It’s only an interview, what is there to be anxious about?

Some of us feel confident and welcoming of the opportunity that an interview creates to "strut our stuff" and show-off a bit. But most of us feel some degree of negative emotions or uncertainty when facing an interview.

Google reports that over 90,000 people per month use their search engines looking for information about how to handle interview questions and answers.

Typically, we may experience some or all of the following “interview nerves”:

* feeling unsure about what to expect and feeling out of our comfort zone

* feeling nervous about being judged and fearful about being rejected

* feeling powerless and, therefore, low in self confidence

* feeling anxious about "failing" again (if our previous interviews have not gone well)

* feeling negatively self-conscious and doubting our communication skills (under the pressure of an interview)

* feeling threatened by the interview process if we see ourselves as shy or inhibited in "selling" our abilities to an interviewer

* feeling pressurised and that there is much to lose, the stakes are high (I NEED this job or ANY job)

* feeling worried that we will "go blank" or forget important stuff

* feeling a bit overwhelmed re how to control the interview situation, and ourselves, when there seems so much to handle

* feeling unsure about how to handle questions, especially the tough ones

* feeling intimidated by having to go onto the interviewer's territory and compete with many other candidates.

Some degree of interview nerves is “normal”, of course, but if it amplifies into anxiety or even fear, it may defeat our efforts to Impress the interviewer and land our ideal job.

How to avoid or banish interview nerves

There are many things that we can do. Some things work very well for some people and not at all for others. However, there are seven key things that make all the difference. If we do these, we will likely succeed, especially if our competitor candidates don’t do them.

1. For the interview, make a list of likely questions and “best” answers:

We must be sure to read the C.V. / resume that we submitted to the company. Go through it and mark the places where it connects with or contradicts the company’s job description and person specification. We should write down the questions that the interviewer is likely to raise as a result or to draw out extra information.

For the questions we identify in this step, prepare our “best answer”. This is not to create a script to slavishly follow at the interview. It is to prepare our expectations and avoid being caught cold and stumbling because we haven’t thought about it.

Here are 10 interview questions that are often used by interviewers:
1 ) tell me about yourself
2 ) what do you know about our company?
3 ) what are your major strengths?
4 ) what are your weaknesses?
5 ) why are you seeking a new position? (why did you leave your last job?)
6 ) why do you want to work here?
7 ) how are you working in a team?
8 ) why should I offer you the job?
9 ) where do you see yourself in, say, five years time?
10 ) do you have any questions you want to ask me?

A really valuable exercise is to take each question and ask three further questions:
• what is the purpose of this question? (what is the interviewer looking for?)
• what pitfalls does this question hold? (what would the interviewer regard as a poor or unimpressive answer?)
• what’s the “best answer” I could give that will impress the interviewer?

2. Make a list of the difficult and awkward questions and our best answers:

The interviewer who deliberately asks a difficult or awkward question is looking for two things:

1 ) what we answer - e.g. is our response impressive under the circumstances?, and, more importantly……

2 ) how we answer? - e.g. do we stay calm and unruffled and stick to our guns?

3. Prepare a list of the questions we should ask the interviewer:

Here are some of the most popular questions we should ask (in no specific order):

* what's the most important thing I would need to do in this role to be successful?

* why did the previous job holder quit?

* what are the prospects for growth and career development? how does one advance in the company?

* what do you like about working here? how would you describe the company culture?

* what differentiates this company from its major competitors?

* how will my performance be measured? how is accountability held?

* how are goals and targets set? how much say would I have in setting them?

* what reference materials do you read to keep up to date?

* what happens next? is there anything you need me to do next?

* do you have a business card please? (essential for follow-up).

In addition, we should ensure that we “sandwich” the interview between thorough preparation and follow-up, as follows:

4. Prepare thoroughly:

There is an old saying that, "failure to prepare is to prepare to fail". Don't skimp on preparation. The work we invest here will pay big dividends at the interview and help us to stand out from others.

There are usually four areas we should prepare:

1. get to know all we can about the company:
e.g. from the company's website or Facebook page and other sources of relevant information, such as:
* press or trade magazines
* other web sources (e.g Wikipedia, market analysts)
* the company’s annual report and shareholders' information
* our own networks - do we know anyone who works there? or has been for an interview there? do we know any suppliers to the company?

2. get to know all we can about the job role
Usually, the company will send a job description of some sort before the interview. If they don't, we should call them and politely request one. Recruitment adverts also provide useful information about the job, as do agencies or head hunters.

If the company doesn’t provide a copy of their person specification for the job, we should prepare our own.
That is, make it part of our preparation to take the job description (and all other information we may have about the role) and interpret it in terms of< “what will this job demand of me?”. Obviously, this will be our best guess, as it were, and we may not be "right", but the interviewer is only taking his or her "guess" at it too.

3. We must be sure about the interview arrangements (such as venue, times, how to get there etc.)
Usually, we will receive details of the interview arrangements from the company in good time. However, if not, we must make sure to contact them to confirm, for example, interview time, venue, format, any supporting documents etc. we need to bring, how long the process is likely to take etc.

4. prepare ourselves to succeed
Our job at the interview is to help the interviewer achieve his or her goals, and to achieve our own goals. We must prepare some goals and capture them in our learning log.

Another effective preparation step for success is to seek feedback from some trusted others. Explain that we are going for an interview and ask for their help.

For example, we might ask:
* how well do I come across, generally, in terms of manner, bearing, appearance etc.?

* how well do I present myself?

* how well do I communicate? Do I have any off-putting mannerisms?

* how well do I listen?

* how well do I ask questions?

Also, as our anxiety levels tend to increase when we are busy thinking about ourselves - how do I look?; am I sounding nervous?; am I making a fool of myself?; am I answering the questions correctly?; am I rushing my answers?; I’m an idiot, I forgot to mention…X; am I sounding desperate? - you know, that inner voice that keeps on criticising us and undermines our self esteem – we should focus on the interviewer.

Well, of course, it's OUR inner voice and (potentially, at least) it is under our control. So, what to do to avoid or deal with negative self-consciousness?:

* smile. We shouldn't underestimate the effects of an appropriate smile, on our inner critic and on our interviewers

* we should remind ourselves that the interview process is a two-way street, an exchange of information between us and the interviewer. It involves two (or more) people, human beings who are not perfect. It is a subjective process and it is not about absolutes

* take ownership. This is OUR interview. It is OUR opportunity to explain why and how we best match the job demands and what we will bring to the company. WE have vital information that the interviewer wants and he or she has vital information for us so that both of us can make the best decision.

5. Create a learning log and preparation folder:

A really valuable technique to boost our confidence and banish nerves is to keep a Learning Log (or journal).

Why? Well, four major reasons:
1. to capture our new ideas, our random thoughts, our goals and plans etc.
2. as a stimulus to new thinking (e.g. when we're stuck or need to think differently)
3. as a self motivator (e.g. by recording our progress and improvements)
4. as an aid to positive learning (i.e. enhancing our capacity to create our own future).

Usually, a learning log will include our responses to questions such as:
* what has been my learning? (in whatever situation we are reflecting on)
* if I was doing it all over again, what would I do differently? (i.e. better)
* how has this learning enhanced my capacity to create my own future?
* what should I start doing, stop doing and change as a result of my learning?

Also, there is a lot to prepare and it’s a good idea, therefore, to create a dedicated preparation folder in which to keep all our notes, clippings etc. and to prevent our learning log from getting over loaded.

6. Rehearse, improve and rehearse:

In businesses such as entertainment or sport, the idea of just turning up and doing your best is regarded as "amateur" and unacceptable. The best performers / champions know that training and rehearsing are essential to achieve the highest standards consistently.

We should accept nothing less for ourselves.

The best way to rehearse is to simulate the interview situation with a video camera / computer or by doing a mock interview with a friend / 'mentor' or, preferably, both. We should honestly appraise and analyse our efforts, learn what to do better and then do it again…and again……....and again.

7. Plan to follow-up the interview:

We should send a thank-you email to all our interviewers individually (not c.c.s) so that it is in their email inbox no later than the morning after the interview.

Finally, we should do some "self-follow-up". For example, we should capture in our learning log a brief assessment of the interview and our perception of what worked and what didn't. We should reflect on our performance and capture what we believe we should start doing, stop doing and do differently in terms of improving our interview skills.

Finally, we should take ownership. Whilst the interviewer is in control of many things, we are in control of the most important thing in the interview process, and the single reason why our interview is being held at all - OURSELVES. We must display a positive attitude, use a whole brain approach, treat the interview as ours (as well as the interviewer's) and enjoy the process. We should be curious and learn and do ourselves justice.