HOW TO CONTROL NERVOUS ENERGY DURING INTERVIEWS?
It’s eleven forty-five, you’re stood outside looking up at the building where your career’s future could be decided in 15 minute’s time, suited and booted, ready to step inside…
But, something’s holding you back. You’re suddenly aware of your every heartbeat, every breath. Your head starts to play tricks; are you really right for this? What if I forget something important? Your hands are trembling, knees shaking - you are being consumed by excess energy and nervous anxiety.
So what do you do? - Go home, give up, game over?
Of course not, this is your dream job and the position you’ve spent the last 10 years working towards; you can’t give up now. Instead, it’s time to remember the awesome advice Caspian One provided you - in the blog below…
“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle”
- Sun Tzu, The Art of War
Know the enemy - excessive energy and nervous anxiety
Nervous energy is quite simply the body preparing for battle - or more accurately, enhancing your ability to physiologically and psychologically deal with immediate danger. This is better known as a ‘fight or flight’ situational response, empowering you to safely escape predators or win against a rival hunter.
However in modern society we no longer need to run from sabre-tooth tigers or battle to the death, so the benefits of this hyper-stimulation stress response is null. Instead we’ve modified our psychological connection to anxiety to reflect today’s stresses, which is why job interviews are so impactful.
Common symptoms include;
Heightened excitement and a need to act/speak quickly,
An adrenalin fuelled feeling of being powerful and pumped up,
Inability to remain still, relax or feel comfortable,
Hyper awareness of your environment and people around you,
Excessive sweating, heavy and fast breathing, shaking limbs, dry mouth, nausea,
A feeling of panic, fear or general uneasiness.
Know yourself - Prepare in advance
Once you understand why we get nervous and the symptoms to expect, the next step is to fight back, starting with combating the feelings of fear and panic that lead to the physical responses. In the case of job interviews, often the most common causes of anxiety can be rectified in advance through research and proper preparation.
For example;
Scared you’ll be late on the day? - Leave early and prepare a thorough travel plan that incorporates a ‘worst case scenario’ backup, e.g. alternative car parks if plan A’s is full, alternative public transport if the planned one is running late etc.
Worried you’ll be unable to answer questions? - Make sure to learn your CV back-to-front. Know your history, your successes, your failures. Use online resources to study possible interview questions and practice how you could answer these, relative to your experience. Dry run your interview with a friend, ask for their feedback, learn from it. Decide which aspects of your history are most relevant to this new job and work out what key points about those experiences you want to highlight.
Who are you meeting again? - Learn about the company, the culture, the management team, their values and drivers. Understand who this company wants to be, their goals and needs, why they want to hire you. Be aware of the businesses products, what they do, how they do it, why they do it, which products are most successful, which will you be working on - even explore their online presence and social media to answer some of the above.
What should I wear - do I have everything I need? - Decide on your interview outfit days in advance. Try it on, wash it, iron it, make sure it mirrors the culture of the company you’re interviewing at, be ready. What else do you need - Pen? Notepad? Laptop? Lunch? Money? Write a list and gather these items at the same time as you’re arranging your clothing, this way there’s no risk of a last minute rush.
Can’t sit still? - Beyond all the research and planning, make sure you are physically prepared to handle your nerves. The evening before go for a run, go to the gym, find a way to reduce your active energy levels and eat a healthy meal - although steer clear of curry and rich spicy food. Then, relax. Have a bath; bubbles and candles optional but hey, why not. Listen to calming music, meditate (we recommend a great app called Calm), put away the tech, read a book, get a solid night’s sleep. It won’t completely remove the excess energy, but it certainly sets you up for success compared to a late night of panicking and trying to cram more info in (that you’ll never remember) at the last minute.
Win the battle - on the day
Before you leave for the interview, I want you to tell yourself one thing - They want me.
From however many CV’s reviewed, or however many candidates qualified as potentials by recruiters, you were the one selected for interview, because they want your skills. Don’t forget this reality check, and don’t forget the interview is as-much about you seeing if they are a good fit for you, as it is them learning about you.
Next, whilst I hate cheesy phrases like ‘visualize your success’, there is some validity when it comes to overcoming interview nerves. As said above, they want you - so picture the best way the interview could go, hold that image in your mind, and walk into the building ‘seeing’ that end positive end result. Allow it to empower you.
As a best practice, try to avoid caffeinated drinks if you suffer from anxiety and nerves - this will only increase your levels of excessive energy. Should you be offered a drink while waiting to be seen, have a water or something simple; this will also help you hydrate and avoid dry mouth problems. Finally, take this pre-interview moment to consider the following;
Your breathing | Try taking some deep breaths, holding and then exhaling as you will your body into a state of calm. Think back to the evening before, how relaxed you felt, how calm you were, etc.
Your body language | Act the part. Even if you’re not feeling confident be conscious of your physical presentation and take strength from standing tall, shoulders back, head held high. Quickly it will go from acting to reality.
Your pace | Listen to how fast you’re talking. Take note and correct. The interviewer will expect you to be nervous so some speed in your conversation is okay, but try focusing on your pronunciation and if you feel yourself speeding off, pause, compose, continue.
Are you listening? | Don’t let the nerves speak louder than the people you’re meeting with. By listening carefully to the hiring manager (and showing active listening with your body language), you’ll appear more engaged in the meeting and could pick up on job information not presented in the original specifications.
The end result
If you remember and follow each of these steps, you will overcome your nerves because in reality, what you are afraid of is the unknown. The unknown of the job, how the interview will go, what the hiring managers will be like, what questions they’ll ask, and everything in-between.
As soon as you learn to find that calm space in your mind, without the burden of last minute concerns based on poor preparation, you’ll find the interview process much more enjoyable - and will enable your real personality to come out.
Still feeling the nerves? Why not speak with one of the team at Caspian One. We may not be trained psychologists but we have placed numerous candidates over the years and appreciate the anxieties that come with each unique scenario.
