Don't Panic: Anxiety and Interviews

By Stephanie Larson 

      Do you remember your first interview? I know I sure do! I was 13 at the time, and although I was interviewing for an unpaid volunteer position, the idea of doing something I had never done before was absolutely terrifying.

         I did not experience much anxiety the week before the interview. In fact, I was not at all concerned. I was scheduled to interview shortly after school let out so my mind had the luxury of focusing on summer things. It was not until the day before the interview that the fear set in. I could not get any sleep that night, and when it was finally time for me to get up, I looked awful. And, to make matters worse, I skipped breakfast.

         During the drive to the interview, I fell asleep in the car. By the time we arrived, and my mother had managed to wake me up, my hair, only on one side, was a mess.

         Although I was a mess, I did manage to arrive 15 minutes early. Since I was early, I had to wait in another room until it was my turn. My stomach had started making these horrible grumbling noises, and in the quite of the waiting room, I felt like everyone must have heard it. As I sat there, with my roaring belly, I went over the interview in my head. I thought of all the things I was not prepared for and all the mistakes I could make. By the time my name was called I thought I was going to faint.

         By the time I got into the interview I do not think I could have felt worse. I sat down, and went through all of the formalities of the beginning process of an interview smoothly. I was still pretty nervous at that point. I was shaking so much, I hardly had to physically move my arm when shaking my interviewer’s hand.

         When the interview was over, and I stepped back into my mother’s car, I felt like a great weight had been lifted off of me. I was still tired, but I felt relieved. I had survived my first interview, and it was not as bad as I thought it would be. I wanted the volunteer position, I was able to articulate the reasons why I wanted the position, and I learned as much as I could about the volunteer opportunity to demonstrate that I knew what I was doing.

         In case you were wondering, I did get the volunteer position after all. I volunteered in that position for 4 years (until I graduated high school and came out to Purdue) and loved every minute of it!

         I learned a lot from my first interview, but I think the most valuable lesson had to do with anxiety. Getting yourself worked up is not healthy and will not benefit you in the long run. Take a deep breath, and remember you have made it this far. Get a good night’s sleep. Eat a good breakfast, and walk into the interview confident and prepared. The new Liberal Arts Career Handbook is a great resource to help you organize yourself and feel confident for your interview. The handbook is free, and has interview practice questions, and many other great career resources that can help you feel better prepared for your interview. 

         I have been on several interviews since my first. Some have been for jobs while the majority have been for volunteer opportunities. Although I have never felt completely calm, I have definitely learned to relax and manage my nerves to a reasonable level.

         For those of you who can relate to my experience, here is a good article about how to manage interview anxiety. The article lists different points to keep in mind when you start to feel nervous.