11 Ways You Can Handle Your Job Interview Nerves In 2024

So, finally, your big day is about to come. It might be hours or days ahead, but it feels like it is almost there, and even a single thought of it gives you an intimidating feeling, making you experience goosebumps or butterflies in your stomach. If all that is happening with you, it is OK, as that is absolutely normal. It is acceptable and common for candidates to experience nervousness, anxiety, and stress, before appearing for an interview session. The reasons for this are plenty, with the most common reason being the fear of uncertainty. However, if you too are unable to handle your nerves during an interview session, you are at the right place. This article will guide you through and Prepmycareer is pretty much sure, that post finishing this read, you will be a better and optimistic individual.

Mind Is The Culprit

Our mind is a beautiful gift, which can be used as a double-edged sword. However, in our instant case, our mind is the culprit and the reason for the feeling of anxiety and nervousness. Just before an interview session, our mind simply refuses to stop the madness and makes us think constantly about the interview session which is about to happen by replaying some negative thoughts without a pause. This obsession is the primary reason for the elevated levels of stress and high blood pressure. Further, if you are underprepared, or have not revised your notes properly, you might be a bigger victim.

How To Know You Are Nervous?

Some people just don’t accept. They are just too arrogant to accept the fact that they are truly stressed and nervous for that upcoming interview session, but just in order to look cool or show off mental strength, they tend to hide normal human emotions. Ironically, these candidates can hide these emotions from themselves but not from any veteran interviewer. Thus, in case you are nervous and just so confused whether or not you are, refer to some major things to be noticed:

• Feeling short of Breath
• Experiencing a fast heart rate, or you feel like your heart is just pumping too hard
• An urge to go to the toilet at frequent intervals of time
• Your hands and feet have become sweaty and cold
• You are constantly clamping your hands and shaking your legs unintentionally

In case you are experiencing any of these noticeable factors in isolation or in combination, then you must recognize it as a case of nervousness and elevated anxiety, or else your interviewer would do so.

Eleven Best Ways To Handle Interview Related Stress

1. Positive Self Motivational Talk

All our human emotions are controlled by our mind. As said earlier also, it is the culprit or the aggregator, which prompts each and every body part of us to respond in a negative manner. Thus, it is high time that we gave our mind some high power dose. Positive self-motivational talk is one of the most effective and proven ways to handle interview-related stress. Using this technique, you have to counsel yourself and engage in self-talk, wherein you constantly repeat in your mind:

• You are the best asset available for them.
• You are a leader and have the potential as well as the ability to beat candidates who are stronger than you.
• You are are a master of your destiny and poised to do great things in life. A small interview like this, can not affect your mental ability.
• Success is yours, as you have prepard hard for this interview session and have left no stone unturned.

By repeating these thoughts regularly and constantly in your mind, you will not only break the constant streak of negative thoughts but also command your brain to release the positive vibes and energy, which are kept hidden.

2. Revise Your Notes

If you are underprepared for your interview session, we are afraid, you will never be confident and will always put on display a worrisome and nervous attitude. Thus, it is always better to have faith in the notes prepared by you and just revise them one more time. Maybe, you have done it twice, thrice, or maybe four times, but think of it as your last time and just go through them again. This act will give you a lot of confidence and will help you a lot in controlling your stress levels. When you will be able to recall everything written in your notes at will, you will not only feel confident but also feel ready to deliver exceptional performance.

3. Visualization

This is a technique which s followed by almost all the celebrities, sports personalities, and athletes in their own zone and as per their own need. This is a highly effective technique and you must be doing it at least three times before the start of your interview session. Since negative emotions are nothing but mind tricks, it’s high time that we also played a few tricks with our brain. Follow the below-mentioned steps and visualize accordingly:

• Step I: Imagine you are wearing your business suit and getting ready for your interview session.
• Step II: Imagine yourself leaving your place of residence and taking your preferred conveyance to reach the interview venue.
• Step III: Imagine entering the venue gate and watch yourself waiting in the lobby, amongst the other candidates.
• Step IV: See yourself revising your notes and motivating yourself with all the positive talks. Just feel all the positive vibes.
• Step V: Imagine your name being called and see yourself entering into the interview room with confidence and faith.
• Step VI: Visualize that you are being asked questions, which you prepared for and you are giving crisp, to-the-point, and impressive answers to all those questions.
• Step VII: Visualize stepping out of the interview venue with a beaming smile.

4. Deep Breathing

This step is associated with something physical that you can do using your body. Deep breathing is an exercise that has proven to be an effective and quick stress buster, which has the ability to relieve all your anxiety and stress within a matter of few minutes. This technique is followed by several candidates and the result is all positive till now. To do this technique, you just have to follow the below-mentioned steps:

• Fill your chest with as much air as possible, without straining yourself.
• Hold on the air in your chest for just a few seconds, and then release it slowly.
• Again fill you chest with air, and release.

Keep doing it at least ten times and if time permits, repeat it for ten times more. Even after successfully completing the first set of ten repetitions, you will feel more relaxed, calm, and composed, with enhanced concentration and focus.

5. Meditation (Point Focusing)

Everyone remembers God, and we recommend it too. But, it is also true that God helps those who help themselves. Hence, now we will require you to engage in some meditation or in simple words focus on a particular point. In this exercise, you have to quickly identify any particular spot or point. Post identification, just concentrate or meditate on that identified point for the next 5 minutes. During these five minutes, you are not allowed to think about anything else. Just focus on it and slow down your thought process. This will help you immensely in relieving you from your stress and will even enhance your level of concentration, which will help you in a better understanding of the interview questions.

6. Walk Around

In case you are feeling just too anxious or nervous, the constant thoughts of negativity and failure are doing ripples in your mind, it is time to take a stroll or a walk. By getting up and just start walking, you will immediately be able to divert your mind, as now your eyes would take over and send those visual inputs to the brain for further processing. This way, your mind is now engaged in something else and will drastically reduce all those negative thoughts.

7. Create Diversion Using A Chewing Gum

After all, it all boils down to your mind. Your mind is simply playing tricks and you like a tamed sheep are just following the instructions. If you lack practice or simply lack the intent to do so, you will not be able to divert your emotions, without any physical effort or external help. However, there is one way, using which you can just do so. Chew gum. Yes, in order to divert your minds from creating those thoughts of fear and anxiety, just keep your mind busy in that non-sense circular motion of your mouth. Be indulged in it and let the taste buds located at your tongue enjoy every moment of that chewing gum. The end result is, you are successful in reducing your anxiety.

8. Engage In Mock Interview Sessions

Mock interviews are special, as these not only help a candidate to prepare for the interview questions that are most expected in their upcoming interviews but also give them a simulation of a real interview session. By engaging yourself in at least three such live mock interview sessions, it is definite, that you will not face any further anxiety or stress. Your mind is now prepared for it and there is just no uncertainty now, to be afraid of. Your level of familiarity with the interview setting can also boost your selection chances, let alone reducing stress levels.

9. Say No To “Over-reactions”

You attended mocks, Checked. You revised your notes, Checked. You truly deserve this position, Checked. Now, nothing is left, and still, you feel nervous. The answer to this question lies in your own thought process and attitude. Sorry to say but, you are now just over-reacting. You are familiar and have even studied hard for the interview process, so now nothing can stop you from winning the race except your own pessimistic attitude. Thus, just keep calm, remember god and give it a shot, just do not think about it too much.

10. After All, It Is Not A War

Ok, so a fight is going to break out and all the candidates please get ready with your weapons and take positions, as we can engage at any minute. Is this the case? Ask yourself this question, and do respond to us. I believe this is not even a fraction of it. You are not going for a war, it is just a conversation between you and someone knowledgeable and better than you, that’s it. The person on the other side of the table is an industry veteran and is not your foe but your friend. He is there just to assess your personality and jot down everything. He will surely not slap you or punish you if you give any wrong answer, So just calm down and lighten your mood.

11. Talk With Someone

You are not alone, there are just too many along with you who are taking part in this race for employment. In case you are not able to control your emotions, just find a suitable alley and break the ice. We are sure, you will feel relaxed and better. We recommend you to have a conversation with any of the organization’s regular employees, instead of any other candidate, as he or she can really soothe you with calming words and even give you succor.

References

1. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10796-019-09949-3
2. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-79287-9_1