Managing those interview nerves

Attending interview can be one of the most nerve wracking moments for anyone, even those who have the gift of the gab or exude confidence! Although we should know ourselves inside out and be able to communicate effortlessly about our various life and career experiences, the pressure of an interview and the impact of “passing or failing” can make us clam up and close down!

The good news is that you do have control over how your interview experience pans out. Preparation is the key to success and shouldn’t be avoided. Start by reviewing the job description and person specification against your CV. To help, divide the page into three; in the left column write down the key job functions, in the middle, write up the skills needed to deliver the job functions and in the third column write up the various experiences you have that demonstrate those skills, preferably (but not exclusively) within similar job functions and scenarios. This is a great process for following if you are changing career as the focus will be on the transferrable skills and how you have demonstrated your ability in the past. Employers will be interested about how you applied yourself to different situations, what decisions you took and why so ensure you review your examples from different angles and be able to discuss why you took certain actions, the impact and how you may do things differently next time. This helps employers identify if you’ll fit within the team and how you may respond to the requirements of the job if you were successful.

Once you’ve done your written work, it’s important that you carry out a mock-interview with someone you know and trust. The point here is that you actually say things out loud and get used to talking about yourself. The face-face interview is solely about verbal communication so practicing small talk and more detailed discussions about your industry and work history is important.

Completing this essential preparation should help with the interview nerves but chances are the dry mouth and the sweaty palms will set in on the day! If this is you, suck a boiled sweet to coat your mouth and use antiperspirant for palms (yes, it actually does exist!).

Best of luck, if you find you need a little help please do get in touch penny@pennystrutton.co.uk or take a look at the online coaching session on preparing for interview