How can someone calm their nerves before a job interview?
To help you calm your nerves the best way before a job interview, we asked interview coaches, hiring managers and recruiters this question for their best tips. From practicing your elevator pitch to controlling your breathing 30 minutes before the interview, there are several things you may do to help put your mind at ease and give you the confidence to go through any job interview successfully.
Here are 12 ways to calm your nerves before an interview:
- Practice Your Elevator Pitch
- Be Natural With Your Self-Confidence
- Shore Up Your Self-Belief With Positive Thinking Before the Interview
- Connect Rather Than Impress
- Remember that They Want to Hire You
- Imagine Yourself Being Calm and Collected
- Do Something You Love to Help Keep You Calm
- Reflect on Your Past Success
- Host Mock Interviews to Rehearse for the Real Thing
- Remind Yourself Interviews Are Not One Sided
- Prepare Well and Be Yourself
- Control Your Breathing 30 Minutes Before the Interview
Practice Your Elevator Pitch
Almost every interview starts with some variation of “Tell me about yourself.” Calm your nerves by having a well practiced elevator pitch. If you’ve decided in advance how to introduce yourself, it will help you start the interview with a great first impression. Before interviews, I practice my 60 second intro in the shower, on the drive to the interview, and in my head multiple times. I know I’m going to start off on the right foot because I’ve practiced, and that keeps me calm throughout the rest of the interview.
Logan Mallory, Motivosity
Be Natural With Your Self-Confidence
But is being confident easier said than done? Confidence isn’t whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert, quiet, shy, or funny, because I have seen individuals with all these traits be successful in interviews. Confidence is unequivocally owning who you are and being comfortable with it. Instead of mentally berating yourself because you’re not making the interviewers roll over with laughter, accept it. Don’t focus on what you believe are your shortcomings in an interview, focus on your strengths. Don’t try to be someone else, this will put you in your head and it will come off as nervousness. Remember, the company wants to interview YOU, not the idea of you that you’re ruminating about that has been giving you anxiety. So, be yourself. If you put on an act, how long will you be able to maintain it in a new role?
Dan Reed, Top Prospect Careers
Shore Up Your Self-Belief With Positive Thinking Before the Interview
The power of the mind is quite considerable, so it helps to reaffirm your self-belief by thinking positively before an interview. Don’t allow yourself to focus on doubts about your ability to do the job or get through the interview. You know that you are qualified and are more than capable of doing the job, otherwise you would not have been invited for an interview. You have prepared for the interview and it is simply another obstacle to overcome. Tell yourself that you are just as good, if not better, than most other candidates, and that they’re plenty of opportunities out there you’ll thrive in even if you don’t get the job.
Datha Santomieri, Steadily
Connect Rather Than Impress
Forget trying to impress and just think of it as a conversation. It’s been said that everyone is worth knowing and even if you don’t get the job, there’s value in meeting someone new. As long as you’re kind, friendly and positive, the interviewer will remember you fondly. Perhaps something will open up in the future at the company. If not, maybe the employer could be a mentor or even a friend. There are a myriad of productive outcomes possible. Therefore, don’t worry about impressing anyone. Rather, think of it as an enjoyable conversation with a new friend.
Jeff Goodwin, Orgain
Remember that They Want to Hire You
When participating in a recruiting process, people often focus so much on their desire to get the job that they forget that the recruiter and hiring manager want the same thing. They want to find the right talent, and they want it to be you, so they can stop looking.
Realizing that you and your future employer are working together towards that common goal can help take the pressure off and calm your nerves before a job interview. Apart from helping you relax, thinking of the interview as cooperation rather than confrontation has the added benefit of letting your best communication and teamwork skills shine through during the meeting. So, next time you feel nervous before a job interview, take a deep breath and remember that the recruiter and hiring manager also want you to be the perfect candidate!
Maja Kowalska, Zety
Imagine Yourself Being Calm and Collected
Perhaps you have heard the saying, “Fake it until you make it”? That saying is backed up by Brian Tracy’s research – you can have any emotion you want to have by imagining yourself feeling that way for 15 minutes. So, plan 15 minutes before your interview. Visualize yourself looking calm, collected, and confident. What does that look like? How will you feel when you are calm, collected, and confident? Imagine that feeling. What will you say to yourself when you are calm, collected, and confident? What do you imagine the interviewer saying? The fuller and richer the visual, emotional, and auditory description and imagining, the more real it is and the more you will be the way you want to be for the interview. Good luck!
Cathy Liska, Center for Coaching Certification
Do Something You Love to Help Keep You Calm
Doing something that a person loves to do can be a great way to clear their mind and allow them to feel calm. Whether this is taking a walk, getting your favorite coffee, or listening to your hype song, doing something that feels familiar will help calm nerves. Take the time to collect your thoughts and help from psyching yourself out. You know yourself best, so consider what will help you the most and get you in the right mindset.
Madison Frees, Terkel
Reflect on Your Past Success
If you need to quickly calm your nerves before you walk through the door of an interview, or flip open your laptop, it can be helpful to look back on your past successes. Reflect on those moments when you were innovative and got rewarded, or when you were so productive that you finished a big project an entire week ahead of time. This should give you the confidence that you need to showcase your talents.
Mark Sider, Greater Than
Host Mock Interviews to Rehearse for the Real Thing
A great way to prepare for an interview is to host a mock interview with a colleague or friend. I am the least nervous about an interview or evaluation when I feel I have done the most to prepare myself beforehand. Mock interviews are incredible for soothing nerves because they allow candidates to rehearse the conversations they will be evaluated on later. As the mock interviewer throws in unexpected questions, it prepares us to think on our toes and come up with valuable responses to keep in mind ahead of time. This rehearsal process is invaluable for candidates as it allows them to refine their responses and presentation without the risk of negative consequences.
Jason Panzer, Hexclad
Remind Yourself Interviews Are Not One Sided
The best way to keep calm during interviews is to remind yourself that this process is also meant for you to question them. You would also want to know if this company is suitable for you, so you should ask questions that will determine if they are a good fit. What is the company’s culture, work-life balance, salary expectation, after-work hours etc? This way, it will not feel imbalanced. After all, interviews are just meetings to find out if you are suitable for the job by fitting their and YOUR criteria.
Luke Smoothy, Get It Made Ltd
Prepare Well and Be Yourself
When it comes to interviewing, being nervous means that you care. If you weren’t nervous as a recruiter I’d be worried that you were not fully invested in the position. As a career coach, my advice to students is first you must research the company. This is more than just the information on the About Us page, but looking at social media, possibly talking to current or former employees, and determining the reasons that they personally want to work with the organization.
Next, I remind them that they are there to showcase who they are and why they want to work at the company. Knowing their resume and the achievements, accolades, and skills that they bring is key. If they are confident in the experience and skills that they bring to the table they are ready! Being your authentic self during the interview will help calm nerves as well. It’s hard to hide who you truly are and will only add additional stress that is unnecessary. The company should want the real you!
Megan Blanco, University of Central Florida
Control Your Breathing 30 Minutes Before the Interview
I know how stressful a job interview can be. I went to different job interviews when I finished college, and I was looking for my first job. One of the things that I’ve learned is to control your breathing 30 minutes before the interview. Counting until number seven when you are breathing in, hold your breath for 3 seconds and breath out counting until number seven again. Do this between 3 to 5 times, and you will feel more relaxed and calm.
Another thing that I know works is to put a piece of bubble gum in your mouth and stay with it for 10 or 15 minutes before the interview. But don’t forget to put it off before, because it’s not nice to go to a job interview with bubble gum. Drinking too much water is not a great idea because with the nerves you will feel a lot of wanting to go to the bathroom.
Stanislav Baciu, BuzzLogic
