Question

[oliviaaa1]

How do you guys stay cam during job interviews and what did you guys do when you felt the panic starting to come?

[SomethingCryptic]

Hey oliviaaa1,

Interviews can definitely be stressful, even for people who aren't suffering from anxiety, so you're definitely not alone there.

One thing that really helped me the last time I was job hunting was to interview for a job that I wasn't actually very interested in. I would go through all of the process and practice the interview, answer the questions etc but without of the added pressure of it being something that I wanted.

It also sounds a bit cliche, but try to see them as a learning opportunity. If you don't know the answer to a question, admit that (interviewers generally respect that) and say what you would try or what your best guess is. You could even ask the interviewers what their answer would be. Now you have a situation you have handled, and a note for something you focus your learning on before the next one.

As for managing when the panic sets in. If you feel comfortable with it, you can tell the interviewers that you're feeling a little anxious about the interview so they can keep that in mind and hopefully they will be understanding (if they aren't, then maybe that's not a company you want to work for). I have had a couple of candidates tell me this when I've interviewed them.

I would also say keep some water with you. You can take a sip before you reply or take a deep breath. It gives you space to think and a bit of calm before you reply. You can also say things like "that's a really good question" or "okay, let me think about that for a second" before you reply. There's nothing wrong with giving a considered answer after a short pause.

Hope this is helpful, and good luck with the interviews!

[oliviaaa1 in reply to SomethingCryptic]

Thank you! Last time I had a panic attack during an interview and asked to go to the bathroom so I could calm down which was embarrassing. I was very low on sleep that day and my anxiety was way worse back then. So hopefully I’ll do better

[SomethingCryptic in reply to oliviaaa1]

You're welcome Sounds like you did very well in managing it by asking to go to the bathroom and having some space to breath. Being low on sleep definitely doesn't help! So I'm sure that next time it will go better, and even if it happens again, at least you know you can get through it

[FearIsALiar]

Before going in my interview i’d listen to music and do deep breathing. I also had wrote down the questions I had for the interviewer about the job! If you don’t get the job just tell yourself well you got more interview experience and you know what to do and what not to do the next time you have an interview You got this!

[oliviaaa1 in reply to FearIsALiar]

Thank you !

[FearIsALiar in reply to oliviaaa1]

How did it go?

[oliviaaa1 in reply to FearIsALiar]

I didn’t go yet

[FearIsALiar in reply to oliviaaa1]

When do you go?