Physiological anxiety during interviews

[FindersFee5]

Let me first preface this by saying that I am not an anxious person, at all. At most times, I'm almost too relaxed. I've never had a problem with nerves before athletic competitions, asking somebody out, or taking a test.

Yet somehow, even during mock interviews, I start sweating and shaking like a leaf. I'm not mentally any more nervous than I usually would be talking to somebody, but my body somehow seems to think this a life or death situation. Any ideas about how to deal with this with real interviews?

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[zerox117]

Honestly I had the same issue with my first interview, but after that first one you feel a bit more comfortable. A trick I like to use is a brief period of meditation prior to calm me down and clear my head. Hope this helps!

 

[freak7]

Let me first preface this by saying that I am not an anxious person, at all. At most times, I'm almost too relaxed. I've never had a problem with nerves before athletic competitions, asking somebody out, or taking a test.

Yet somehow, even during mock interviews, I start sweating and shaking like a leaf. I'm not mentally any more nervous than I usually would be talking to somebody, but my body somehow seems to think this a life or death situation. Any ideas about how to deal with this with real interviews?

I get this! I'm always shaky before I have to perform something on my instrument or right before/during an interview. I'm not nervous, but my body gets nervous FOR me. My strategy is to just focus on breathing normally and smile to try to trick myself into getting into a "everything is fine and there is zero chance of death" mindset. If it doesn't work, just level with them about being nervous if they bring it up. It's certainly understandable.

 

[Goro]

This is something you need to talk to a counselor or clinician about.

If you don't overcome this, count on 100% rejections.

Let me first preface this by saying that I am not an anxious person, at all. At most times, I'm almost too relaxed. I've never had a problem with nerves before athletic competitions, asking somebody out, or taking a test.

Yet somehow, even during mock interviews, I start sweating and shaking like a leaf. I'm not mentally any more nervous than I usually would be talking to somebody, but my body somehow seems to think this a life or death situation. Any ideas about how to deal with this with real interviews?

 

[FindersFee5]

This is something you need to talk to a counselor or clinician about.

If you don't overcome this, count on 100% rejections.

Guess I can count on a couple rejections then. I'm working full time and have no opportunity to see a doctor before my first couple interviews.

 

[Goro]

Talk to your boss.

Guess I can count on a couple rejections then. I'm working full time and have no opportunity to see a doctor before my first couple interviews.

 

[pmg54]

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[4thtimeretaker]

Hey, how were you able to fix this problem? I think I have this same problem and my nerves inhibit me from speaking eloquently.

 

[FindersFee5]

Hey, how were you able to fix this problem? I think I have this same problem and my nerves inhibit me from speaking eloquently.

Honestly, it improved by itself after the first few interviews! Also being willing to admit that I was nervous and own up to it. I think the thing that got me the most was trying to hide the fact that I was anxious, which caused a positive feedback loop.

Also, despite @Goro 's apocalyptic claims, I actually got accepted everywhere I interviewed (5/5), even the early ones. People understand that this is a nerve provoking situation. I think that having the confidence to own up to that (confidence about anxiety, weird, right?) ended up actually making a positive impression.

 

[4thtimeretaker]

Honestly, it improved by itself after the first few interviews! Also being willing to admit that I was nervous and own up to it. I think the thing that got me the most was trying to hide the fact that I was anxious, which caused a positive feedback loop.

Also, despite @Goro 's apocalyptic claims, I actually got accepted everywhere I interviewed (5/5), even the early ones. People understand that this is a nerve provoking situation. I think that having the confidence to own up to that (confidence about anxiety, weird, right?) ended up actually making a positive impression.

Wow, that's fantastic news! I have a mock interview scheduled for tomorrow and my actual interview next Tuesday. But I think my skills will be better with the more interviews I attend. I think I will definitely still be SUPER nervous at all of them but I have to acknowledge that it the interviewers aren't out to hurt me.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Honestly, it improved by itself after the first few interviews! Also being willing to admit that I was nervous and own up to it. I think the thing that got me the most was trying to hide the fact that I was anxious, which caused a positive feedback loop.

Also, despite @Goro 's apocalyptic claims, I actually got accepted everywhere I interviewed (5/5), even the early ones. People understand that this is a nerve provoking situation. I think that having the confidence to own up to that (confidence about anxiety, weird, right?) ended up actually making a positive impression.

To be fair, he said if you didn't get over it, you could bank on be rejected. It sounds like you got over it pretty quickly. Glad it worked out for you.

 

[Angus Avagadro]

Practices practice, practice. Make up a list of general questions you expect to be asked. Practice answering them, have friends and family ask them to you. You need to project warmth and an ability to want to connect with the interviewer. You will be asked some unexpected questions, but you will also be asked some on your list. Be yourself. Pause before you answer any questions. You should be fine. Good luck and best wishes!

 

[freak7]

Also being willing to admit that I was nervous and own up to it.
...

People understand that this is a nerve provoking situation. I think that having the confidence to own up to that (confidence about anxiety, weird, right?) ended up actually making a positive impression.

Congrats on your success! I’m so glad it all worked out

(Is it vain to put in an “I told you so”?)

 

[FindersFee5]

Congrats on your success! I’m so glad it all worked out

(Is it vain to put in an “I told you so”?)

Seeing as I did basically exactly what you told me to and it worked... nah, I think you deserve that one.

 

[narla_hotep]

congratulations @FindersFee5 ! I had the same issue for my interviews. For future reference, and I'm not sure if this would work for everyone, but I personally find taking valerian root about an hour before interviews very helpful. It subtly increases the amount of the neurotransmitter GABA in the brain, like Xanax but milder. Just take half of whatever it says the dosage on the bottle for sleep is. It slows down my heart rate and makes me less visibly shaky.

 

[4thtimeretaker]

congratulations @FindersFee5 ! I had the same issue for my interviews. For future reference, and I'm not sure if this would work for everyone, but I personally find taking valerian root about an hour before interviews very helpful. It subtly increases the amount of the neurotransmitter GABA in the brain, like Xanax but milder. Just take half of whatever it says the dosage on the bottle for sleep is. It slows down my heart rate and makes me less visibly shaky.

Thank you for the advice, do you think you extensively prepared for interviews. I do not want to come off as rehearsed but I definitely don't want to freeze up during the interview. It's a battle of feeling confident vs. sounding robotic

 

[narla_hotep]

I think I prepared more than some people... I looked up lists of interview questions and every day I'd practice answering like 5-10 questions out loud. I also did a mock interview through my school's career center, and met up several times to practice with an acquaintance who was also worried about interviews. I also looked up info about each school I'd be interviewing at to make sure I didn't ask dumb questions or seem clueless. It helped with the feeling of "oh god what if I completely blank out" because I'd just start saying the rehearsed stuff but it came out slightly different each time as I got more comfortable with it.