There are very few people who could claim to not feel at all nervous before a job interview. It is entirely normal to feel anxious in some way, and especially so if it is a job that you have your heart set on. The important thing though is not to let these nerves get in the way of how you perform on the day.

Some of you may feel that this is easier said than done. However the reality is that no matter how anxious or fearful you are about an interview, there are still some things that you can do to help you control those nerves and ensure that they don’t end up hindering your interview performance.

Here are some basic Top Tips for dealing with Interview Nerves….

Prepare...

Preparation for an interview is absolutely critical. Make sure that you know your CV inside out, that you are completely familiar with the job description and that you have fully researched the company. Read some more tips on doing that here. Just like when you sat an exam at school, the more you prepare, the better equipped and confident you are when you enter that room. Also do your research on common interview questions and prepare what your answers will be. Where an interview is concerned, you can never be too prepared.

Practice

An interview is a fairly different environment from what most of us are used to, so the more you can make it seem “normal”, the better. Ask a friend, family member or even careers advisor to play the part of the interviewer and ask you questions you think may arise. You can then practice your prepared answers and not only get the opportunity to say your answers aloud as you will on the day, but also get some feedback on how your responses sound, so that you can improve or enhance them before the actual day.

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