If job interviews make you uncomfortable, you’re not alone. A survey of nearly 1,800 employees by financial recruitment firm Portfolio Payroll found that 96% said that they find it difficult to sleep the night before a job interview.
However, there are very real actions you can take before and during your job interview that can assist you to make a better impression and help fight those job interview jitters.
Take Time to Mentally Prepare for Job Interviews
In a recent blog from Joyce Lain Kennedy, “Tips to Avoid Stressing Out in Job Interviews,” posted at Dummies.com, she suggests several tips to help job seekers manage the anxiety of job interviews.
Actions such as taking deep breaths or clenching and releasing your fists several times can help relieve stress. In addition, using visualization techniques – picturing your perfect outcome – can put you in the right frame of mind.
Physical Preparation is Important in Job Interviews as Well
A 2010 CareerBuilder.com survey found that “shifty eyes, reluctant smiles and fidgety limbs” were reasons for not landing a job. In fact, over 2,500 hiring managers suggested the top five poor job interview behaviors were:
- Failure to make eye contact – 67%
- Lack of smile – 38%
- Fidgeting – 33%
- Bad posture – 33%
- Weak handshake – 26%
Preparing in advance went a long way to correcting these issues. One way to prepare is to record yourself during a practice interview. While videotape provides the best opportunity to see and hear how to improve, you also might want to practice in front of a mirror and/or record your voice to provide insight into how you handle yourself during a job interview.
Be Prepared for Standard Job Interview Questions
Like it or not, you may very well run into some standard job interview questions. Questions about where you might see yourself in five years and why you want to work for the company are still among the top choices of many people who conduct job interviews. In fact, according to a 2011 survey from Accountemps 42% of respondents initially ask questions related to personal attributes (such as strengths and weaknesses), while 34% ask about qualifications.
Sarah E. Needleman suggests in her Vault.com article, “Recruiters Reveal Top Interview Questions” that you should take time to prepare yourself for these and other typical job interview questions.
Clarify the Job Interview Question
Once you are in the job interview, you may still feel anxious or stressed. Of course, this is the worst time to panic. While you may be able to inconspicuously take deep breaths or clench and unclench your fists, there are other ways to get through job interview jitters.
Need to buy a little time before you answer a question? First, don’t feel that you have to rush to respond. Give yourself time to consider the information being requested. And to give yourself more time, try paraphrasing -- restating the question in your own words. It's a great technique to clarify a question and to allow you time to think about how best to answer.
Have additional questions at the end of the interview? You should, according to most experts. Moreover, to keep your questions fresh in your mind, write them down. It is perfectly acceptable to use a cheat sheet for information you want to remember to discuss during your job interview.
Here’s the thing: everyone gets nervous before and during a job interview. It goes with the territory. However, if you take your time and follow these tips, you’ll find it easier to get over job interview jitters.
Deborah S. Hildebrand - Deborah S. Hildebrand is a freelance writer & HR consultant with 20+ years in human resources & a Bachelor's degree in Business.
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