How to Overcome Anxiety with regard to Interview Questions

How to Overcome Anxiety with regard to Interview Questions

So, you have a big interview scheduled in the near future. This could be your chance at landing the ideal job. Are you feeling nervous or anxious about potential interview questions?

Feeling anxious about potential interview questions is natural. The interviewer will scrutinise your appearance, communication skills, mannerisms, and the way you present yourself, in addition to how you answer interview questions.

On the downside, pre-interview anxiety can severely hamper your performance on the big day. A case of nervousness can lead to several interview mistakes, including sweating, babbling, blurting, blanking out, or fidgeting.

Hence, we have compiled some tips to help you ward off potential anxiety with regard to interview questions. Therefore, let us get started.

(1) Be well prepared

Preparation is the most optimum way to overcome nervousness and anxiety when it comes to challenging interview questions. A small amount of anxiety in a stressful situation can prove to be healthy by making you sharper and helping you perform in an optimum way. The problem comes to the forefront when that little bit of anxiety becomes debilitating.

If you prepare well by doing your homework, your confidence levels will surge, making you look forward to acing those interview questions. Hence, it is advisable to prepare well and practice thoroughly. The resulting confidence will eliminate “fillers” in your speech such as “um,” “uh,” etc. and give you the ability to take command over your answers to potential interview questions.

(2) Power Posing

Are you aware of a simple two-minute body language technique that can boost your confidence levels and improve your answers to common interview questions? Power posing involves posing like a super-hero for a couple of minutes prior to the interview. You can follow in the footsteps of “Superman” or “Wonder Woman” by simply standing strong and tall with your hands placed firmly on your hips and your legs confidently apart. That being said, make sure you do your power-posing in private.

(3) Visualisation

Your anxiety about interview questions can be quelled by visualising a successful interview. Imagine yourself in the conference room making a great first impression and try to vividly feel the surging confidence levels. You will obtain the most optimum results by combining visualisation with strong positive thinking and associating the two. It is a quick and easy way to focus on your thought process and get a confidence boost.

(4) Pacing Yourself

If you are at a loss for words, it is likely that your anxiety has increased and that you are talking at a rapid pace. Nervousness has a tendency to make you speed up your speech and mannerisms. Moreover, it can nudge you to speak before the interviewer completes his or her question. Therefore, you need to slow down without being afraid of the pause. If you speed up to fill silence moments very quickly, chances are high that you will blurt out something that you will regret later. Never feel conscious of yourself while pausing. Interviewers expect candidates to pause and ponder before answering complex interview questions.

(5) Redirecting Interview Questions

It is not possible to have the right answer to every interview question, and most of the times interviewers know this fact. Some interviewers may pose stress questions to gauge your reactions. The most ideal way while dealing with tricky interview questions is to redirect the interview question towards a similar topic that you are familiar with, while underlining your strengths during the process. Whatever your actions, maintain composure. Do not let one tough interview question change the course of the interview. Focus on answering the forthcoming questions optimally and ending the conversation on a bright note.

If you follow the above techniques and devote adequate time to preparation, you can be rest assured that your nerves will not hamper your chances of landing that dream job. Feel the anxiety and shine in your interview anyway.

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