Interview Anxiety Is Normal

Your palms are sweating. Your heart is racing. Your mind is blanking on your own work history.

Congratulations: you're about to interview, and you're human.

Why We Get Anxious

Interview anxiety isn't a flaw in your character. It's evolution working as intended.

Your brain perceives the interview as a high-stakes evaluation—which activates the same fight-or-flight response your ancestors used to escape predators.

The problem: that response is designed for running, not talking. Blood flows to your limbs, away from your prefrontal cortex. Critical thinking becomes harder exactly when you need it most.

What Actually Helps

Before The Interview

Prepare obsessively, then stop.

Research the company, prepare your stories, practice your answers. Then—and this is crucial—stop at least an hour before. Cramming increases anxiety.

Physical intervention works.

Your body affects your mind. Try:

- Cold water on your wrists

- 4-7-8 breathing (inhale 4, hold 7, exhale 8)

- Power poses (yes, they help some people)

- A brisk 10-minute walk

Reframe the stakes.

This interview is not life or death. It's a conversation to see if there's mutual fit. If there isn't, that's actually good information.

During The Interview

Slow down.

Anxiety makes you speed up. Consciously slow your speech. Pause before answering. Take a breath.

It's okay to say "Let me think about that."

Silence feels awkward to you. To the interviewer, it reads as thoughtfulness.

Ask a question back.

If your mind goes blank, buy time: "Could you clarify what aspect of that you're most interested in?"

After The Interview

Don't replay.

Your brain will try to review every moment and identify what you did wrong. This is unhelpful. The interview is over. What's done is done.

Self-compassion, not self-criticism.

You showed up. You tried. That takes courage.

The Bigger Picture

Some anxiety is actually helpful—it keeps you sharp. The goal isn't to eliminate nerves but to manage them well enough that you can still think, connect, and communicate.

You've got this. Your anxiety is evidence that you care about the outcome. Channel that energy, don't fight it.