It is common to experience anxiety at some point in your life. In fact, around 37% of women and 30% of men experience high levels of anxiety. However, high levels of anxiety can affect important parts of your life, such as your ability to gain employment. If you experience high anxiety during interviews and are continuously being rejected for your jobs, it may that the two are related. Feeling anxious about job interview is common, so you are definitely not alone.

Interview Anxiety Symptoms

Most people will experience anxiety about a job interview, and interviewers will expect a level of nervousness, and will account for this. However, if you are suffering from severe interview anxiety, it can portray itself in ways that could affect the outcome. These are some signs that anxiety is affecting your interview.

Ability to concentrate

If you are unable to focus on what the interviewer is saying and struggling to decide how to respond, it may be an indication that your anxiety levels are extremely high. Although interviewers will have a degree of sympathy about interview nerves, this may come across as disinterest or lack of preparation. Severe interview anxiety can cause you to lose your train of thought, which can make it difficult to be succinct during an interview.

Oversharing

Nervous interviewees may end up sharing too much during an interview due to anxiety. For instance, going off on a tangent about issues which are unrelated to the job or the question. As you would expect, this could be a red flag to interviewers. Oversharing is one of the most common interview anxiety symptoms.

Fidgeting

Constantly playing with your hair or moving on your chair are signs of anxiety which may be off-putting to someone at the other side of the desk. It shows them that you are feeling anxious about job interview and may make them uncomfortable too.

The good news is that no matter how challenging your interview anxiety may be, there are ways to overcome it so that your interviews can be more fruitful.

How to Reduce Interview Anxiety

Plenty of Preparation

The more prepared you are, the easier the interview will be. Make sure you have adequate knowledge of the company and the role you are being interviewed for. Take time to practice the answers to common questions you may be asked. It is also worth asking someone to do a mock interview with you. This can also include the practical side of the interview, including eye contact and body language. You are less likely to display interview anxiety symptoms if you are prepared for the interview and are equipped with plenty of knowledge.

Avoid Stimulants

You should not try and overcompensate a lack of sleep by downing gallons of coffee or energy drinks. These stimulants will only make your anxiety worse. It would be much better to have green tea before an interview so that you are feeling calmer and will help you learn how to deal with interview anxiety.

Slow Down

An interview is really just a conversation. It is a conversation where you are getting to know each other. It is important to be professional but also to consider this. The interviewees want you to perform well, as much as you do. Slow down, relax and the conversation will be more likely to flow.  You will also be less likely to display interview anxiety symptoms.

At Inspired CVs, we not only help support you with professional CV writing services. We can also help improve your interview skills through our job interview workshops and one to one consultations. To find out more, contact us today or alternatively, you can use our resume cv writing services by ordering your CV here today. We offer a quick, responsive service!