Around the 1980s, academic qualifications were sufficient to ensure that a job seeker landed a certain job. Over the years, the hiring process has become more advanced if not more complicated. Hiring process involves multiple interviews with various members of an organization, and those interviews are usually grueling.
A job seeker may feel like he/she is not ready to take on a certain interview, feel like they are not good enough or feel like they will screw things up in the interview. This is called interview anxiety. Interview anxiety is the fear of an upcoming interview for one reason or another. It is very common for job seekers in today’s world and people find different ways to deal with their anxieties.
Possible reasons for interview anxiety
A person may be anxious over an interview because of one or several of the following reasons:
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) – interviews are nerve wrecking enough by their entirety; add social anxiety disorder and it is a mountain to climb. A person suffering from a social anxiety disorder is not just nervous in interviews, but anywhere, where social interaction is a requirement. Seeing that interviews involve presenting oneself in front of strangers who judge one on his/her appearance, mannerism, speech and generally how one sells oneself, persons suffering from social anxiety disorder may find it impossible to express themselves. This condition can be treated with proper medication or cognitive behavioral therapy.
Anxiety over messing the interview – people who may have had a hand in disastrous interviews in the past may fear repeating their mistakes in a forthcoming interview. Research shows that majority of people who are anxious about messing up their interview end up doing just that.
Lack of self-believe – a person who doesn’t think they are worthy of the position being offered may be anxious that the interviewers will see the same too. Such cases end with the same people overcompensating, which may harm their chances even more.
Anxious over the competition – some people are very confident about their chances until they meet the competition for the post. They may arrive at the interview venue only to find more qualified people or better dressed or even people with more experience with similar jobs. Some job seekers have been known to be anxious simply because the competition was more beautiful.
Dealing with interview anxiety
Job seekers may decide to seek professional help over their interview anxiety. This is advisable, especially if the cause is social anxiety disorder. However, with the petty cases, the key is usually confidence even in the direst situations.
