I’ve got one coming up soon and am nervous as hell, as usual.
For my last interview, I used ChatGPT to help me train for it.
I uploaded the job announcement, description to ChatGPT, then asked it to be the hiring manager for that job and to ask me popular interview questions, and questions specifically related to the posted announcement.
It can take multiple prompting to get the flow right etc., but it gave me a chance to study and practice for the actual interview.
It seemed to have worked, as I had a job offer by the end of the week.
I like to do several things before an interview. For me, the best way to minimize the anxiety is to feel prepared. I will research the company a little and try to come up with at least 3 questions I want to ask them. Asking the right questions and gauging their responses lets me feel like I have some control, and it usually reveals possible red flags.
On the drive to the interview, I will put on some of my favorite songs and karaoke that shit. It releases endorphins that helps my confidence and forces me to breath and oxygenate my blood. I tend to in the first few minutes of an interview breath pretty shallow, then when they ask me the first questions I feel out of breath and that makes the anxiety worse. While I am sitting in the lobby waiting, I breath deeply and slowly while going over my questions in my head. That way I am not death spiraling in my head and reinforcing the idea that I have some control in the situation.
That’s what I do to handle it.
Feeling prepared is really key. Something that really helped me is also preparing some phrases to fall back on if you feel like you’re spiraling.
For example, if you feel like a question puts you on your heels a bit, you can give yourself some breathing room by saying, “Let me think on that for a second.” It can help you alleviate that “oh god, I’m not talking and they’re not talking and I’m taking too long to answer, maybe I should just blurt something out but I don’t want to say the wrong thing” anxiety. You come across as contemplative and it helps keep some of those intrusive thoughts out of your mind while you put a more thoughtful answer together.
If it is severe (heart pounding in your ears, can’t think straight, tremors, etc) talk to your doctor. You might benefit from propanolol, a beta blocker (heart rate medication) that is also used in low doses for performance anxiety.
Please do NOT seek this out and take it without consulting a physician. Absolutely do not take it if you are also using cocaine at all.
Propranolol ROCKS. I know my shit. I’m actually good at interviews… except for the crippling adrenaline rush. It’s deep down in my lizard brain and I cannot control it. I’m sure it kept my ancestors alive when they were running from sabre tooth tigers, but it’s not much good today. Propranolol just switches off the adrenaline rush like a light switch. It’s uncanny. And amazing. I tried everything, and this was the only thing which worked. I regret that it look me so long to find it.
Note: don’t take it for every meeting. Save it for the big ones. Test in the range of 10-20mg. Takes about an hour for full effect. I find the effects can last 4-6 hours afterwards. I get two side effects: an upset stomach and I feel tired in the evening. I take an imodium to solve the former, and a good night’s rest for the latter.
Thank you for this. I know anxiety is “normal” in these situations, but at the same time, it’s clear that people are talking about a pretty wide range of experiences when they talk about anxiety. At the extreme end, it’s tough to even hold a casual conversation, let alone answer complex questions and demonstrate skills to an interviewer. It’s not something everyone can manage with logic and self-talk.
Your mileage may vary. If anyone tries this route, make sure to try it a couple times in lower stress situations, ideally with at least one person who knows you well so they can help evaluate if it’s making you act oddly.
I’ve tried propranolol and it tended to make me chattier, which was a step in the wrong direction since I typically try to talk through my anxiety.
Curious about the cocaine comment. Does it interact with the drug that will make you sick or just a bad time mentally?
You do know anxiety itself carries a heart attack risk, right? A person without anxiety taking propanolol might increase the risk, but for someone with crippling anxiety I’d wager it might be a net benefit.
Propanolol (and other beta blockers) … blocks a type of` receptor found on cells call beta adrenergic receptors. In the heart, beta blockers work to help with rate control.
Cocaine activates beta and alpha adrenergic receptors. Activating alpha adrenergic receptors can cause vasoconstriction.
Combining them, you get unopposed alpha activity, leading to coronary artery constriction, and a significant increase in risk of heart attack.
edited to change “ion channel” to “receptor”
Have stories ready, and try to use the STAR method of explaining them. You can search for ‘STAR method’ on your favorite search engine and you’ll find plenty of articles about it, but here’s a quick summary:
The STAR method is a popular technique used in job interviews. It provides a structured framework for answering questions by focusing on four key elements: Situation, Task, Action, and Result. By describing the situation you encountered, explaining the task at hand, detailing the actions you took, and sharing the outcome or results, you can provide a concise and effective response that showcases your skills and experiences. This method helps interviewers gain a clear understanding of your capabilities and problem-solving abilities.
Aside from that, I always remind myself that I’m interviewing them as much as they’re interviewing me. I don’t want to work at a shitty company with shitty people, so I’m going to try and find out as much about their culture as possible.
The STAR method is great.
And it’s worth emphasizing that you’re also interviewing them. Absolutely because you want to make sure you actually want to work there, but from an anxiety perspective, it gets them talking and that takes pressure off of you. To me, the hardest part of interviewing is the feeling that I have to put on a performance and the less time I spend feeling like I have to be “on,” the better.
And to that former point, if there are things that they’re doing or along that are making you anxious, that’s something to take into account. I had one interview where I was asked a lot of weird, irrelevant questions to “test” my personality. It felt like they came straight from some bullshit, pseudoscientific article about how to vet job candidates. That’s not the kind of workplace I want to be in.
Along with that, if they ask a question that “stumps” you, it’s usually ok to come back to that one later. You may think of a good example while talking about a different scenario.
If you need a few seconds to think, repeat the question back or ask them to repeat. Good luck!
You’re the prize. They have a position to fill and you’re going in to see if you fit it.
The interview is every bit for you as it is for them. But don’t forget that, ultimately, they need someone and you can be that someone. You hold the power position.
That being said, dress well, be professional, present yourself well. Always put your best foot forward.