Do you get nervous before interviews? A lot of people do. After all, it’s not like we get a lot of practice, and we don’t really talk about that stuff otherwise. (When was the last time your uncle asked you your greatest strength, right?)
Well today we will take some of the anxiety out of the interview!
First, remember that you’re not actually being judged here. Yes, it feels like it, and yes, they will throw some hard questions at you. But they’re not making character judgments or anything; they’re just looking to see who feels like the best fit for the role and the team. A teacher I worked with once told me about her frustration with the interviews she was going on because she felt like she really clicked with everyone and found the conversations easy and comfortable. When she followed up with a principal later on, she learned that that was exactly the problem: she was like the other teachers on the team and they needed someone who wasn’t like that! She wasn’t doing anything wrong, after all.
Second, know that the people conducting the interview are almost as nervous as you are. They’re looking to bring in a new person who could potentially change the whole team dynamic so they want to choose well. And they also want to make a good impression—nobody likes to look bad in front of strangers!
Third, prepare and you’ll do fine. Jot down your answers to common interview questions. Review the job description and determine what you would ask if you were hiring. Prepare stories to tell—and be specific. Your illustrative stories need to be specific and have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Write down some points for yourself so you remember.
If the interview is on-site, go there beforehand. You want to know what the parking situation is, if the place is hard to find, if there’s construction on the way. In a perfect world, go there at the same time of day on a weekday, which will give you a sense of the traffic patterns. (This isn’t always possible, of course, so try not to sweat it if you can’t, and check out the assorted GPS systems to see which ones tell you about traffic.)
Remember, you can have notes, regardless. If you’re interviewing in person, have a notebook or a folder with those memory-joggers written down. If you’re on the phone or over video, put notes on your computer monitor so they’re easy to find.
And finally, it’s okay to ask the interviewers to repeat or rephrase a question. It happens all the time! You’re nervous so you’re not paying the best attention to things like two-part questions, and sometimes your mind will just take a little walk without you, so don’t be shy about asking them to repeat the question.
Just keep on breathing! You’ve got this.
