by Awais Rehman, Content Team contributor
Job interviews are scary. It can be overwhelming being in any hot seat, but with a panel of strangers (the largest panel I have had so far is six) asking you difficult questions who also happen to be analysing your every move, it can be a lot to take in. We will all have to go through job interviews at some stage in our lives – some of us may find them easy, but for some of us, they can be the most difficult thing in the world.
I do not like interviews. They always feel like sitting an exam, my mind goes blank and I think of the right answers to the questions after it has finished. I have had a lot of job interviews in my life, and suffered a lot of rejection, so much so to the point that it began to affect my mental health. I was lucky to have a good relationship with my GP, who I saw regularly to help me get through them. The reason for the rejection was always the most difficult part; it was never down to something I could improve upon – it was always ‘we just had more experienced candidates’.
Having the reason be something out of my control was difficult to come to terms with, as there was nothing I could do about it. I was always presenting my best self, but it never seemed to be enough. Every interview I had following, my immediate thoughts were, ‘I wonder which reason they’re going to reject me with this time’.
If you ever have an opportunity to read ‘Letters from a Stoic’ (Seneca, 1917/65 AD), I highly recommend doing so. In short, it is a collection of letters written by famous Roman philosopher, Seneca (4-65 CE). Despite being written over a millennia ago, its messages still remain relevant in today’s day and age, with one in particular:
‘We suffer more in our imagination than we do in reality’ (Seneca, Letters from a Stoic, 13.4)
In Psychology, this is more commonly known as ‘Catastrophising’, when you hold an irrational, automatic belief that the worst-case scenario is always the likeliest one (Ellis, 1962). This is a central component of anxiety and explains why we can become so panicked when going through interviews.
Everyone has their own way of managing these feelings. For some, the experience of going through so many interviews consecutively helps them become desensitised to its anxiety effects and become more relaxed as a result. Another way this can be modelled is through graded exposure, working in a step-up method where you start with the least anxiety-inducing task and build your confidence to eventually tackle the highest anxiety-inducing task. This is also known as exposure therapy, which is used to help people overcome their phobias and reduce anxiety (American Psychological Association, 2017).
For me, one of the biggest ways I manage my stress levels during interviews is to make notes beforehand and take them into the interview with me. I was not keen on doing this at the beginning, because it felt like cheating in an exam, but then I tried it and realised it helped me stay much calmer and prompted me to remember my talking points. It is also key to remember that your notes are there to prompt you, not to be read as a script. A quick glance at them when you need help remembering is all you need.
Another tip is to try speaking to the interviewers beforehand. I always try to speak with someone on the panel to discuss the job details further, and to clarify anything I am unsure of before the big day. Demonstrating this type of proactiveness can also help you with being a standout candidate. Building rapport with the interviewers in this way and having some familiarity prior to your interview can also help with remaining calm. It is much easier being interviewed by someone who knows you compared to someone who does not.
It is also always worth asking if you can have the interview questions beforehand. I have had a few interviews where they have happily granted my request, but I have also had others where they clarify how soon they can provide access to them prior to the interview. It is always worth doing as the answer is always no until you ask.
I would like to say that I no longer have anxiety when it comes to interviews, but the truth is there will always be an element of it no matter how much you prepare. The only thing we can do is work to reduce that element, to make it as small as possible. But one can always hope.
References:
American Psychological Association. (2017). What is exposure therapy? Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/patients-and-families/exposure-therapy
Ellis, A. (1962). Reason and Emotion in Psychotherapy. Lyle Stuart. Seneca, L. A. (1917). Ad Lucilium Epistulae morales (R. M. Gummere, Trans.; Vol. 1). Harvard University Press. (Original work published c. 65 CE)
