Managing Interview Stress

You’ve managed to secure the interview and now the nerves are starting to kick in - we’ve all been there.

So how do you stop them from taking over and still make the most of your opportunity?

Below we take a look at some of the ways to help keep you cool, calm and collected:

Relax, breathe and take your time during the interview.

• Remember that you’ve been invited for a reason—they already like you.
• Focus on body language, maintain eye contact, sit up straight and avoid fidgeting.
• Slow your speech down and think before answering.
• Even if you're unsuccessful, you can learn from the experience.

Avoid 'winging it'—prepare your answers in advance.

• Research common interview questions and review them the night before.
• Practice your answers out loud - the more you hear yourself say it, the easier it will be on the day

Treat the interview as a conversation, not an interrogation.

• Be natural but professional and focus on your key skills.
• Avoid oversharing or becoming too informal, even if it's an informal format.

Don’t stress about being stressed—preparation helps ease nerves.

• Interviewers are human too; they may understand if you make minor mistakes. If you feel like your nerves will show, sometimes it's worth telling them.

Avoid excessive caffeine—it may increase anxiety and make you jittery.

Get a good night’s sleep instead - maybe easier said that done for some but we’ve always found putting your phone down and reading a book for half an hour before bedtime help!