How to Calm Anxiety for an Interview

After a long process of sending out resumes and waiting for responses, you finally hear back from your dream company. They want to schedule an interview with you! You are excited and nervous all at the same time. This is natural, but there are proven ways to help relieve that anxiety. Here are nine actionable steps you can take to lower your interview anxiety.

1. Go for a walk.

Walking helps to clear your mind and gives you time to think about your answers to tough questions. It also helps to boost your energy levels, so you’ll be more alert during the interview. And even if walking doesn’t completely calm your nerves, it will at least help you to burn off some of that excess energy. So if you’re feeling nervous about an interview, lace up your shoes and go for a walk. It just might be the thing that helps you land the job.

2. Have a plan.

Plan the day of your interview. Get plenty of rest leading up to the interview. Being well rested will help you feel more alert and relaxed. Know what you are going to wear, eat and the location of the interview. Having the logistics on auto-pilot will put you at ease and help you focus your attention on the role. Arrive early to the interview, so you have time to calm down and collect yourself.

3. Research the company.

Do your research on the company before the interview. Knowing about the company’s history, what they do, recent and their values will help you feel more prepared and confident. Find the interviewer on LinkedIn and see what they care about. This will help you connect with them on a personal level and make a good impression.

4. Remember your value.

The company is looking to hire for a role and they found your resume impressive. You already have a head start! Remembering your skills and experience will help you feel more confident going into the interview.

Write down your unique traits and highlight what you bring to the company. Hype yourself up for the big moment!

5. Practice responses to common questions.

Practice answering common interview questions. This will help you feel more comfortable when answering questions in person. Most interviews will ask a variation of the following questions:

1. Tell me about yourself
2. What is your greatest strength?
3. What is an area of improvement?
4. Tell me about a time when you overcame a challenge
5. Why should we hire you?
6. Why do you want to work for our company?

Rather than memorizing answers, have a few impactful stories that can be molded to the question. Stories are more powerful than facts. Once you finalize those stories, practice the delivery and mechanics to make sure you are conveying your responses in a calm, and confident manner. You want to aim for a conversational pace and reduce any filler or hedging words that might weaken your responses.

You can practice on a free tool like Yoodli to get instant A.I feedback.

6. Prepare questions.

Just as it is important to prepare answers for common questions, you should also come up with thoughtful questions to ask the interviewer about the company and the role. This will show that you are invested in the interview and the company. It will also give you something to focus on instead of your nerves.

Try to personalize these questions so that the interviewer has a chance to provide their input. Here are some sample questions you can ask:

1. Where do you see the future of the company going?
2. What are the expectations for this role? What metrics will be measured
3. What are your thoughts on the culture of the company?
4. How would you describe the company’s values?
5. What’s your favorite part of working here?

Use these as an opportunity to showcase values that are important to you and shed light into the way you think and make decisions.

7. Visualize yourself succeeding.

Before the interview, close your eyes and visualize yourself succeeding. See yourself confidently answering questions and nailing the interview. This will help increase your self-confidence and ease some of your anxiety.

8. Deep, slow breathes.

If you start to feel anxious during the interview, take a few deep breaths. This will help you relax and refocus your attention on the response. When anxiety is high, it’s difficult to focus on anything else besides the source of that anxiety. In an interview setting, this can be scary. Instead of appearing calm and collected, the anxious individual may seem scattered and nervy.

Deep, slow breathes are a simple way to combat this jittery feeling and return focus to the conversation at hand. When done correctly, deep breaths help to lower heart rate and blood pressure, both of which can be elevated during moments of stress. Additionally, proper breathing helps to oxygenate the body and brain, leading to a sense of calm and clarity. By taking a few deep breaths before heading into your interview, you can set yourself up for a successful meeting.

9. Adopt a power pose.

Research has shown that adopting powerful poses or stances can help to calm interview anxiety. For example, standing tall with your shoulders back and your hands on your hips can help to create a sense of power and confidence. This type of pose can help to improve your mood and reduce stress levels, which can in turn help you to perform better during your interview.

One of the most stressful things in the world is interviewing for a new job. You are under pressure to make a good impression and convince the interviewers that you are the best candidate for the position. These are just a few of the many things you can do to calm interview anxiety. By preparing in advance, practicing your delivery, and adopting a positive attitude, you can increase your chances of success. Remember, everyone gets nervous before an interview. The key is to not let your nerves get the best of you!

Good luck! We’re rooting for you! 🙂