Job interviews are a good thing – they mean you’re one step closer to getting the job you really want and all the benefits that brings with it. However, they’re also potentially very stressful, and the more you want the job, the more stressful any interview for it will feel.
That’s not good for your mental health, and it can also lead to forgetfulness and errors, which might not go down too well with a future employer. All in all, although the job interview process is vital, it’s also something that can cause a lot of problems. With that in mind, here are some of the best ways to be less stressed during a job interview that will help you reach your career goals faster. Read on to find out more.
Table of Contents
Prepare In Advance
Just turning up to a job interview (or these days, just clicking on the Zoom link) isn’t enough if you want to do a good job, and it’s definitely not enough if you’re hoping to be less stressed. In fact, this way of doing things can mean that you’re more stressed than ever because you’ll easily get flustered when you’re asked questions.
That why preparation is so important. The more you know about the company you want to work at and the people you’ll be working with, the better you’ll be able to answer questions. Plus, the more you know about your own career path and goals, the better. That might sound strange, but it’s easy to write a quick resume and then forget all about it. That’s why using good entry level resume templates is ideal because everything is set out well and organized, and you’ll have a better chance of remembering it all and being able to answer with accuracy and confidence.
Practice
If you take some time before your interview to practice the most common questions that you think you’ll be asked, you’ll have your answers ready to go. Of course, you don’t want to sound robotic when you’re asked, so don’t learn them off by heart and just repeat what you’ve practiced, but instead just get the essence of what you want to say just right.
One thing that can help is to get friends and family to conduct mock interviews with you. You’ll feel so much more in control of your whole interview situation, and a lot calmer if you know not just what questions will (probably) be asked, but how to answer them as well. Remember that there might be some different questions too, but if you’re less stresesd from the start, answering those curve ball questions shouldn’t be too difficult.
Arrive Early
Arriving early at your interview (whether it’s a physical place or an online video call) shows that you’re a punctual person who’s taken the interview seriously. Plus, if you’re in a physical location, it gives you a chance to get used to your surroundings – being in a new place can be scary enough, and when you add an interview to the situation, it can become extremely stressful.
As well as that, when you’re rushing to get to where you need to be, your stress levels will automatically go up, so if you give yourself plenty of time, you’ll feel a lot better about the whole interview process and do much better as a result.
