Interview Anxiety

In today’s fiercely competitive world, interview related stress is a very common phenomenon which is experienced by many. This experience has rather exacerbated during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The process of job application and employment interview might come across as intimidating for beginners, which could be extremely challenging, giving to its competitive nature which evokes heightened feelings of anxiety. People vary in their outlook on life, one may view a challenging situation as an opportunity, whereas, others may view it as a threat. The appraisal can have psychological and physiological consequences. For many, eustress might turn into distress. Having said that, high levels of anxiety or discomfort during an employment interview may result in abysmally low scores. This is particularly true for prospective employees, and this negatively impacts their interview related performance.

These are some of the things to be kept in mind before an interview to combat anxiety:

Having a holistic understanding about the company’s policies, aims, goals, agendas and its significant contributors
Be prepared with your cover letter, CV, letter of recommendation, certifications
Mock preparations- sample interview questions
Boost or uplift your mood- self-instruction and self-encouragement, e.g., ‘You can do this!’; inculcating a vision and a sense of positive imagery
Try reminding yourself- ‘The employer really liked my profile and that is why today, I am a shortlisted applicant’, ‘Know your worth’
Important take-away lessons during the preparation of an interview.

Secondly, being mindful of the different types of interviewer behaviors like-

Rude behavior
Dismissive behavior
Random questioning
Aggressive questioning

Thirdly, understanding the dynamic link between individual differences, increased applicant anxiety, employment interview performance, and hiring decisions by the company.