Handling Interview Stress

In my career I've been through countless high-stakes meetings and negotiations. But one thing I’ve learned is that the key to success in interviews isn't just your resume—it's your ability to stay calm under pressure. In my years of mentoring professionals, I’ve seen how nerves can undermine even the most prepared candidates. But here’s the good news: By learning how to manage stress, you can turn your anxiety into an advantage in any interview Interviews can be nerve-wracking, but with the right strategies, you can stay calm and perform your best. Here are some tips to help you manage interview anxiety: 1️⃣ Deep Breathing: Before the interview, take deep, slow breaths. This helps calm your nervous system, clears your mind, and brings you back to the present moment. A few deep breaths can make all the difference. 2️⃣ Visualization: Imagine walking into the room (or joining a video call) feeling confident, answering questions easily, and leaving the interview feeling proud of yourself. Thinking about this ahead of time can help calm your nerves and boost your confidence. 3️⃣ Preparation: The more prepared you are, the more in control you’ll feel. Have your pitch ready, practice selling yourself, review common interview questions, and research the company thoroughly. Being well-prepared will boost your confidence and help reduce uncertainty. 4️⃣ Positive Self-Talk: Replace negative thoughts with positive affirmations. Remind yourself that you’re qualified and capable, and that nerves are a normal part of the process. Before the interview, I like to write down or reflect on all the amazing things I’ve accomplished. This helps boost my confidence. 5️⃣ Mindfulness: Stay present by focusing on the moment. Don’t let your mind wander to what-ifs or worst-case scenarios. Use mindfulness techniques, like grounding yourself or focusing on the present environment, to stay centered. Remember, it's completely normal to feel anxious. With these strategies, you can reduce your nerves and perform at your best. You’ve got this! 💪 What strategies do you use to stay calm in interviews? Share your tips in the comments.

Your experience isn't the problem. Your anxiety is. 93% of job seekers feel anxious before interviews. But for experienced professionals? That anxiety is a career killer. Here's why: When you're 20+ years into your career, interviewers expect you to be confident. Polished. Unshakeable. But that high-stakes interview for the role you REALLY want triggers the same fight-or-flight response as being chased by a bear. Research shows interview anxiety directly correlates with lower performance ratings. Not because you're less qualified, but because anxiety changes how you're perceived: 1. You speak differently. ↳Studies found anxious candidates use fewer words per minute. ↳Interviewers interpret this as uncertainty rather than thoughtfulness. 2. You make less eye contact. ↳Interviewers read this as disinterest or dishonesty, not nerves. 3. You downplay achievements. ↳Stress triggers impostor syndrome. ↳You minimize your value right when you should be showcasing it. 4. You rush to answers. ↳You speak before fully processing questions, missing opportunities to demonstrate strategic thinking. 5. You match their energy. ↳If the interviewer seems unimpressed, anxiety makes you mirror their energy instead of elevating the conversation. This isn't about skills or experience. It's about psychology. I've worked with VPs & Directors who crushed complex business challenges but froze in interviews. Their problem wasn't competence. It was anxiety hijacking their brain at the worst possible moment. Conventional advice ("just be confident!") doesn't work because it ignores the neuroscience of stress. Your brain can't perform at its best when it's busy scanning for threats. So what actually works? Stop trying to eliminate anxiety. Start using a systematic approach to redirect it: ✅ Preparation isn't about memorizing answers. It's about creating psychological safety. ↳Before your next interview, sit quietly & recall in vivid detail 3 accomplishments you're proud of. ✅ Reframing isn't about positive thinking. It's about turning interviews into problem-solving conversations. ↳Approach every interview as if you're having a conversation with your neighbor about their busted lawn mower. Listen for problems you can help solve. ✅ Structure isn't about rigidity. It's about creating a framework that works even when your brain doesn't. ↳Having a simple step-by-step process frees mental space to focus on what's being said, and on creative solutions. Biggest takeaway? When anxiety hits, focus on solving THEIR problems instead of managing YOUR anxiety. This simple shift is part of my Offer Mode system. It transforms interviews from interrogations into opportunities to demonstrate exactly how your experience solves their problems. The result? Confidence that doesn't require "feeling confident." Tired of anxiety robbing you of opportunities and want to know if Offer Mode can work for you? DM me! Let's get you out of rejection mode and into Offer Mode.

Even senior leaders with 20+ years of experience get nervous before interviews. The good news → confidence is a skill, not a personality trait. Here’s my 3-step method to calm your nerves instantly: 1️⃣ Prepare Stories, Not Scripts - Memorizing answers increases anxiety. - Build 5–7 achievement stories you can adapt to different questions. 2️⃣ Practice Out Loud - Confidence comes from hearing yourself answer, not just rehearsing in your head. - Record your responses, listen back, and refine. 3️⃣ Reframe the Conversation - An interview isn’t an interrogation. - It’s a two-way conversation where you evaluate them as much as they evaluate you. Interviews make even the most experienced professionals anxious and that’s okay. Which part of the interview process makes you most nervous? Let’s talk about it in the comments, I’ll share strategies to help you prepare better.

A Business Analyst failed 3 final-round interviews with executives. Only reason? Anxiety made him jump into answers before the question was finished. In our coaching, we unpacked the pattern. Early rounds were smooth. No issues. But as soon as he sat in front of executives, everything changed. Instead of asking why he felt anxious, he spent hours on ChatGPT scripts. The result? -> Oversharing -> Rushed delivery -> That sense of being trapped in his own head. What we found was deeper: 🔹 Before migrating to Australia, he never had trouble at this stage. 🔹 Here, the fear of failing again made him feel he had to appear 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵. 🔹 His body gave in to old stress patterns.  - Shaking, tightness in the throat, racing thoughts. I invited him to try 3 small shifts:  𝟭. 𝗕𝘂𝘆 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀  → “𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯” gives 2–3 seconds to breathe and think. 𝟮. 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻  → Touch the table, notice your fingertips.  Anchor awareness to the present when the mind chatters. 𝟯.𝟭𝟬-𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻  → Calm the body first. The nervous system regulates, and the mind follows. (see comments for a YouTube link). The shift was immediate. He told me he felt alive in the conversations. His answers became natural. Most importantly, he enjoyed the interviews. Here’s the truth: It’s not always about preparing the “perfect” answer. Sometimes, the solution isn’t outside of you. It begins with how you relate to your body and mind in the moment! #jobsearch #interviewtips #interviewcoaching #emotionalawareness #mindset ----------------------------------------------------- 🔸P.S. I’m planning a 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽 𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀 with a somatic practitioner. Comment “present” If you’d like to join the waitlist. (Only be open to a small, selected group)

If your hands are shaking and your voice feels stuck in your throat before an interview, this is for you: So, most people think the anxiety hits during the interview But if you’ve ever sat outside the interview room Palms sweaty, heart racing, replaying every possible question, You know the real storm comes before it even begins. Here’s the simple ritual I’ve taught over 500+ clients. And it helps 90% of them feel calmer, sharper, and more ready within just 10 minutes. It goes like this: → Breathe in for 4, Hold for 4, Breathe out for 6 Do this 5 times It signals to your brain: ‘You’re safe’ → Read your prep, but not to memorize Read to remind yourself of who you are and what you’ve done. Trust that the knowledge is already within you. → Say this out loud (yes, actually say it): ‘I’ve done the work. I’m here to share, not impress. Let’s go. These 3 things change everything. Because you’re not trying to perform anymore. You’re just showing up, prepared, grounded, and present. P.S. What’s one thing you do to calm your nerves before an interview? I’d love to hear. #InterviewTips #PerformanceAnxiety #SoftSkillsCoach #CareerCoaching #AnxietyManagement #InterviewConfidence #JobSearchSupport

What do I do about interview nerves? Q. I feel like an idiot. I had an interview yesterday where I could hardly put the words together to answer the interviewer’s questions, I was so nervous. How do I get over that? Why do I get SO nervous? A. So sorry you went through that! Obviously, you are not an idiot. You are a talented candidate who, like most people, can get a little bit freaked out having to perform in front of total strangers. That is 100% normal. Do not feel bad about yourself. You are fine – it is the recruiting system that is broken. Good interviewers spend energy trying to make candidates feel comfortable. You got good intelligence at that interview. You learned that interview jitters are a real thing. Here are five tips for dealing with interview nerves: 1. ⁠Prepare, prepare, prepare. I posted here the other day about how to prepare for an interview so you don’t feel quite as nervous. Leave a question here if you have one. 2. ⁠A day or two before each interview, sit or lay down, close your eyes and visualize the interview. Visualize the interview starting, and introductions. Visualize the interviewer asking you questions, and giving calm, thoughtful answers. Visualize asking great questions of them. Visualize the interview ending and you feeling great. This helps tremendously! 3. On the day of the interview, a few minutes before it is due to start, wind yourself. Do jumping jacks, run in place or otherwise get your heart rate up where you can really notice it. The more your body has to work, the less nervous you’ll be. This WORKS! 4. Interview as much as you possibly can. With every interview, your stress level will go down a bit. Get your friends and family members to practice interview you, and ask them to take it seriously. Put yourself in the same conditions you will face in a real interview. 5. Finally, and most importantly, work on your mindset. This is a real activity, like practicing the piano. Get a journal and write in it. Write about the many problems you’ve solved at work already. The interviewer is not more important or more powerful than you are. You are an amazing candidate and one employer will be lucky to get you. Here’s to you!

If you have MAJOR Interview Anxiety, the following tips will help you: During my job search, even after giving 40 interviews, I was still anxious as to what would happen in the next one. If you face something similar, believe me, you are not alone. After struggling with Interview Anxiety for a long time, I was able to come up with a solid set of techniques that highly boosted my confidence in the interviews I gave towards the end of my job search process. The following tips will not just help you survive but thrive in your next interview. Here it goes: 1. Research the company: For an interviewer, one of the biggest pet peeves is candidates who don't know anything about the job or the company. You must know the role inside out and understand their culture. This knowledge will not only boost your confidence but also show the interviewer that you're serious about joining their team! 2. STAR Method: This is the secret sauce of acing job interviews. The STAR method is a structured approach for answering behavioral interview questions. It involves describing a Situation, Task, Action, and Result to showcase your skills and experiences effectively, providing a clear and concise response. 3. Mock Interviews: Practice makes perfect! Grab a friend, or a mentor, or even talk to yourself in front of a mirror. Practice common questions, refine your answers, and get comfortable expressing your achievements and experiences. This will help you live the interview in advance and be your biggest confidence booster. 4. Don't be afraid to admit you don't know the answer: Interviewers don't expect candidates to know the answer to every question. If you don't know, say you don't, but also ask the interviewer to explain the solution and write it down. This shows you are earnest and willing to learn when needed. 5. Relax: This is always easier said than done but do your best. Take a moment to breathe, smile, and exude confidence. Remember, the interviewer wants you to succeed. Embrace the excitement and let your authentic self shine through! You've got this! Lastly, I know that the market is terrible and the lay-offs are at a peak high, yet you are not alone. There are thousands more going through the same emotions as you. Believe me, if you are looking for a job right now, the right job is looking for you too. It is only a matter of time before striking the right opportunity. Trust in your preparation, showcase your unique value and soon you’ll be on your way to landing your dream job. May your next interview be the stepping stone to an incredible new chapter! P.S: If you find the above techniques useful, check out my other articles for proven tips to succeed in your job search process!

Your nervous system can’t read your résumé. But it can read your breath. The 4-5-8 breath — inhale for 4, hold for 5, exhale for 8 — is one of the fastest ways to shift from stress to clarity. It’s a favorite among my clients before job interviews, hard conversations, or high-stakes presentations. This technique was popularized by Dr. Andrew Weil for its calming, regulating effects. One client told me: “It was the first time I felt present in an interview — not rehearsed, not rushed, just real.” Breathing isn’t just background. It’s a performance strategy.

I interviewed for a CEO position in 2013 and completely blew the interview. I was my own worst enemy that day. The pressure I heaped on myself was colossal. Instead of walking in with the humble swagger of someone who'd run the show before, I walked in like a rookie stepping up to the plate for the first time, shaking and sweating bullets. I felt like throwing up. I stumbled through, second-guessing every word I said and kicking myself for every stutter. My negative self-talk was on 10. I blew it. Big time. Didn’t get the job. However, there were big lessons in this failure. It taught me that no amount of prep matters if I can’t handle the pressure. Since then, I've taken a different approach. I've learned the art of chilling out, focusing on being present rather than perfect, and just being human. Here are the techniques I now use for interviews (which are sales presentations today): 1. Practice: I practice answering interview (or sales) questions. This preparation helps build confidence, which is a critical factor in reducing anxiety. When I practice, I feel prepared, and my confidence increases. I relax! 2. Breathing Techniques: I teach mindfulness exercises and breathing techniques to use right before and during the interview to help calm nerves and maintain focus. These practices help center my mind, making it easier to manage stress and respond thoughtfully. 3. Positive Visualization: I practice visualizing successful interview scenarios, which helps reduce my fear of the unknown and fosters a positive mindset for high-stakes meetings. I see the success in my mind first, and it makes me feel better. If I feel better, I do better. 4. Mock Interviews and Presentations: Conducting mock interviews provides a safe environment for me to get comfortable with the discussion format. Feedback from these sessions helps me improve and feel more confident about my delivery. 5. Anxiety Management Strategies: I practice techniques explicitly for managing anxiety, such as framing the interview as a conversation rather than an evaluation, focusing on the value I bring to the table, and pausing and collecting my thoughts when overwhelmed. I am glad I didn't get the CEO job because I wasn't ready for it. I could not handle the pressure and didn't deserve the role. Today that is not the case. I handle intense situations all the time, and I do them with a sense of ease I never knew I could. Get your emotions under control. Learn the techniques to down-regulate your nervous system before the interview so you can communicate your value and answer their questions with confidence. You got this. I love you all. ====== If you need help with your career, secure a free consultation with me. Here's my calendar. Pick a time that works for you. https://lnkd.in/gPHKc56f

Do you always feel nervous about Interviews? You're Not Alone. Here Are 7 Tips to Overcome It It’s completely normal to feel tense or nervous before an interview. As someone who has interviewed countless candidates, I’ve noticed that nervousness often holds people back. Not because they lack knowledge but because they don’t believe in themselves enough to express it. If you’ve ever felt this way, here are 7 tips to help you tackle that pre-interview anxiety: 1. You're not alone. Nervousness before an interview is common. Recognizing this can help you feel less isolated and more at ease. 2. Prepare, prepare, prepare. Research the company, understand the role, and familiarize yourself with common interview questions. The more you know, the more confident you’ll feel. 3. Try a mock interview. Practice with a friend or family member. Focus on breathing calmly and answering questions at your own pace. This will help you stay in control. 4. Change your perspective. See the interview as a conversation, not a test. It’s an opportunity for mutual discovery, not a one-sided exam. 5. Visualize positivity. Think about happy memories or scenarios to calm your mind. A relaxed mind leads to more confident responses. 6. Take your time. You don’t need to rush. Pause, breathe, and answer thoughtfully. 7. Be yourself. Instead of aiming for perfection, focus on authenticity. Be prepared, but let your true personality shine through. Interviews are challenging, but with practice and these strategies, you’ll feel more comfortable, confident, and ready to shine. What strategies do you use to manage interview nerves? Share them below, let's discuss. #Tolulopemichael #InterviewTips #CareerAdvice #JobSearch #JobInterviewTips