How to Decrease My Interview Anxiety

The call finally comes. The company you applied to wants to meet you, a date goes on the calendar, and for a moment you feel great about it. Then the prep starts, and so do the nerves. What will they ask? What if you blank? What about the questions you can't see coming, or the dozen small things you haven't even thought to worry about yet? Take a breath. A job interview is something you can actually prepare for, and the anxiety around it can be brought down. What follows are ten techniques for quieting interview nerves, originally laid out by My World of Work. Use one of them or run several at once, whatever fits.

1. Preparation. Confidence tends to follow readiness. Dig into the company, and if you can find out who's interviewing you, look into them too. Know anyone who works there? Call and ask about the specific role. The more you've done ahead of time, the less there is to feel anxious about.

2. Be alert. Sleep matters more than people admit. Seven or eight hours gives your brain and body a chance to recharge, and you'll look better for it too. Falling asleep when your thoughts are racing is its own problem, so find what settles you: yoga, a short meditation, a cup of tea. Skip the alcohol and the late night.

3. Know your directions. This folds into being prepared. If you already know the route, you know roughly what traffic to expect and how early to set out. Map the trip the night before and plan to leave with time to spare, because weather, backups and accidents are ordinary, not rare. Arriving early beats showing up frazzled and late, and it leaves a far better impression.

4. Nutrition. Eat something, but keep it modest. A morning interview calls for a small bite so you have energy and your stomach stays quiet. An afternoon one calls for a light lunch, ideally nothing that will unsettle your stomach or stick to your breath. Mints or gum are fine, but spit the gum out before you walk in. Chewing through an interview reads as unprofessional, and you may not notice the sound you're making or how it looks from across the desk.

5. Take deep breaths. Slow breathing pulls your heart rate and your breathing pattern back toward normal. My World of Work suggests resting a hand on your stomach, breathing in through your nose for a count of four, then out through your nose for a count of five, and you should feel steadier. Another version: breathe in slowly through the nose, hold, then let it out slowly through the mouth. Repeat it five to ten times, and keep going until the edge comes off. Do it as often as you need.

6. Think positive thoughts. Picture the interview going your way. See yourself in control, fielding the questions with some grace, landing the job. Hold that picture before, during and after. And smile while you're in the room. Feeling more confident tends to make you look more confident.

7. Stay cool. Coming in from the heat, you may sweat, and sweat can read as nerves whether you're nervous or not. Cool down before you go in. Drink some cold water, run it over your wrists, or press a cold damp towel to your face, just keep the water off your clothes.

8. Remember your strengths. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses, and it helps to know both of yours. Interviewers often ask about both, partly to see whether you understand where you can grow. Knowing your strengths tells you what you actually bring to the table. Write them all down, weaknesses included, then line your strengths up against what the company needs.

9. Don't dwell. Replaying the interview afterward is normal, and so is running through it more than once. Give yourself time to weigh what went well and what didn't. Note anything you'd handle differently next time if you want to, then set it down. Let it be, keep your thinking positive, and know the call may still come.

10. Post-interview feedback. My World of Work recommends asking for feedback on your performance whether or not you get the job, on the logic that honest feedback shows you which areas to work on, which means you've already begun preparing for the next interview and the sweaty palms will fade. Having hired people for years, I'll be honest about my doubts here: no candidate has ever asked me how I thought they did, and I'm not convinced an interviewer would level with you if the answer was bad. What I'd watch for instead is what the interviewer says as you're gathering your things to leave. The hints are often right there. "I think you'd do well here." "I like some of your ideas." "We'll definitely be calling next week." - Kim B.