Strategies for success in the ‘hot seat’
Alright, let’s talk about job interviews. You know, those nerve-wracking, sweat-inducing experiences that make even the coolest cucumber break into a cold sweat? Yeah, those. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or a fresh-faced newbie, interviews have a way of making us second-guess ourselves like nobody’s business.
Picture this: You’ve spent hours tweaking your resume, prepping your talking points, and practicing your winning smile in the mirror. You’re feeling good, you’re feeling ready, and then it hits you —you’re really nervous. Suddenly, every qualification you possess seems to evaporate into thin air, you can’t remember or succinctly describe any details from the impactful work you did in your career, and you’re left wondering if you even belong in the same room as your interviewer.
First, my fellow interviewees, know that you’re not alone. According to a study featured in Anxiety.org by Harris and Everest College, 92% of adults have interview anxiety ranging from fear of being under qualified to fear of not being able to answer the interviewers questions. If that’s not enough, as women, we feel additional anxiety well before we even apply. As this quote from a Harvard Business Review article (via a Forbes Article, via an HP report) puts it, “Men are confident about their ability at 60%, but women don’t feel confident until they’ve checked off each item on the list.” Not only do we have the anxiety once we finally have secured interviews (phew!), we have additional anxiety that we may not meet all of the qualifications and maybe shouldn’t apply at all to being with. As that same HBR article puts it, we have made it up in our minds that the qualifications have qualifications.
Do nerves sometimes stop you mid sentence where the words that are coming out have circular reasoning and nothing to do with the interviewer’s question? In fact, did you forget all together what the interviewer asked? For me, it feels like an out of body experience where you just want to be able to shake yourself to stop the incessant rambling. If this is familiar, breathe. We don’t practice talking about ourselves in granular detail regularly, and it isn’t every day we are asked questions like “tell me your thought process on implementing a multi-year strategic plan.” We are never going to be ready for every single question that comes our way, but there are things we can do to prepare for the unknown and calm our inner critics before they take over completely.
There’s no substitute for good old-fashioned preparation. This prep will set you up for success for at least some of the interview questions you are asked along the way. Research the company inside and out, be prepared to tell them why you want to work there, in that role, at that time. Familiarize yourself with the job description, and practice creating responses to the bullet points within the job description that match your work experience and history. Think about the projects or initiatives you’ve rolled out that meet that criteria in hard and soft skills as well as transferable skills. For instance, if you’ve worked in retail you likely have vast experience in customer service and maybe in customer success or even sales. Going back to whether or not you meet all of the criteria for the role, half of the battle is being able to provide data to support the reasons you are qualified even they aren’t traditional or expected.
Practice talking to yourself in the mirror as you describe your accomplishments. Really soak in what you’ve done in your career, celebrate and believe you are capable and worthy of even more. Take a moment to reflect on all the hard work and accomplishments that have brought you to this point. You’ve overcome obstacles, honed your skills, and earned your place at the interview table. Be proud of how far you’ve come, and let that confidence shine through. The more prepared you are in understanding the role, the company or even yourself, the less room there is for nerves to creep in.
Take a deep breath and remind yourself that you’ve got this. Mindfulness techniques like deep breathing and visualization can help calm your nerves and keep you focused in the moment. You may find it helpful to have a glass of water to sip between sentences or thoughts to create a purposeful pause as needed or you may use a hair tie or rubber band on your wrist to snap you back (literally) when you’re getting off course. Remember, it’s okay to feel nervous — it just means you care about the outcome.
Newsflash: Nobody’s perfect, not even the person sitting across from you in the interviewer’s chair. Don’t put undue pressure on yourself to be flawless — embrace your imperfections and approach the interview as an opportunity to showcase your authentic self. This is where you may need to calm your inner critic and refocus on what you’ve accomplished.
Instead of viewing the interview as a high-stakes interrogation, try reframing it as a conversation between equals. Remember, you’re not just there to impress the interviewer — you’re also there to evaluate whether the company is the right fit for you. Conversely, embrace that sometimes, interviews will be an interrogation where you’re asked question after question with very little to no dialogue in between. In these instances, which hopefully are few and far between, know that you still have some control.
You can:
ask them to repeat the question as many times as you need them to
write the question down as they are saying it so that you have it as a reference point to stop circular rambling
ask them to go on to the next question and if it would be okay to come back to that question later
Remember you are interviewing them too. For those that have been unemployed for a long time, the job search may feel more and more like you have less and less control. It may then be difficult not to want to jump at any and every opportunity that comes along. But remember, you want to find something that sticks, unemployment isn’t roses after all. You’re tying to figure out if this company, their mission, the manager, and the role are what you actually want and above all, if you will feel valued and successful.
You aren’t the only one that is nervous and I don’t just mean other job seekers. Interviewers get nervous too! A lot rides on the decisions hiring managers make of who to bring into an organization, and particularly in smaller organizations, one mis-hire can have a huge impact. They are looking for the right fit and given budget constraints and time constraints, finding the right person for the role can be tough, creating pressure (and nerves) to get it right. Whether or not you think this is true, interviewers don’t always have a secret agenda where they are out to stump you. More often than not, it is the way you present your approach to your work rather than the details of the work itself that they care about. Trying to ensure that you have the “right” answer to their questions can just lead to more nerves. You’ll start trying to read body language or other queues to see how your answers landed which is distracting to thought processes. Especially over virtual interviews, reading these queues is difficult, if not impossible to do. So, if it helps, give interviewers the grace they give you and hopefully have some comfort in knowing that they could be just as nervous as you.
Being able to be concise and thoughtful can be challenging when you’re nervous but hopefully you have found your own ways of combating the interview jitters or have now gained some new tools from me. Nerves are natural, but they don’t have to define your interview experience. I take a vulnerable approach to these feelings and actually let my interviewer(s) know if I’m nervous. For me, it is about finding my right fit as much as it is about them finding theirs. I need a workplace where I can feel authentic and show up as my smart, capable and silly self. And guess what? Sometimes I get nervous but I will not let it define me. Let’s take a deep breath together. Reclaim your confidence. Trust in yourself, and go knock ’em dead. You’ve got this!