If you grow fidgety during interviews, have sweaty palms and a dry throat, or become tongue-tied, you might just have interview jitters. A recent Monster study revealed that 38% of U.S. candidates are afraid of interviewing. Interview jitters are pretty common, but they can cause job seekers to perform poorly and cost them amazing career opportunities.
The good news is, it gets better with each interview. Note that I said, "gets better" and not "disappears." That feeling of nervousness when you have a major interview almost never goes away. And while this may sound negative, you can channel it to do well at your next interview!
As a former recruiter and current career expert at Monster, Vicki Salemi has extensive experience interviewing and hiring candidates. "The key to a successful interview," she says, "is in being prepared." She shares her best tips for acing any meeting or interview:
Practice, practice, practice
Be prepared—always, all ways. Practice with friends, conduct mock interviews with a former boss, call your career center at your alma mater to see if you can schedule a free Skype or in-person session to get feedback. Keep in mind the more you interview, the more your nerves will ease with each new one.
Debrief. After each practice interview session, write down questions you couldn't figure out how to answer or ways you can strengthen your answers. Instead of thinking of long-winded answers, it can be helpful to think of answers in terms of bullets. This way, during the interview, you can get your main point across succinctly while demonstrating authenticity.
Get talking points ready. Remember, an interview is a two-way street. As Vicki says, "You are interviewing the company just as much (if not more!) than they're interviewing you." So do not hesitate to ask a ton of questions. In fact, it's encouraged as it shows an interest in the position you're applying for and the company. Do your research and come up with a list of of questions. Some examples could be, "How do you define success in this role? What are the qualities of an employee that can contribute to this outcome?" Think hard about questions they might not have even considered before like, "how would you define the work culture here?"
Google your interviewers ahead of time. If the recruiter doesn't provide you with a schedule of who you're meeting with, ask for one. Also, the department or executives may have bios on the company's website as well. Put a face on the names prior to your interview. "This can help you remember they're people, too," says Vicki, "so you feel more at ease." If they recently spoke at a symposium or authored a research study, you can mention this during the interview to show you did your homework. Nice touches like these go a long way!
