Anxious after applying for a job

[Jenwales]

I've just applied for a job and it makes me so anxious. I always have bad anxiety during interviews to the point that I forget what I was going to say. I have been quite stressed in work lately and wish I wasn't so anxious now as it doesn't help the way I feel.
Does anybody else get this and have you overcome it?

[rcs]

Yes I totally understand how you feel like you are being scrutinised and put under the microscope which can be an anxiety sufferers worst night mare.

My last interview I got the address mixed up and ended up in the wrong building and had to jog to the right address and strangely my brain seemed to cut off and the interview went ok and it was a panel interview, a week later after I got the job my anxiety started and the usual insomnia and worrying started and I couldn't take it.

I think preparing for interviews is helpful and doing some research online especially LinkedIn and find out who is interviewing you can make the situation less brutal, I have been prescribed propranolol which can help and does not make you drowsy or doped up just slows down your system and blocks stress hormones but I prefer to only use it in emergencies. Diaphragm breathing exercises help me .
Practice your interview with a friend or family or just have read through with notes half of is assessing personality and confidence which is daunting but quite easily done if you get your head together ,it is when they overload you with information and expectations that I hate but half of that is bureaucracy . It is one hour out of the day and is not the end of the world.

My main anxiety is the first couple of days as the new person in the building and finding your feet which I hate I just want to blend in but they are all human beings and they had first days and interviews like yourself.

Good Luck :)

[.Poppy.]

Oh yeah. I try to tell myself "they're just asking you questions; you just have to answer them honestly" which helps a little but I still get nervous in the heat of the moment - tongue tied, not sure when/how much eye contact to make, etc. I've also worked enough to know that the first few weeks at a job are scary, so that adds to my anxiety: "what if I get it? How will I cope?". It can be rough.

I think rcs has a great suggestion in doing some research on the company before you go in. That can help you seem more knowledgeable, and it can also help you understand more about the culture and see how you think you'd fit in before you see it firsthand.

Something I do that helps is I'll go on the internet and find lists of common interview questions, then I'll go through and answer them and study my answers. It makes me feel a bit more rehearsed, so none of their questions feel like they are out of left field and I don't have to sit there and think about what I'll say if they ask me about my best group experience, for example. If I have to sit and think, my mind usually goes blank and I panic :)

I'll also think about other interviews I've been on, and what questions they've asked that I found hard - then I'll answer them and study those as well. And after the interview, be sure to add to that list should you need to re-prepare in the future.

Also - think of some questions beforehand that you want to ask of them. I think interviewers in general like if you ask them things, even just clarifying things, as it shows you are interested in the job. But sometimes it can be hard to think of those things on the spot :)

Best of luck!