Anxiety

Imagine you are sitting in a conference room with five other people who are judging everything you say.  They are trying to decide whether you are a good fit for their company or not, and the way you dress, the way you present yourself, and the answers to the questions they ask all have an impact on whether you are offered a second interview or a position in the company or not.  Your heart is racing, your palms are sweaty, and your mind is racing; you feel extremely anxious, and you don’t want to make a mistake.  You want to give these interviewers the best impression you can possibly give them about yourself. 

Job interviews can be considered another type of “performance” in which individuals experience a lot of anxiety. 

Interviews can be very stressful, especially if you have been unemployed for a prolonged period of time, causing a lot of anxiety for the job seeker.

There are some things you can do, though to lessen your anxiety before and during job interviews.

First and formost, be prepared.  Being prepared means doing some research about the company you are interviewing with so that you can show the interviewer/s that you know something about their company.  Having knowledge about the company also shows interviewers that you are interested in their company and what they do. 

Being prepared also means taking the time to look up commonly asked interview questions and preparing good answers for possible questions you will be asked by your interviewer/s. 

While some employers ask questions regarding your skills, such as, “How many words can you type per minute?” or, “Do you have any experience with Microsoft Excel, and if so, how much knowledge do you have of this program?” many interviews today go deeper into assessing not only your skills, but your character and behavior.  These types of interviews are known as competency interviews. 

In competency interviews, your potential employer will ask you tell tell him or her a time in your current or previous place of work when…

• You worked in a team.
• You faced a time of stress, and how you overcame it.
• You were late and how you handled it.
• You didn’t like something a co-worker was doing on the job and how you handled it.
• And more.

To answer these questions, you will have to tell your potential employer stories about when you faced challenges at work and how you handled them.  For this reason, preparing stories in order to answer such questions will prepare you for a competency interview.

You can find sample interview questions and good answers to each question at: http://jobsearch.about.com/od/interviewquestionsanswers/a/interviewquest.htm. 

Second, present yourself well.  Good self-presentation is another key to landing a job. 

Good self-presentation means dressing appropriately- do not wear cut-off shorts and a tank top to an interview!  Rather, wear a nice business suit, dress, or skirt and blouse, or other dress clothes. 

Presenting yourself well also means focusing on your strengths and what you can bring to your potential employer’s company.  If an interviewer asks you something about an area you are not strong in, you could respond with something like, “I am not familiar with that program, but I learn quickly,” or, “I am not familiar with that program, but I am willing to put in some extra, unpaid time in order to learn it.”  This will show the interviewer/s that you are willing to do what it takes to be an asset to their company.

Additionally, bring several copies of your resume, printed on resume paper, and a note pad and pen to the meeting in a nice portfolio. 

Oftentimes, a potential employer will offer you a glass of water or coffee before the interview starts.  I recommend that you accept water or coffee.  If an interviewer does not ask you if you would like a beverage, you may want to ask for one before the interview begins. 

Having a glass of water or cup of coffee will help prevent that dry, cotton-like mouth you get in interviews due to anxiousness.  In addition, having a glass of water to sip during an interview will provide you an extra few seconds to think about a question before you answer it. 

Be on time for your meeting.  Potential employers or co-workers are usually very busy and they dislike it when interviewees do not show courtesy by being late.  Being late also makes a negative impression on the person you are meeting with, which you do not want to happen.

Arriving five to ten minutes early for the meeting allows you a few minutes to compose yourself and the time to take a few deep breaths to calm your nervousness.

At the end of the interview, the interviewer will allow you time to ask any questions you may have.  I recommend that you have a couple of questions ready for the meeting.  Asking questions lets the potential employer know that you are interested in their company and the position, making a good impression on him or her.

Finally, after the interview, don’t forget to send a Thank You note to the individual you interviewed with. 

The next time you have an interview, utilize these strategies, and you should do well at your interview. 

Here’s to a worry-free day!