I talked to three clients this week who were suffering from severe anxiety and fear because of an upcoming interview and the need to spend a couple of days making cold calls. I realized that they were not unique. Anxiety probably causes more people to fail interviews than any emotion.
You have a big interview tomorrow and you are scared to death.
Why? What are you afraid of? What could possibly go wrong in the interview? What is the worst outcome you can expect? Answer: You don’t get the job. You will not lose your life, go deaf, blind, lose a limb or a loved one. You simply won’t get the job. That is a big disappointment but not the end
What does anxiety do to you? Anxiety feeds on itself. The more you worry the more your anxiety grows. The more your anxiety grows the more it affects your performance and attitude. Your mind gets fuzzy, your confidence suffers, you begin to lose your ability to be spontaneous weakens, you can’t think on your feet and react quickly. I know from personal experience that many patients who are being treated for severe pain are many times given an anti anxiety medication along with pain meds. because anxiety makes the pain worse; so for God’s sake relax and stop worrying about things you can’t change This would be the perfect time to memorize the “Serenity” prayer : God grant me the serenity to accept the
The things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference
What can you do about it? Anxiety and fear come from a lack of confidence. Build up your confidence and anxiety goes away after-all if you believe in your interview skills and are convinced that you are the best candidate for the job what in the world is there to be anxious about? How do I fix this you ask?
The number one action to beat the anxiety and fear is BE PREPARED. I think every employer ever interviewed when asked what impresses him the most about a candidate and the candidate he ultimately hires is “he was prepared”. He knew my company and my business. He talked with me as if he was an employee. He knew our problems and he came prepared to talk about solutions. If you ever wondered how a candidate less qualified than you got the job this is your answer. Do your homework. The internet provides everything you need to walk into an interview like the knight in shining armor. If you do not do it it is your own fault. This is the secret to high confidence and low anxiety. It is that simple. It takes time and work but if you do not do it you only have yourself to blame. Interviews can really be fun if you prepare yourself.
