Panick attack!

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Andrew, I am with you. I stink at interviews. But the truth is I make it that way all on my own by simply thinking about them.
 
maxwell_smart007 said:
Job interview's SUCK!

I have sweaty palms, I feel all jittery and sick, and my heart's beating to 122 bpm...I HATE job interviews!

Andrew
Click to expand...

I used to have the same problem.

One day it dawned on me that the interview was as much a time for me to assess the potential employer as for them to assess me.:rolleyes:

When I started approaching interviews from the viewpoint of finding the place I really want to be, I found my nerves to be less of an issue. (No, it did not happen with the first interview. It took some time.):eek:

I usually have as many questions for them as they have for me. I KNOW what I can do, when I enter the interview. What I don't know is what they can do. The interviewer is in the direct opposite situation.

The reason for the interview is to close this gap.:biggrin:

I hope this helps, at least a little.

Best wishes on your job search.

Tim
 
Trust me, the more relaxed you are, the more confident the potential employer will see you as being. In most positions, this a huge plus. Getting relaxed is not always easy though.

Being a former IT slave from the dot-com (and succeeding dot-bomb) era, I had my share of interviews. After a while you develop a routine, and every interview becomes so much like the other, it's not even funny. What changed it for me, was viewing the process as Tim said above. Who knows, maybe you don't even really *want* to work for a particular company - and this is your opportunity to help relax. Approach the company with some skepticism. You know what YOU are capable of, but is this employer going to let you shine, or do they simply want another slave to add to their army of minions? Are they going to give you what YOU want?

At least this worked for me. Once I managed to get in the door to an interview, job offers would arrive within a week or two in about 95% of the cases. Now, getting to the interview was always a tough area for me. I could never really figure out the specific combination of key phrases and buzzwords that would pass the HR drone's filters.
 
All you are doing in an interview is telling the interviewer who you are and what you can do. Think of it as meeting a new person in your church or neighborhood.

I've been interviewed and conducted literally hundreds of interviews. Someone who is conversational, calm, and purposeful is head and shoulders above the competition right out of the gate.

If you are nervous, practice. Friends, family members, anyone you can think of can run you through mock interviews. The more you rehearse the telling of your background, your qualifications, and your life experiences, the better of you'll be. You're not trying to get the interviewer to like you -- that will come (or not) automatically -- you just want to tell them about yourself.

Last bit of the lecture: don't forget to ask the interviewer questions. You simply have to show some interest in what that person is doing. If you leave an interview and the interviewer talked more than you, you did a good job.

Good luck.
 
Just relax and think about something else. Maybe you can think about getting your hands on a pair of nice ripe melons and caressing them and feeling their smooth round skin. After that go to the supermarket and buy some.:)






This was not meant to offend anyone, it was meant to make you smile. If you are offended by this post, pretend that the word melon is replaced with banana.:biggrin:
 
Neil - you absolutely made my day! Thanks very much! I haven't laughed in a few days in anticipation of today, and I really needed that!

As an update, I didn't get the job...and I'm absolutely relieved...I really want to work for the employer, but I didn't think the job was right for me...I'm quite glad the interview went well, and even more glad that someone else got it!
 
I had a panic attack once while I was at the beach. They brought me to the ER. I was laying on the table, they did an EKG. I heard the person next to me, lots of sucking sounds, discussion of what was happening, then I heard them call the time of death.

Needless to say, I was much less panicked afterwards.
 
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