November 21st, 2017

Overcoming the fear of job interviews

Experiencing the fear of interviewing

Whether you’ve participated in one or multiple interviews thus far, you may still experience the feeling of fear before or during interview. Can this sense of fear experienced by interviewee be justified or explained pointing to a specific trigger or an event? Usually, the answer is ‘yes’, however, in most situations, there are no significant factors that I was able to determine in many years of participating in or conducting interviews on both sides of the table as interviewee and interviewer. So, let’s talk about some factors or triggers that can be a source of fear before and during an interview

Factors and Triggers before and during an interview

One of those reasons is obvious – lack of preparation and research conducted about the company and position that one may be interviewing for. Now, there’s not much that I can say here, except that one needs to spend some time doing in-depth research about an industry, company and position that he or she is applying to in advance of an actual interview. If you are not prepared, then you shouldn’t expect much in the outcome of the interview. Typically, interviewer can tell after 1-2 questions if someone has invested time preparing for an interview vs. someone who has not, and yes, when going to interviews unprepared at the fault of your own, it is normal to experience fear, the fear of the unknown. In this situation all that one is worrying about is not to be asked a question that he or she does not know the answer to.

Other not-so-obvious reasons of experiencing fear of interviews and ways to overcome them

Another reason why someone may experience fear before or during an interview is not having experience, education, and/or knowledge of the specific industry and/or position of choice. Person who find themselves in such situation is worried about their feature, asking themselves if they are ready and able to do the job. So, once again, the fear of unknown takes over. One way to help avoid being in such situation is to conduct a very detailed research, asking other people who may have experience in the industry and conducting self-discovery exercise where you reflect on your own experience, education, training, and the position that you are applying for. If you feel that you have what it takes to be successful in the specific industry and company you are considering, then you can proceed with confidence and comfort towards the interview phase of job seeking experience. If you still feel uncomfortable, then perhaps you may need to spend more time exploring alternate opportunities.

So, if the reasons that typically result in fear of interviews don’t apply to me, should I still be nervous?

Nervous, sure, but not fearful of being interviewed. Being nervous before any major event, this includes interviews, is absolutely normal, and if you are not nervous then you are lying to yourself. However, if you are well prepared for an interview, done all necessary research, possess experience and/or knowledge required for the position you are applying for, then there should be no reason to experience fear before or during an interview. Instead, one should feel comfortable, prepared, and confident throughout the entire process. Treat each interview as a competition. See how well you can do and enjoy, yes, I said enjoy every interview that you may participate in throughout your professional career.

Every day and every interaction are an interview

At the end of the day, remember, we are being interviewed daily, whether it is when we meet someone new, interact with others while waiting in line at the grocery store, airport, hotel, or whenever interacting with other people, which is pretty much every day and everywhere. We are constantly being asked questions, and we provide answers. So, how does formal interview process any different, outside of having to adhere to a business professional dress code? It’s not different, however, many of make it different in our own mind before we even walk into an interview room or pick up a phone. So, stop convincing yourself that interviewing is scary, uncomfortable, and fear-creating process, because, it is not. We create that fear in our mind, and we have the power to remove fearful thoughts as soon as they enter our mind. Have fun, showcase your talents, and enjoy interviewing while seeking your new dream future and career.
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I hope you enjoyed reading this module as much as I enjoyed writing it, and hope that you found it to be very useful for you or someone else that you may know. Please feel free to share this post if you know someone who may benefit from reading it same way you did

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