interview. On the other hand, a well prepared career professional will feel confident if they:
- Carry mock interviews and/or attend public speaking training – this reduces the ‘something new’ fear
- Understanding the job interview process – this helps overcome the ‘unexpected’ fear
- Predict job interview questions and prepare strong answers – this creates control
Humans are confident in familiar situations. Routine, processes, the norm, are all things that reduce stress. This is why some career professionals who are unhappy at work don’t search for a new job. The fear or something new outweighs the fear of the staying in an unhappy job role.
On average career professionals look for work, and therefore attend job interviews, every three to five years. It is the lack of preparing and attending the interviews that increases their levels of stress.
Stress isn’t an on or off button, its more of a scale. The higher up the stress scale you are the worse the stress can affect you. Stress can:
- Create pain – stomach cramps, headaches, etc
- Stop you sleeping
- Increase nail biting, grinding teeth, and jaw clenching
- Make you irritable, sad, or depressed
- Stops you eating as your body is in ‘flight or fight’ mode
Do Employers Make the Job Interview Stressful on Purpose?
The myth that all job interviews are difficult, with employers asking awkward curveball questions designed to increase pressure on the applicant is just that – a myth.
Employers may asked: ‘how do you handle stress?’ for stressful positions, or ask problem solving riddles in engineering, IT or mathematical roles but for most advertised vacancies each job interview question will be based on the essential criteria for the job role.
In fact, employers will go out of there way to make the interview an ‘enjoyable’ or at least informative. Think about it, a recruitment manager is looking to hire the best person for the role.
All employers know that job seekers will be attending several job interviews over a short period of time, often with a rival company. It is in the employers interest to hire the best applicant.
If the employer did created an unnecessary pressurized job interview environment it is quiet likely that the 1st choice candidate will take the job offer with another, more friendlier’ employer.
Most employers use a ‘structured job interview’ process, by familiarizing yourself with this process will help you feel more in control and less stressed.
Reduce Job Interview Stress
Some well known basic stress reducers include:
- Drink water
- Eat healthy
- Regular exercise
- Learn to say ‘no’ as this increases assertiveness
- List your skills and talents as positive reflection increases confidence
- Use deep breathing or mindfulness to feel more calm and in control
- Use a blackout curtains and a soundless room (no mobile phones, etc) to get a good nights sleep
Negative self-talk
Remove negative self-talk.
- ‘I’m not good enough’
- ‘Others are better skilled then I am?
- ‘I don’t have the relevant experience’
What you focus on you feel.
If you focus on negative statements you will feel negative. Instead focus on your strengths your skills, qualities and what you have to offer the new employer – your unique selling point.
- Make a list of your key skill set
- Reflect and record key experiences where your ideas, hard work or leadership resulted in a positive outcome
- Re-read past appraisals and focus on what a previous manager liked about you
Perception
Perception creates or reduces the power balance.
Viewing the job interview as a life or death situation increases the body’s flight or fight response.
Breakdown what a job interview is. At the bottom level, the interview is you talking about you. And you are the expert on you!
View the interview as a meeting where you are teaching other people about what you have learnt; your knowledge, your experiences, and the techniques you have picked up to get a job done.
Reframing a job interview changes the perceived power balance. Being stress makes you feel you have no power, no influence. Feeling confident about talking about you makes you feel powerful, invincible.
Interview Questions and Answers
Repetition is the key to mastering a skill and practice creates perfection.
The more job interviews you attend (or mock interviews) the more confident you will be as an interveiwee.
This is true with any task. To be a good tennis player, play more tennis. Master chefing by cooking on a regular basis. Learn to speak a second language practice, make mistakes, and learn.
First-choice applicants – career professionals who receive a high number of job offers, will follow the three rules for passing a job interview.
- Identifying the job criteria
- Being a self-promoter
- Communicating confidently
The more an interviewee practices job interview questions and answers, the better prepared they will be on the day in question.
Preparation equals confidence, confidence reduces stress.
Job Interview Procrastination
Stress is a barrier to action.
To avoid stress, job candidates will procrastinate – ‘I will start my preparation tomorrow’
When you hear yourself putting tasks off, you must STOP and take immediate action.
- Write down all the interview preparation tasks; research the company, predict questions, prepare answers, check the venue address
- Start with the easiest task and do this first – momentum creates motivation
- Give yourself a deadline for each task
- Reward yourself when you have completed a certain number of tasks
- Meet with other people to research together as we like approaching difficult task in groups
