How to Overcome Nervousness at Job Interviews by Steve T Roberts

There are few people who do not feel nervous when attending a job interview. Even those who currently have jobs, and have nothing to lose and everything to gain by attending, get butterflies in their stomach prior to entering the interview room. The main reason for this is not fear of not getting the job, but of being asked interview questions and suffering the embarrassment of not being able to answer them. This is compounded by the realisation that you don't know what questions might be asked.

Hopefully this article may help you someway to overcoming that nervousness, as you are going to be introduced to some interview skills that are usually only accessed by employing the services of expensive career consultants.

The many years I have spent attending job interviews was a learning experience every time and, gradually, by developing a method of approaching interviews I learned, not only to stop that apprehension that I used to feel, but actually to look forward to the interview and develop an air of confidence, and a set of interview skills, that made even the most difficult questions answerable.

The types of interview questions that are asked will usually depend on the level of management that the job applies to. Interviews for front line management traditionally focus on more specific areas of the job, whereas the senior/executive type interviews will consist of questions that are more strategic. The first lesson to be learnt from this is to do your homework prior to the interview. In both instances you should find out about the company prior to the interview. What are its main products/services? Where are the main offices located? How many employees are there? Obtain magazines, annual reports, news items, press releases and the like. For front line management you should also be researching local rules and policies, and any specific duties that you will be carrying out. I will address the senior management interview questions later in this article.

The first question that you will probably be asked is "Tell me about yourself". This is an opportunity for you to get used to speaking in the interview to help you relax. There are 2 golden rules to follow here:

1. Keep your introduction to a respectable timescale. Too short a time and you will not get into the flow of talking freely; too long, and you run the risk of boring your interviewers. You should be aiming to speak for about 60-90 seconds.
2. Don't tell them your age, where you live, and the names of all your pets/children!!! I know its very tempting, and it's an easy way of introducing yourself but remember, you have about 30-45 minutes to sell yourself, and you need to make the most of each minute. Preferably, you should be telling them about your skills and attributes that you have achieved in your employment career; successes that you have accomplished; and any recognition that you have gained as a result of your achievements. Prepare this beforehand and practice it at home until you feel comfortable with it, but don't worry during the interview if you don't get asked!

Some standard interview questions you may be asked can be prepared for beforehand. Why you want the job; what skills and qualities you can bring to the role; why they should appoint you above the other candidates.

You may be asked to give an example of a certain situation, such as "give an example of when you had to deal with an awkward customer". A good technique to adopt when faced with this type of question is to pause for about 15-20 seconds whilst you reflect on your experiences, and select the one that has had the most impact upon you. If you haven't experienced the situation then, again after pausing for a short period, give an example of how you would react if you were to be placed into the situation itself.

At senior management interviews, the types of questions normally asked are concerned with improving the performance of the company. For example:

- How would you manage the area budget?
- How would you build a high performance team?
- How would you increase revenue?

If you approach these types of questions with the mindset that these are very open questions and that there is no single right answer, you should be able to answer these questions, especially if you are looking to enter senior management.

Using the above methods and interview skills as part of an overall strategy for every job interview, overcame any nervousness that I used to feel beforehand and has resulted in me being able to formulate an answer for every question that has been put to me.