How to overcome fear and anxiety before an interview? How to overcome fear of an interview How to overcome fear of an interview.

Scientists have proven that moderate personal anxiety is the best assistant in work. But the trouble is that at the same time it is also the worst assistant in finding a good, highly paid position. Those who are afraid to go for an interview often miss opportunities by not showing their best side. Strong anxiety before an interview interferes with the naturalness and spontaneity of answers, a person’s thoughts are confused and therefore even simple questions cause panic and a state of stupor. As a result, the job goes to another candidate.

To overcome fear of an interview, it is important to understand its causes. But it is advisable to realize your personal reasons - they may differ from person to person. For example, too much imagination is driven by fear of uncertainty. A person comes up with negative development options for himself and this exhausts his nervous system even before the conversation with the personnel officer begins. But the fear of evaluation is a completely different story and a different technique of help. Understanding, knowing how to cope with fear changes life for the better, gives hope to be recognized and successful.

The main reasons for fears before an interview

1. Uncertainty. They say: a familiar enemy is better than a unfamiliar one. When you don’t know what to expect from an upcoming conversation, what questions you’ll be asked, this leaves a huge field for anxiety and fear.
2. Fear of evaluation. The answer “yes” or “no” in an interview certainly affects our self-esteem. If it is not high enough, we risk receiving a sensitive blow to our sense of self. We are raised to be sensitive to other people's assessments from childhood. In kindergarten and school, comparison with others (evaluation) is almost the main way of influencing the fragile child’s psyche. Therefore, from an early age we learn to live under this sword of Damocles and do not know how to love ourselves just like that, and not for something: success, appearance, good behavior.
3. High importance of a positive result. If we are broke, unemployed for a long time, and even responsible for children or dependent on spouses or parents, this can make us fixated on the result and raise the level of anxiety to the maximum. Looking for a job to be closer to home and looking for a job to solve fundamental financial problems are radically different in emotional overtones. In the first case, the result is not so important as to worry too much. In the second, the interview will occupy all the person’s thoughts and cause an increased feeling of fear and anxiety.
4. Personal characteristics. High personal anxiety, timidity, low self-esteem, doubt in one’s strengths and professional qualities prevent one from being confident enough at an interview. It is because of this that many job seekers hesitate to look for a better job, are afraid to go for an interview, and sometimes even run away after arranging an interview.
5. Fear of failure. Failing to cope with something is always a painful experience. For some people, it is so intolerable that they refuse any activity for fear of failure. It’s better not to try at all than to fail, they say.

Feeling fear of an interview, worrying, and being nervous is quite normal. With these emotions, the body shows us that we are about to take an important step that will force us to leave our comfort zone. We are facing serious changes: a new team, new tasks, learning a lot of new material, even the office and the road to it will be different. Every time we step out of our comfort zone, we feel these discouraging emotions, but everyone has them. The good news is that you can work with it.

How to overcome fear before an important meeting?

One among others:

• Read as much as possible about the company and, before the interview, visit the website daily and read the news;
• add to the company group on Facebook, look at photos of employees on social networks, as if “get to know” them in absentia;
• find out in advance the first and last name of the recruiter who will conduct the interview, log in from a fake account on a social network and read everything about him, add him as a friend if the profile is closed and there is little information; the more you look at photographs of a happy mother of a family at a children's party, the less scary the “monster” that will interview you seems;
• use Linkedin, there you can see the resume of the person who will interview you.

Example

One client was applying for a position as a financial analyst in a Western company, and was very worried about the last two points on her resume. She worked in her previous place for a year, and in her current one for just under two years. I found it onLinkedin resume of the HR manager who was supposed to interview her. Three last jobs in just over a year. The candidate, seeing this, exhaled and noticeably calmed down.

Depreciation

Comparison

• schedule an important event on the same day as the interview, preferably at which you will speak in front of an audience, a meeting with management, with a difficult colleague, then you will be looking forward to this meeting, and all your worries will be concentrated there, the fear of the interview will recede.

Hedgehog

• This technique is suitable for people with a good imagination. Scientists have long proven that for our brain it makes no difference whether an event occurred in reality or in our imagination.

The task is to imagine the most disastrous interview of all possible, “to die in advance”, this will allow you to stop being afraid - after all, there is nothing to be afraid of - everything has already happened in your head. Here you need to work well with your imagination: imagine that you were late, stepped on the interviewer’s foot when entering the meeting room, spilled a glass of water, how you blushed, how you started to stutter and sweat (insert your own here), that you forgot the answers to all the questions, and even the name of the company they worked for. Imagine this, experience all this “horror”, be imbued with a feeling of embarrassment and shame, bring yourself to emptiness. We recommend using this technique immediately before the interview, then you will go into the recruiter’s office relaxed with a feeling of having experienced a fiasco (no one will know about it except you J).

The best of the best

• The goal is to raise your self-esteem. This technique will work if you have at least a week before the interview.

Do some exercises to feel more confident.

• Take a piece of paper and write down all the accomplishments in your life that you are proud of.
• Now experience every moment you described above. Feel the pride and joy you felt then. And so on for each point. Even if you weren’t happy then for some reason, rejoice now from your heart.
• You should feel happy and proud of yourself. This technique works if the exercise is repeated daily.

Visualization

Do you know the story of Jim Carrey? Before becoming a successful and famous comedian, D. Carrey dreamed about it and visualized his success. He envisioned his successful career in every detail, despite the fact that his path was not easy from the very beginning. He wrote himself a check for $10 million and carried it in his wallet for several years. Every day he drove his car to the highest place in Hollywood, looked at the stars and visualized his success. And a few years later, Jim received a check for 10 million dollars for his role in the film “Dumb and Dumber.”

Joe Dispenza, doctor of neurobiology, who wrote the books “Give Yourself a Placebo”, “The Power of the Subconscious or How to Change Your Life in 4 Weeks”, “Develop Your Brain” and others, which have become bestsellers all over the world, the author of a unique transformation method, describes in detail in his works why it is so important to write down your goals on paper. When you write down your goals and desires and experience the joy of having them come true, you are setting your body and mind up to get what you want.

Use this method if you have enough time.

Example

One candidate, who dreamed of joining a top 5 company in his industry, where the best of the best in their field get hired, made an offer in Photoshop, where he indicated the company name, position, compensation level and even the date. Over the course of a year, every evening he sent himself a letter with a job offer in the mail, and in the morning he read it and felt joy. Of course, this wasn't the only thing he did to get his dream job. He found out what qualification requirements the employer sets, took additional courses, improved his English, in the company where he worked at that time, he showed initiative and participated in all possible projects in order to gain diverse experience. He didn't just send and read the letter, he BECAME the person this company needed. He received the offer later, but only for six months.

On the day of the interview, get ready early, you should look great in your opinion, the more confident you will feel. Remember pleasant moments in your life when you felt confident and successful. Leave for the place in advance so as not to be late, it is better to arrive earlier, take a walk, drink coffee, go to the restroom and clean up.

2011. No. 100 (682).

Nothing is a disaster unless you consider it to be one.
Boethius. "Consolation of Philosophy"

A person is designed in such a way that when the time comes to change something in his life, he begins to experience fear of the unknown. One of the fears of a modern person is the fear of a new job.
To ease your fear and give yourself confidence in your own abilities, just follow a few simple tips.

Probably everyone, when applying for a job, experienced a state close to fear. Sitting in front of an employer, a person very often unwittingly makes some mistakes. This is quite understandable in this situation. But the thoughts haunt me: “What if they don’t like me or can’t cope with this job? Maybe I’m so stupid that I have nothing to do there at all?” This is what happens, fear penetrates deeply into your thoughts and a person who is determined to work suddenly loses his optimistic attitude.
Conclusion: Don't lose your convictions, otherwise you will fail your job interview.

The fear is over and you are at a new job. Well, there are a lot of pitfalls here. Now the new team scares you. It's no secret that newcomers in any team are treated with caution. Whether it is a large company or a small company: in any team there is initially a biased attitude towards the new employee. Most often, this happens because during the time they work in a team, people form their own small “family”, with its own way of life and its own rules. They already have their own formed team, which strives to realize itself. And then you appear and try to infiltrate this very family. Naturally, the team develops distrust of you, since none of those around you knows you, your professional skills and, accordingly, cannot appreciate your abilities. And you, in turn, begin to fear that you will not come to court. What should be done here? Find out as much as possible about the company you are applying for and observe the work process. You can approach your boss at the appropriate time and ask a pertinent question about your job and whether you are doing a good job.
Conclusion: Analyze the team’s tasks and correlate them with your completed work. This will help you better understand your work.

Any team is a relationship between colleagues, and if you do not want to lose your job, then communication with people must be constructive on your part.
Each person in the team has his own character and upbringing, so he cannot be the same as you. And, of course, a dismissive attitude towards others can cause fights and hostility between colleagues. No one likes to be humiliated, everyone likes to feel respected, to realize that they are appreciated.
Conclusion: Respect your superiors and colleagues and gain their respect.

Even if you are a first-class specialist, you should not brag about your deep knowledge on your first day of work. Of course, it will be great if you have rationalization ideas, and at the end of the working day you approach your immediate supervisor and calmly present your ideas, not forgetting to justify the proposal. A good leader will definitely listen to you, and if this is a truly worthwhile proposal, he will listen to your opinion.
Conclusion: Don't make people think you're just trying to sell yourself on yourself.

Of course, any team has its own “ringleader”, from whom you can expect all sorts of dirty tricks. Be prepared for the fact that they may make fun of you and try to drive you into a dead end in every possible way.
Conclusion: behave lightly and calmly, try to laugh it off, but, of course, within reason.

Too bold jokers in the person of a newcomer are not liked in the team.
Don't gossip! This is a serious flaw in behavior. There is no need to obtain information about another person in this way. Rumors have a tendency to grow in detail, which can tarnish people's reputations, and often your own suffers because the rumors can turn against you.
Conclusion: drive away the desire to gossip. If you are unhappy with something, you should not tell everyone about it.

People who constantly express dissatisfaction are simply unpleasant. Therefore, it is better to go to your boss and tell him exactly why you came, starting with the phrase: “Could you help me...” or “Maybe I made a mistake somewhere, but...”. This will be a better option than rumors reaching your boss that you are talking badly about him.
It happens that theft occurs in a team - it’s a completely unpleasant thing. There is probably no more unbearable situation when all employees are under suspicion.
Conclusion: be honest.

If you suddenly witness any kind of discord, do not try to take sides or interfere in the conflict, even if you feel who is right and who is wrong.
Conclusion: In the end, the conflict will be resolved, and you will long be considered an omnipresent fighter for justice.

And vice versa, if you feel that you are being provoked into a conflict, try to ignore the instigator, you don’t need enemies now.
Very often people lose their jobs for two rather banal reasons: tardiness and absenteeism. If you are very slow, try to get up early in the morning and do what you were asked to do. Most often, management does not stand on ceremony with those who are constantly late and absent.
Conclusion: don't forget about punctuality.

And one last piece of advice: be persistent, don’t give up. When you find a job, be diligent so as not to lose it! When you join a new team, try to give the impression of a sociable, open, interested person who has come to do what he loves. The new team is a test of human love.

AUTHORITATIVE OPINION
Alexander Buryak, “The Art of Survival”:
- Fear warns people of danger, but they must face it without fear. The harm from inappropriate fear is a decrease in the ability to make effective decisions, trembling of the limbs, and the possibility of ruining one’s reputation.
You can overcome fear in the following ways:
- distract yourself: think not about the threat, but about the actions that need to be taken;
- look for the funny in your situation;
- focus on the need to make a good impression;
- get angry at yourself;
- look at what is happening as an opportunity to prove your outstanding qualities;
- remember people who showed themselves worthily in similar circumstances.

To summarize, we can say that your position in the team depends only on you. And remember, treat people the way you would like to be treated. I wish you a job you love!

Prepared by Natalya Yanina, newspaper "Workplaces".

After spending eight years in the same office, I realized that it was time to change something. However, as soon as it came to looking for a job, I was seized by real panic. The new job scared me to the point of trembling in my knees. Can I handle it? How will you greet the team? Will your relationship with your superiors work out? Have I lost my business acumen and flexibility of thinking after eight years in one place? What if I don't pass the probationary period? The fear of a new job was simply paralyzing...

During the Soviet Union, labor dynasties were held in high esteem. It was considered very prestigious to spend your entire life in one workplace or in one work team. And if there was fear, it was not of work, but of the boss or the opinion of the team. “He went through his career from a mechanic’s apprentice to a production manager”, “Thirty years ago she came to the enterprise as a young graduate”, “He is one of those specialists whom the plant raised from its own personnel, training them at the expense of the enterprise”, “Her whole life passed before the eyes of the team,” such phrases were once often found in work biographies.

Much has changed since then, including views on the track record of a good specialist. Today, an employee who sits in one place all his life can hardly be considered promising. It is becoming increasingly popular to say that you need to change jobs every five years in order not to lose your professionalism and to have enough diverse experience to increase your value as a specialist. Resumes and entries in work books are becoming more and more voluminous. As a result, more and more people are afraid of work.

I want to change my job, but I'm afraid...

In my case it was exactly like that. After several years spent in one place, changing jobs was scary, even taking into account the fact that the changes seemed to be expected for the better. In the old team, everyone knows you and does not require you to “get stars from the sky.” And the work is familiar to the point of automaticity. What if in a new place you have to deal with something you’ve never done before? What if I don’t have enough knowledge? After all, you can easily disgrace yourself, sit in a puddle, get into trouble. The fear of a new job can poison life seriously and for a long time, turning long-awaited changes into protracted, destructive stress.

By the way, I never settled into one of my new jobs. Every morning I woke up thinking that I was afraid to go to work. The team remained alien and aggressive; almost no one spoke to me. The boss gave incomprehensible tasks, without explaining anything and without meeting halfway. The office seemed uncomfortable and hostile, and each new day only added to the frustration. The only plus was the salary, and I forced myself to go to work, hoping that everything would work out. It was real hard labor. Three or four cigarettes, smoked every morning before entering, brought nausea, slightly dulling the sticky, disgusting fear. In the evenings, alcohol was used to combat stress... Even many years later, this negative experience is remembered as a waking nightmare.

How to overcome fear of a new job? The answer to this question is both complex and simple. First, you need to understand the main causes of fear that lie deep inside. Is it really a fear of work or a fear of something else?

I'm afraid to go to work

My friend Olya worked for several years as a manicurist in a small private hairdresser. And then she suddenly decided that it was time for her to grow up and went to massage therapy courses, after which they promised to place her in a large health center. At first, Olya was fired up by this idea and seemed to be glad about this turn of fate, but the closer the day of receiving her diploma approached, the sadder my friend became. In the end, she admitted that she was afraid to go to work: after the small salon, the health center seemed terribly scary to her. She almost stopped eating, and at night she dreamed of dissatisfied clients making scandals and disgracing her in front of her new colleagues. The fear of failing at work, making mistakes, doing something wrong, or looking ridiculous became her obsession. It got to the point that when she thought about work, her blood pressure would rise, her palms would sweat, and she would feel short of breath.

Alas, Olya never got over this fear and still files other people’s nails in her small salon, and her massage therapist diploma gathers dust among old postcards and documents. At the same time, she is a really good massage therapist, as her friends and family, who have experienced the skill of her hands, have long been convinced of.

This skill could have been appreciated by other people if she had not been so afraid of becoming part of a new team.

Fear of the new team

It's almost always difficult to get along with new people. And it’s doubly difficult if these people are your new work team. What are they saying behind your back? What do they think of you? Do they notice every oversight and every mistake? Do they gossip and discuss your clumsiness and mistakes? It is very difficult to become part of an established, close-knit team. And the thought that you will have to be a stranger and a black sheep in a new “work family” for a long time can poison the joy of the most wonderful, prestigious and highly paid job.

Here two points usually come to the fore. Firstly, the fear of change, which is common to many people with. They see new people, like everything new in general, as a threat, a source of danger, an unknown and therefore frightening factor from which you don’t know what to expect. Secondly, self-doubt and increased sensitivity to the opinions of others, which inflates fear of the new team.

A couple of years ago, the company I worked for was facing massive downsizing. My colleague Anton simply panicked at this prospect. What can I say if he was clearly afraid to look for a job, let alone change it. When he sent his resume, his hands were shaking, you could hear it from the way he nervously clicked his mouse. And when they called him about an interview, his face simply changed... “How will I work there? I don't know anyone there! And this is a completely different end of Moscow!” - he complained hysterically after another interview.

Another colleague, Nina, fell into depression after being told about the layoff and even sobbed at times in front of her computer monitor. “I’m so used to you all... How will I work with strangers?” - she said through tears. At the same time, her heart rate increased, her palms sweated, and headaches began. The fear of a new job completely ruined her last days in our friendly team...

Fear of the boss

Among the fears before work, the fear of the boss stands apart. If only because you can suddenly get it without even changing your job.

This happened to my brother, who left for another city, tempted by the offer of a world-famous production company. At first it was not easy for him in the new place, he had to overcome the fear of a new job, the alienation of the team, and new responsibilities... After a few months, he completely got used to it, completed his probationary period, became friends with his colleagues, and began to go to work with pleasure. It was then that thunder struck: the boss was changed at the enterprise. Instead of the previous boss, who actually invited an out-of-town employee, an aggressive tyrant was appointed as the manager, who began his “reign” with the total suppression of any personal initiative of his subordinates, with rudeness and personal insults...

Alas, not everyone was able to overcome the fear of the new boss, including my brother, who had to quit and leave the city to which he had gotten used to with such difficulty and perseverance...

There are times in every person's life when he is afraid of losing his job or, having already lost it, is afraid to go to a new job. This may be due to fear of change, fear of a new team, fear of not being able to cope with the job, of disgrace, of not being up to par, etc. However, no matter what fears accompany the process of going to work, it cannot be avoided. Life dictates the need to earn and support ourselves and our family... And the less stress and fears that accompany changes in our work history, the more successful and happier we will be. Sometimes this requires very little, for example, taking the “System-Vector Psychology” training by Yuri Burlan and getting rid of the fear of work forever. Free online lectures are coming soon - join us to learn more! Registration .

Proofreader: Anna Katargina

You can find a lot of information about job interviews online. You will easily find questions that you may be asked and read about other people’s experiences in interviews and will be able to learn the tricks that HR managers (HR) of various companies apply to their potential employees.

However, even after reading and digesting all this ton of information, you understand that the fear of an interview has not gone away. Vice versa! You've discovered a lot of "atrocities" that you had no idea about before you started scouring the web.

Firstly, you should calm down, if only because with a 99% probability nothing unusual will happen to you. In the CIS countries, tricks and stressful situations are used quite rarely, and even then, mainly only when the personnel officer or director is young guys (which also happens infrequently). However, this possibility will still not reassure you.

"With my happiness, I will definitely get into this 1%", you say.

Anything can happen, but the probability of this is the same as if you randomly, not knowing the apartment number where your friend lives, dialed his number on the intercom panel.

But if you still don’t believe in probabilities, and the fear of an interview does not go away, there are several methods with which you can dull it.

1. Convince yourself that you don't really need this job. They don't pay that much, it's a long drive, they get up early. You go there only because you are interested and have something to offer the employer. And they will be strong
2. Dress not in the kind of outfit that etiquette requires (although this is more correct, but many managers today don’t care as long as you bring them money), but in the kind that makes you as confident as possible. So that, with a certain rigor, it should be comfortable and emphasize your bodily advantages (don’t overdo it, you definitely shouldn’t wear tight leggings).
3. Fear of an interview, like any fear, can be overcome. Laughter or meditation will do. Before going to your employer, watch a funny movie or program, or even better, meditate in silence.
4. Try to arrange several interviews in one day. This way your internal self-esteem will increase, which means you will have more confidence. The main thing here is not to screw up with time and not be late.
5. Try to find out more about the company you intend to interview with. With the same 99% probability, this will not give you anything, since such a practice in the CIS is applicable only to large transnational corporations, but the fear of an interview will be a little suppressed and your self-confidence will increase.

The main thing is to understand that you need this job just as much as the employer needs a good employee, i.e. You. There is no need to be afraid, because your employment is a mutually beneficial transaction, and your fear of an interview is the same as the fear of a lemon seller before selling them.