How To Avoid Interview Stress

by Stephanie Blye

For the majority of job seekers out there, the notions of "interview" and "stress" are almost one and the same thing.



As a job seeker, you are first stressed because of the actual participation to an interview. Then, you are stressed because of the steps you have to take during interview preparation and last, you are stressed about how you have to look and what you have to wear, what the interviewers would say, whether they would like you or not etc.



But the moment stress reaches its maximum level is when you come face to face with your employer, or the person in care of interviewing you.



The very first thing you have to be aware of is that stress can affect you in so many ways: you start to tremble, you lose your voice or you start talking in an uncontrollable way, you panic, become agitated or lose your ideas.



This is why you need to get a hold of yourself and start controlling all these effects. Here are some simple techniques which will help you relax when you feel stressed before the interview:



Be punctual!

Punctuality is one of the most important aspects when it comes to sustaining an interview. Do not create yourself unnecessary stressful situations by not being punctual. Try to arrive ten minutes earlier in order to have time to relax. Don't go too early either because in this case you will wait too much before entering the interview and you will start to worry about the outcomes.



Imagine!

Imagination is one of the greatest things a human being possesses. You can use your imagination in order to keep your calm during an interview.

Visualization is a relaxation technique with the of which you can create the image of a stressful situation in your mind, which you will successfully solve. In this way, you prepare yourself mentally to face a real situation as well.

You can practice visualization a few days, hours or even minutes before the interview: close your eyes,take a deep breath and imagine a potential discussion with the employer, trying to answer even the hardest hypothetical questions you can think of.



Relax!

A relaxed candidate has the most chances to face a stressful interview simply because he is confident in his capabilities.

Demonstrate the interviewer that you are relaxed, calm and confident during the discussion with him and he will consider your appropriate for the job.





Here are a few tips on how to keep your composure during the interview:

• - breathe slowly and deeply (and, of course, silently)
• - keep a straight posture and don't cross your legs and arms. Try to maintain them in a relaxed, comfortable position.
• - speak slowlyand make frequent pauses, in order to breathe
• - smile - it's contagious!

Take a break when you feel like, don't panic!



It often happens that during the interview something doesn't work according to your plan: either there is too long a break, during which silence becomes uncomfortable, or you stutter and you cannot find your words in order to answer a difficult question. It is very important not to panic! It's time to apply one of those relaxation techniques described above! Do it discretely!



It is far more easy to control your fear and panic as you feel they start to manifest themselves than to relax when you have already lost composure and control of ideas.



So take a break when you start to panic, keep telling yourself you are able to get over this moment, breathe deeply, concentrate and resume the interview.



A short break of not more than ten seconds may be just what you need in order to regain your confidence and control and the interviewer will not even notice!