Job interviews are often tense and uncomfortable moments by nature, charged with many emotions. Therefore, it is common to get nervous, the problem is when your nerves betray you and your chances of finding the vacancy decrease; because they cloud your clarity and objectivity making you respond and act with fear.
Therefore, preparing in advance is vital to learning to control the nerves in a job interview and prevent them from hiding your full potential. In this guide we tell you the keys that will help you shine with confidence in the first meeting with the interviewer. ✔
How to overcome nerves before a job interview
If you already have a date assigned To attend the interview, start preparing in advance to prevent nerves from playing against you and harming your candidacy.
Follow these recommendations to control your nerves before the interview 👇:
1. Increase your self-confidence
If you have advanced to this point in the selection process, it is because your profile has caused interest among recruiters and they have invited you to the interview because you are one of the best candidates. So believe in your abilities and trust in your potential, because having self-confidence is the best way to answer the questions correctly.
do the following exercises to boost your self-confidence 👇:
Do not compare yourself with others. List all your strengths. Make a list of all your achievements. Think positive and imagine yourself inside the company. Believe in your talent.
2. Review your CV again
All the information in your CV must coincide with your presentation in the interview, if there is no consistency, the interviewer could question the credibility of your skills.
So take your CV and review it in depth to verify that the information is true for avoid contradictions. Also, identify your weakest points to minimize them and turn them into areas of improvement.
3. Practice the interview
To avoid nerves in an interview, it is advisable to prepare your presentation in advance and practice it a couple of times before the big day. And for this you must take into account what are the common questions in a job interview, because it is these questions that usually generate an uncomfortable and stressful feeling.
This is a technique that will allow you gain confidence and security by evaluating how you react in a mock interview. If you prefer, you can ask someone close to you to interview you to gauge how you are dealing with the situation and what you can improve. Or you can also practice in front of the mirror or videotape yourself to review over and over again.
The important thing is that you analyze your behaviors in advance to identify the moments that make you nervous and, above all, to avoid improvisation.
4. Find out about the position and the company
Misinformation can also surface your nerves in a job interview, and in this age of digitization in which we live, Information is power and it is available to everyone.
Therefore, learn about the vacancy, the company, the sector… You can investigate on its website, social networks, press, etc. If you want to make a good impression on the recruiter, show him that you have prepared yourself because you are interested in the job.
5. Choose the right outfit
The clothes you wear on the day of the interview have to favor your appearance, because wearing the wrong clothes could convey an unprofessional and serious image, which in turn would compromise your candidacy. In addition, it could also cause you discomfort, which would make it difficult for you to act calmly and naturally on that important day.
That’s why, consult the dress code of the company to fit him. Also, choose the clothes based on the position you want to occupy (executive, facing the public…).
6. Rest properly
Sleep well the night before the job interview, because your rest will influence your performance and behavior during the meeting with human resources. That’s why, avoid staying up late so that exhaustion does not play a trick on you. If you feel restless and can’t fall asleep, read, listen to music, or enjoy a relaxing bath.
In addition, leave everything prepared during that night to avoid setbacks on the morning of the interview. From clothes to documents, organize them in time.
7. Do physical exercise on the morning of the interview
To have a clear mind and gain a good dose of energy before going to the interview, do physical exercise. A morning walk, a yoga session, a few minutes of Pilates… They will make your body release extra energy that will help you improve your presentation.
Yes indeed, plan ahead so that you are not late for the appointment, and after your training try to be in the company in advance to transmit punctuality, commitment and responsibility. These qualities are essential in a candidate.
8. Use relaxation techniques
Before entering the interview and while you remain in the waiting room, do relaxation exercises that help you keep your nerves under control.
For it, lean on your breath, that is, take a deep breath and expel the air little by little. Do this exercise several times and you will feel how the stress level goes down.
In the case of a virtual interview, you can also do a meditation session before entering the video call. The result will be the same: less tension, nerves and anxiety.
How to overcome nerves in the job interview
The day has arrived and you are only a couple of hours away from entering the interview. If your nerves have begun to generate anxiety and the experience is not being pleasant, follow these tips to control them and stand out among the candidates for your good presentation:
1. Work on body language
your body communicates, your expressions also send a message about your emotions. Therefore, body expression has the ability to convey how you feel, that is: safe, confident, interested, fearful, restless…
So consider these tips to improve your body expression 👇:
Sit properly with your back straight. Avoid crossing your arms. Interlock your hands and rest them in your lap. Move your hands calmly as you gesture your responses. Look the interviewer in the eye without lowering your face out of nerves, but without intimidating. While you are answering, you can look away a bit to be more natural. Smile to convey closeness, empathy and naturalness.
To calm your nerves in a job interview, your body must also transmit Confidence and security through your movements .
2. Take time to respond
In an effort to look good to the recruiter, you could make the mistake of answering the first thing that came to mind, without even stopping to think about the best answer. Avoid it!
take a few seconds to organize your ideas and expose them clearly and precisely, this will facilitate the understanding of the selector. If there is a question that you do not understand, say it without fear so that you can answer correctly.
Of course, this is not to say that you will be silent for long. It’s just a couple of seconds for you to analyze the question and give a timely answer.
3. Avoid nervous gestures
To control your nerves in an interview you have to hide the gestures that suggest that you are in a state of nervousness and anxiety. Some of them are the following 👇:
Biting your nails Move your legs uncontrollably. Touching your hair excessively. Biting the pen Keep your hands in one place. Laugh in situations that do not deserve it. Hit the table gently and repeatedly. Hesitate when speaking
All these behaviors show you’re nervous And they raise an alarm in the recruiter, who might think that you are not sure or confident of what you are saying.
4. Speak slowly
Not so fast and not so slow the correct rhythm will help you express your ideas in the right tone so that the message is fully understood by the interviewer.
If you respond slowly, you transmit confidence, security and serenity. On the contrary, when you respond quickly, your nerves become very evident and, in fact, you could fall into contradictions or respond wrongly.
What to do if you go blank in an interview?
This can be a consequence of several factors, mainly 👇:
Lies on your CV. You have interrupted the interviewer before the end of the question. You have not understood the question. You are too nervous, anxious and overwhelmed.
In the event that this happens to you, follow these recommendations 👇:
Take a deep breath, nerves could be clouding your mind. Take a moment to put your arguments in order. If you have a doubt, ask for clarity. Be honest, don’t try to pretend to know something if you don’t.
Remember that you are facing a very important opportunity for your professional future, keep calm at all times will help you succeed in this appointment.
As a final summary…
Here are some points to remember 👇:
Believe in your talent. Read your CV again to verify that all the information is true. Rehearse your arguments in front of a mirror, camera, friend or family member. Research the company and the position you want to fill. Choose the most appropriate clothing for the type of employment. Sleep well. Do exercises. Take care of your body expression. Don’t give hasty answers. Speak at a leisurely pace. Be honest.
Feeling nervous in a job interview is normal, it is a situation that usually brings out different emotions; however, the key to success is to hide them in order to shine before the employer, because he remembers that you are there because he was interested in your candidacy. The interview is just a test to get the definitive YES to that position you have dreamed of. ✔