Dealing With Nerves

Photo by: St Stev


Dealing with Nerves
by Jessica Watts (c) - www.racingjob.com

Stress is not pretty and an interview can be one of the most stressful and unnerving things. There are so many times where being nervous gets in the way of what you wanted to say or your visions of how things should have gone. Many people think, ’ÄúMan I blew it! I wish I wouldn’Äôt have been so nervous!’Äù This happens so much throughout life that if you don’Äôt learn some coping mechanisms it can really hinder your performance in an interview, on the job, or just in regular everyday life.

Some ways to deal with your nerves are:

1. Exercise ’Äì A jog or even speed walking before an interview will help make your body just tired enough to keep away those awful jitters.

2. Know your Tick ’Äì Everyone has a nervous tick of their own and once your identify it you must learn to control and/or eliminate it. Your future boss or team manager will notice these little things and it creates the image of insecurity. My tick was pulling on my sleeves, so I made sure not to wear long sleeves or if you are someone who twists their hands, then try to keep your hands flat on your legs at all times.

3. Control Your Breathing ’Äì Controlling your breathing during the interview will help keep your heart rate down and help to make you feel more relaxed. One tricky question can throw you off your groove and make you nervous, but if you focus on your breathing you can help to release this. Just make sure you are not starting to breath too fast, this increases your heart rate and that leads to sweating, which is a telltale sign of nervousness.

4. Take Time ’Äì Instead of just letting things come flying out of your mouth when asked a question, just take some time. Once you’Äôve thought about it and formulated how you want to answer then answer. This helps to calm you by letting you choose what you want to say and by feeling more prepared, which automatically makes you less nervous.

5. Practice ’Äì ’ÄúPractice makes perfect’Äù they all say and the same applies here to interviews. Find websites or Google search for the top interview questions, then take these questions and have someone you know sit down with you and randomly pick questions for you to answer.

By following these tips you will be better prepared for any interview and you will be more relaxed. When you’Äôre relaxed the observer will also notice that you are good under such a high-pressure situation and it reflects well upon you in future recollection in their decision making process.