How to Beat Interview Nerves and Anxiety

Nerves and excitement are the same thing, and if you reframe your mind and tell yourself that you are EXCITED about the interview, your nerves will reduce significantly.

I have been using this strategy to overcome nervousness for many years to great effect. For example, in my spare time, I play the drums in several bands. In the past, before I would do a gig, I’d get so nervous that I couldn’t hold my drum sticks properly. Once I started telling myself that my nerves were actually excitement, I started to perform confidently during every gig!

So, in the days before your job interview, keep telling yourself that you are EXCITED about the job opportunity and you will quickly start to feel your nervousness disappear. Try it, it really does work!

This is another great strategy for overcoming interview nerves.

The reason why people put so much pressure on themselves before job interviews is because they think, if they don’t get a job offer, it’s devastating. But, the truth is, if you don’t get the job, it really doesn’t matter because there will be another opportunity just around the corner.

Before your interview, have the mindset that if you don’t get the job, it’s not a problem – you will have gained valuable experience of undertaking a job interview which will make you better prepared for next time. Eventually, the right job will come along!

It’s a meeting between you and a potential employer to find out if they want to hire you, but it’s also an opportunity for YOU to decide if you want to work for their company.

For example, you might attend the meeting and think you don’t like the hiring manager, or you don’t like the way they conducted the interview. If that’s the case, you might not want to work for the company anyway! Start treating the interview as a meeting between you and a potential employer, and again, your nerves will reduce significantly!

This will make a huge difference! Most people crumble right at the start of their interview because they can’t answer the first question due to nerves. That question will either be “tell me about yourself”, or “please introduce yourself”.

If you give a confident answer to the first interview question, it helps build a connection with the hiring manager and it will boost your confidence levels. The rest of the interview will then be easy!

Before your interview, sit in front of a friend or a mirror and practice giving your answers—this is a great way to beat interview nerves and anxiety while improving your confidence. Learning how to beat interview nerves starts with preparation and self-practice.

It is common for there to be a question you will find difficult to answer in your interview. If the hiring manager asks you a question that you are struggling to answer, say either of these two things:

#1. “I need a little more time to think of my answer. Can we please revisit that question at the end of the interview?”

The chances are, the hiring manager will forget to ask you the question again anyway!

Or…

#2. “I will research the answer and contact you with my response once I get home after the interview.”

Knowing what to say if you can’t answer an interview question again will help reduce your nerves significantly!