Interview Anxiety – How to overcome those Interview Nerves

It’s perfectly normal to be anxious and nervous before any event that you feel is of great importance, or represents some form of danger (not physical danger, but the possibility of failure or looking silly).

A job interview is certainly such an event, the more you want it, the more nervous you are likely to become.

You can’t fight it, that will only make matters worse!

So What is Interview Anxiety?

Interview Anxiety, Interview nerves, fear or indeed panic! - is a natural chemical reaction that takes place in your body.

It’s there to protect us, it’s a Fight or Flight type of process, the brain instigates when it perceives danger of any kind.

If you are going to face danger, the last thing your brain wants is for you to feel sleepy or relaxed, so it fires you up with Adrenalin to aid your responses.

This can be good, you want to be alert, however if you also let your mind fill with negative thoughts, and most minds seem really good at suggesting unhappy outcomes!

It’s easy to enter a cycle of destructive thinking, which will translate into outward physical symptoms of nerves:-

• Shaking legs.
• Trembling Hands.
  
• Racing thoughts.
  
• Irrational thoughts.
  
• Feeling nauseous.
• Pounding heart.
• Shortness of breath.
• Sweaty palms
• Tingling sensations.
• Headaches.
  
  

There are many others but just reading them brings it all back! – not enjoyable –

lets move on.

What can you do about it?

Techniques to help overcome Interview Anxiety

Also use visualization or day-dreaming if you prefer. It’s a proven technique to improve performance. Simply run through the interview in your mind as if you are watching it on film, see and hear yourself answering questions with confidence and skill, building a great report with the interviewer, and concluding with a warm handshake and the interviewer saying what a pleasure it was meeting you and how they will look forward to seeing you again!

I know visualization may seem a bit daft, but it really does work. Top performers in all walks of life use it extensively. The brain cannot distinguish between imagination and reality, therefore keep showing it films of your success, and it will steadily increase confidence.

Next comes Breathing techniques. Proper breathing has been scientifically proven to slow heart rate and reduce blood pressure. Really good, as you can do this anywhere without being noticed. Take a really deep breath through a count of between 4 – 7 seconds (depends on individual capacity) hold for a couple of seconds, and then slowly exhale over the same count. Repeat until you have your breathing under control and feel calmer.

If your interview anxiety is more serious, more akin to blind uncontrollable panic, you may benefit from something a little stronger – No I am not suggesting Alcohol (Vodka is odourless).

Update added March 26th 2009

Further down the page I talk of using hypnosis to help, I had used a CD to help me with a presentation I was nervous of giving.

However my wife may have discovered an even better solution for strong anxiety.

Briefly my 14 year old (at the time ) daughter, all of a sudden started having panic attacks. Obviously not related to job interviews (much as I love the idea of her working:)

The point being they were not related to any event, they just happened!

To cut a long story short, medical advice was hopeless (leaflet or suggestion of antidepressant type drugs!).

Anyway my wife found an ebook with a money back guarantee!

Panic Away solved the problem, not by magic, but by stopping the escalation process within the body. This meant that my daughter ultimately lost her fear of the attack itself, which has finally resulted in these attacks going completely.

The approach highlighted in the book is for all types of anxiety (flying, public speaking, fear of spiders ect, ect), so It's worth trying it out, as you get your money back if it doesn't work for you.

Panic Away

My wife bought me a CD to listen to many years ago, I had got myself worked up over a presentation I had to give (seems ridiculous now). I loved this CD, not only did it give me an excuse to lie down comfortably for 20 minutes everyday before hand, but it was soo relaxing.

And for reason I know not, the presentation went great!

I don’t understand why hypnosis works, but follow the link if you are interested in understanding how hypnosis will help you.

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