Got those pre-interview nerves?
Oh, yeah.
We know what that can feel like!
But no worries everybody, because we
have some answers for you!
I'm Sinead and coming up in this video,
I'll be sharing 5 tactics that are specifically
crafted to help you overcome interview anxiety.
And be sure to stick around until the very last tactic
because it may seem like an obvious strategy
but it's still often overlooked.
Now let's all take a deep breath, and get started!
#1: Prepare for what scares you the most.
Let's start by really considering what is actually
causing all that anxiety.
So the truth is anxiety isn't predictive.
We don't have nerves because we think we're going to fail.
We have nerves because we want to succeed.
Often the desire to perform well is the root of our anxiety.
Meaning that nerves aren't necessarily bad,
they just mean that you really, really want something.
So the trick is to figure out how
to take all of that nervous energy
and activate it so you can harness it
into preparation and drive.
And hey, great job, because you're already
taking a great step toward that just by watching this video!
Now, it's common to get nervous, but try
to switch gears and focus on the now.
Gather materials like your resume, your cover letter,
and your portfolio.
Make travel plans and set your alarm.
Knowing you won't show up late is one less thing
to worry about.
If you know yourself well enough to recognize that stress is
just a normal part of life because, same,
take the time to plan ahead, which includes prepping
your interview outfit, looking up travel routes and parking
options in advance --
that kind of thing!
Now, another way to focus on the now
is to film yourself before your interview.
Anticipating how you might sound,
or what your body language might say,
or just how you may come across in general
can cause a lot of nervousness.
Filming yourself answering practice interview questions
can really help you to prepare and to feel less anxious.
You can even take this one step further
and explore what interview questions you're actually
afraid to answer.
Again, prepare for the worst so that you're
ready to tackle the hard stuff.
Most of what scares us comes from the unknown, so
do what you can to prepare for your interview.
The key is to figure out exactly what you are worried about
and then make a plan to address these worries.
Planning, preparation, and practicing self awareness
is so good for calming nerves.
Plus, it can help us increase our emotional intelligence,
which you can learn more about in this video right up here.
Now before I move on to Tactic #2,
be sure to give us like down below so that we
know what's useful to you.
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hit that notification bell.
Let's move on to Tactic #2: Practice interview questions.
So we touched on this earlier but yes, consider the questions
that you may be asked in an interview
and practice your responses.
This is especially important to do with the questions that
leave us stumped.
Since we can't predict what's going
to be asked in an interview, review some common questions
and consider how you would like to address them.
This is not your cue to go memorizing answers
word for word, rather to create some mental bullet
points that showcase your qualifications,
experience, and impact.
The more impact you can provide, the better.
Now before we get into what questions to practice,
consider how to practice.
Asking a friend to run through practice questions is great,
or even saying your responses out loud
can seriously help you to remember important details
that you want to include.
And honestly, it can just help you to feel
more comfortable overall.
You can talk to yourself in the mirror.
And yeah, that might feel a little bit silly at first,
but it's important to see how others will see you.
Now keep in mind that there are 2 different types of interview
questions that you'll need to review
to help you stay on track.
And these are, 1) questions you know will be asked,
and 2) questions you are afraid of being asked.
So let's start with what we know --
the questions you know will be asked.
These common questions are likely to come up
in any interview:
Tell me about yourself.
Why are you interested in this role?
Why should we hire you?
What are your strengths?
What are your career goals?
Now for questions that could be tough and provoke anxiety,
you want to address these questions with no hesitation.
So here are some examples, but I really
recommend making a list of all the subjects
that you personally find tough to discuss:
What are your salary expectations?
What are your greatest weaknesses?
Tell me about a time when you failed.
Why did you leave your last job?
Why have you changed jobs so often?
So maybe you've had a conflict in the workplace
or you have a gap in your resume.
It could be that you're lacking the required skills
and/or the experience for the job that you're
interviewing for.
Whatever the case may be, it's important to prepare
by thinking about ways that you can discuss
your background professionally.
Not combatively, rather conversationally.
Tell a professional story, keep it concise,
and give the interviewer an opportunity
to understand who you are.
And yes, we know that answering these types of questions
are not easy.
So for even more tips on addressing tricky questions
just like this one, I recommend checking out this video
right up here.
Tactic #3: Visualize your success.
When we're nervous, our imagination can run wild.
And it's so common to doubt ourselves
and to expect the worst like we're
just bound to mess up in the interview room.
Most people fear failure because they have a natural drive
to succeed.
But as soon as your mind starts wandering down the what
if rabbit hole, just stop it.
Take a deep breath and get back to positive thinking.
Picture what success looks like for you.
Imagine how you will feel walking out
of the interview knowing that you have done
a great job in vivid detail.
Start by closing your eyes.
Yes, that feels good.
Now take a nice deep breath.
In through your nose for 5 seconds,
hold that for 3 seconds, and exhale for 8 seconds.
Now picture yourself sitting in the interview
and feeling confident.
This is just as much your interview as it is
the company's.
Maintain composure and control.
You're smiling, you're sitting up straight,
and you're sharing specific examples of work
that you're really proud of.
Now imagine yourself ending that interview and feeling confident
and then hold on to that feeling of confidence.
By showing ourselves other possibilities,
we can boost our confidence and allow our brain
to understand that performing well
is a real tangible outcome.
Tactic #4: Come up with a blank out plan.
So when it comes to interviewing,
one of my biggest fears is blanking out.
You can prepare, then prepare some more,
but what happens if you don't know how to answer an interview
question?
Or you forget what you were asked partway through?
That can be so nerve-racking!
But the truth is, it's actually not that bad
if you know how to handle it.
And we just released a whole video
about what to do in this very situation, which you
can check out right up here.
But the short version is this, if your mind goes blank
when you are asked a question, first of all, that's OK.
You can ask a clarifying question like:
There's a lot to say about that.
Is there a specific area I can speak to you?
You can also repeat the question out
loud to buy yourself some time and think
without sitting in silence.
Or say:
Wow, that is a great question.
Let me think about that for a minute.
Silence may feel uncomfortable at first, yes.
But taking control of the interview room like this
shows confidence and demonstrates your interest
in being deliberate about the way that you answer questions.
And if you lose track of what you're saying partway
through your answer, you can think back
to the original question, or how you started your response
and then restate it as a conclusion.
Or be honest and say,
I'm sorry, I got a bit off course here --
does that answer your question?
Now let's move on to our last tactic for overcoming job
interview nerves.
Which really is a no brainer but is still often missed.
Tactic #5: Know when to relax.
At a certain point it is critical to pull back
from doing.
If you've prepared thoroughly, followed
all the steps in this video, and then some,
it may not benefit you to continue
searching for ways to prevent your nerves
or to prep for the interview.
Over preparing could actually lead
to making you more nervous.
And if you're having trouble letting go and relaxing,
consider this exercise:
Make a list of all the things that you
have done to get ready for the interview
and then allow yourself to take it in.
You've taken action and you are ready.
Take a big breath and know that even
if you run into the unexpected, you are well equipped
to handle anything.
Then, let yourself relax.
Seriously, you've got this!
Let's quickly recap our top five strategies for overcoming
interview nerves:
Tactic #1: Prepare for what scares you the most.
Tactic #2: Practice interview questions.
Tactic #3: Visualize your success.
Tactic #4: Come up with a blank out plan.
Tactic #5: Know when to relax.
Just accept that you've done a great job
and that you are ready to go.
If you found this video helpful, please
give us a like down below, subscribe to our channel right
over here, and hit that notification bell because trust
me, you don't want to miss out on our weekly career advice.
But we do have you covered right now with this playlist right
over here.
And for even more tips on interviewing,
you've got to check out this video right up here.
I'm Sinead.
Thank you all so much for watching
and I'll see you next time!