Interview Jitters

During an interview, smile and make regular eye contact. Be engaging and approachable.

Admit it, you find yourself getting nervous each time you have an employment interview. Don’t worry, you are not alone. Almost everyone experiences some form of anxiety or jitters before or during an interview.

Why do most people pend so much time fretting over this common task?  Likely because  there is a lot on the line: your dream job or livelihood.  In addition an employment interview involves being put on the spot and there is a looming fear of rejection.

Although anxiety is normal, the following three reminders can help ease your nerves considerably:

1. Remember that employment interviews are not interrogations.  Avoid heading into each interview with a negative mentality.  Remind yourself that employment interviews are just business meetings– and I am sure you don’t attend every meeting with such dread – so relax and be prepared to give it your all, positively.

2. Remind yourself, an interview is a meeting between two equal parties with mutual need. Yes, you heard me right. Equal. Stop putting interviewers up on a pedestal; they are regular people too and they might also have some anxiety about the meeting. Finally, similar to your need for a new job, interviewers need something too = the right fit employee!

3. Resolve to make a connection with the interviewer(s). Jobs are seldom awarded to the most qualified candidate (if you got called for the interview you are already deemed qualified for the role).  Instead job offers are typically presented to the best communicators and sales people. In other words, the people that prove they are the best fit for the role and communicate this in a way that the interviewer can relate to usually score the job. So put your nerves and canned responses aside and work on building rapport. You want to be likeable and memorable.