To stay calm in an interview, focus on deep breathing, positive self-talk, and thorough preparation, which reduces the unknown; use strategic pauses to gather your thoughts, maintain confident body language like good posture and smiling, and reframe the interview as a two-way conversation to ease pressure.
Take a Deep Breath
When an interviewer asks a question, take a breath and think about what you want to answer. This process can slow down the interview and give you time to think about an intentional and thoughtful response to questions.
The ten-second rule is a concept you might have heard of during your job hunt. The idea is that your resume needs to make an impression on a hiring manager in less than ten seconds if you want to get the job.
The "3 C's of Interviewing" can refer to different frameworks, but commonly emphasize Confidence, Communication, and Competence (or Credibility) for candidates, focusing on showing belief in your skills, articulating well, and proving you can do the job. For hiring managers, they often mean Competence, Character, and Chemistry, assessing skills, integrity, and team fit. Other versions include Clarity, Conviction, and Connection for candidates, or Clarity, Confidence, and Commitment for hiring speed.
Yes they do realize people get nervous and it may be temporary and it's a high pressure situation. However, this is also all they know of you so they realize that too. And this is a direct competition so the person who isn't visibly nervous does look less appealing than those candidates who aren't.
The biggest red flags in an interview often involve toxic culture indicators like the interviewer badmouthing past employees, aggressive pressure to accept quickly, extreme vagueness about the actual job, or a disorganized process. These signal potential issues with management, a poor environment, or a desperate need to fill the role, rather than finding the right fit, showing a lack of respect for you or the position.
Interviews are often seen as "high stakes" environments that cause many to experience nerves and anxiety before or during their interviews. Sweaty palms, elevated heart rate, racing thoughts, and the inability to focus are common symptoms of interview stress and anxiety.
Tips for a Successful Interview
When hiring managers ask you to identify your greatest weaknesses, they are looking for the following three things:
Be Prepared: Research the company, know the role, and practice common interview questions. Be Presentable: Dress appropriately, maintain positive body language, and communicate clearly. Be Professional: Arrive on time, stay positive, ask thoughtful questions, and follow up with a thank-you note.
While you cannot say for certain whether you got the job, here are some good signs that your interview was successful.
Common interview mistakes
7 good questions to ask at an interview
Dehydration may actually make your anxiety worse, so it's a good reason to take a bottle of water with you into that interview. You may also find certain beverages helpful with your pre-interview nerves, such as camomile tea, for example, which has been found to help with anxiety.
But again, don't talk too much - just enough to let the employer know you are a new and potentially very productive person. Once you get to the interview, the interviewer may ask about your conviction. This is the time to follow “The 3 R's”: Responsibility, Regret and Redemption.
As you look in the mirror, tell yourself things like:
“I am qualified enough to get an interview.” “I look my best.” “I am great at connecting with people.” “I am good enough.”
The key is not to avoid admitting fault but to frame your answer around growth and reflection. Choose an example that shows real learning. Briefly describe the mistake, then spend most of your answer explaining what you learned and how you've changed your approach since.
Whatever order you pick, make sure you ultimately tie it to the job and company. “A good place to end it is to give a transition of this is why I'm here,” Dea says. You want to be certain your interviewer is left with the impression that it “makes sense that [you're] sitting here talking to me about this role.”
Interview red flags come in many forms, and may be subjective to the interviewer. They might raise concerns about communication skills, a lack of preparation, dishonestly, negative attitudes, inconsistencies in their skills or qualifications, or fit with the company culture and team dynamic.
Words that trigger negative emotions – These would include words such as “accused”, “aggravated”, “blamed”, “unimportant”, “unhappy”. Leadership IQ found that poorly-rated job candidates used 92% more of these words than highly-rated candidates.
Here are the 10 biggest interview killers to be aware of:
How To Impress In An Interview?
Even one bad answer can damage the good impression you worked so hard to create. However, in many cases you can salvage the interview, provided you know where you went wrong.
As long as you can recover and still leave a positive impression, nerves should not be a reason to keep you from landing a new job with any business. In short, it shouldn't be a big deal and the manager or boss probably won't mind, even if your voice is very shaky and you don't have the best control of your nerves.
Embrace your nerves without saying sorry
If your anxiety is affecting your speech or making it difficult to focus, it's OK to acknowledge it briefly. Try saying something like, “I'm really excited about this opportunity, so forgive me if I seem a little nervous.”