Manage interview anxiety

Self-care looks different for everyone. Generally, self-care is a form of rest that ensures you are energized to take on the thing that might bring you anxiety or requires a lot of energy. Self-care when preparing for interviews can look like:

• Getting a full night’s rest, the day before the interview

• Scheduling time for you to take a break from tasks and have a moment to simply relax

• Enjoying your favourite meal or snack before the interview

• Scheduling time for exercise before the interview

• Wearing clothing that makes you feel confident

Whether before or during the interview, visualization or having certain imagery in your surrounding areas can support you in feeling grounded and build some confidence.

Visualization is picturing in your mind something calming, like your favourite place to be, or visualizing the success of the interview (e.g., basketball players often “visualize” that their free throw shot will go in before they make the shot).

Imagery can be literal items, like a photograph or an object that calms your nerves.

Below are some examples of when you might use visualization or imagery.

• For virtual interviews, have a picture or inspirational quote that you can quickly glance at when feeling nervous

• Before the interview, visualize yourself answering interview questions well and feeling confident

• Before the interview, look at pictures or visualize a place that calms any nerves that might be emerging

• After the interview, visualize yourself being offered the job by the employer

Monitoring and controlling your breathing can be an excellent way to manage anxiety and is grounded in science. Humans developed a physiological “fight or flight” response to stress that, in the past, helped our ancestors survive in dangerous situations. This automatic and rapid reaction prepares the body to either confront the threat (fight) or flee from it (flight).

During a “fight or flight” response to a stressor, your brain perceives a threat, your nervous system is activated and several physiological changes are triggered in your body. These changes include the release of adrenaline, elevated blood pressure and an increased heart rate.

Inhaling slowly and deeply through your nose and exhaling through your mouth is proven to help calm nerves or manage emerging anxiety. You can practice this or other breathing exercises before or even during the interview — pausing to answer a question is completely fine, so take that opportunity to take a deep breath and exhale slowly. Other breathing and calming exercises include:

• Meditation

• Yoga or similar stretching exercises

• 5-4-3-2-1 Coping Technique

Your friends, co-workers, family, career advisor or other people in your community of support can help you prepare for the interview or debrief with you after an interview. These people in your life can support you by:

• Practicing commonly asked interview questions

• Sharing tips on how to prepare for an interview

• Debriefing after an interview to identify what went well and what you learned through the process

If you’re a current University of Waterloo student and need additional support outside of your circle, Counselling Services is an option to seek support with anxiety/stress related to employment.

Managing interview anxiety isn’t all preparation; it can be done during the interview, too. While there is no way to control everything, we can focus on what we can control. The following are some things you can do to manage interview anxiety or nervousness and help you control what you can:

• Engage in small talk at the start which can help you connect with the interview committee, easing some nerves

• Come prepared with relevant materials in case the hiring committee would like to see them (i.e., résumé, cover letter, portfolio, etc.)

• Dress in something that makes you feel confident and is appropriate for the position

• Ask for a question to be repeated if you need clarification or more time to think

• Stop and take a sip of water or a deep breath to ground yourself

• Be kind to yourself if you stumble on one question

• Keep an even pace when talking to calm nerves