Attending a job interview as a graduate can be incredibly nerve-wracking. For many graduates, a graduate program or a graduate role is often their first experience at an official interview for a permanent and full-time position. Naturally, the pressure is quite high and you may feel overwhelmed and stressed approaching your interview. This article will provide you with important advice on strategies that can assist you with overcoming your nerves so that you can make the best first impression during the interview.
What are nerves and why do graduates experience them?
Nerves is the feeling of fear, worry, or apprehension. It is a natural response that arises in stressful situations. It manifests with physical reactions, including heavy breathing, a rapid heartbeat, clamminess, sweating and trembling. Graduates tend to experience nervousness before and during a job interview because they care about its outcome. In this way, nerves are a good sign as they allow you to gauge the true value of a graduate program or role for yourself. It is also helpful as it can allow you to prepare appropriately for a graduate interview.
How to Calm Your Nerves Before a Graduate Interview?
The anticipation of a job interview, especially one as significant as a graduate role or program, is enough to make anyone nervous. Here are some steps to follow before your graduate interview to calm your nerves:
Be Prepared
Nervousness can often be a sign of feeling underprepared for a situation. While it is impossible to predict how the interview will go, there are some aspects that graduates can readily prepare for. This can include familiarising yourself with the interviewer; when scheduling the interview, the hiring manager will often provide information on the supervisor, recruiter, manager, or human resources representative that will be conducting the interview. If the interview will be conducted by a panel, the names of its members will also be provided. This type of preparation can allow you to foresee who you will be facing and who you will need to impress during the interview.
Furthermore, while you may not know what questions the interviewer will ask, you can make educated predictions depending on the role, the selection criteria, and the company. For example, by reading the job description carefully, you will get a good sense of the skills and strengths that you need to demonstrate to the interviewer through your responses to convey your suitability for the role. Similarly, by pursuing the company’s website or social media, you will be informed about its company mission, vision, and goals, and allow you to appropriately answer any questions about how you will fit within the workplace culture.
Apart from research, another effective strategy for preparation is participating in a mock interview with a friend. This can allow you to rehearse your answers, practise your facial expressions, and shorten the time you take to consider your response to any tricky questions.
If there are important aspects of your resume that you wish to bring up during the interview, such as any relevant experience or standout education, you may choose to write this down so that you can actively recall it.
Plan Your Day
Your interview is likely to be the most important part of your day. You should therefore make the time to plan the details of the day that can impact your ability to attend the interview and impress the interviewer. This can include setting an alarm so you wake up on time and planning your route to the company location so that you arrive before your interview begins.
Take Care of Yourself
Nervousness can often make people neglect their self-care as they feel too overwhelmed. It is important to get a good night of sleep and eat a nutritious breakfast so that you are energised and ready to impress the interviewer. You should also ensure that you are neat and presentable as your appearance will be the first impression that the interviewer will have of you.
How to Calm Your Nerves During a Graduate Interview?
During an interview, a graduate’s nerves may subside as they get into the flow of answering questions. However, at times, nerves remain or reappear when faced with a difficult question. Here are some tips for calming your nerves during the interview:
Steady Breathing
If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed during the interview, take a moment to stop and take steady deep breaths. This can allow you to calm yourself. It may feel awkward to stop talking in the middle of an interview, but you can always buy yourself some time by asking the interviewer to repeat themselves or ask a follow up question.
Maintain a Positive Mindset
Remember that the interview is not only for the interviewer to assess your suitability for a role but for you to assess their suitability as your employer. You can also remind yourself that the worst outcome from the interview can only ever be that you are unsuccessful at attaining the role. While this will naturally be disappointing, it will present you with an opportunity for improvement and growth as you will be able to learn from your mistakes.
Be Confident
Fake it, til you make it! This advice is surprisingly helpful. Even if you do not feel particularly confident about your odds at acing the interview and receiving the job, you can nonetheless exude confidence by your body language, your mannerisms, and your speech. Talk loudly, clearly, and succinctly. Keep a straight back, maintain eye contact with the interviewer, and keep your hands and legs still. Fidgeting will give away your nervousness! If you present a confident persona, you are likely to become more comfortable in this role and your nerves will subside.
How to Calm Your Nerves After a Graduate Interview?
After you have finished your interview, the nerves may continue until you receive an outcome for your application. One very easy pitfall that can descend you into a state of nervousness is overthinking about the interview. This means playing through every answer you gave during the interview in your mind and beating yourself over a key point that you may have missed. Often our memory deceives us and we do better than we believed in retrospect. That is why it is important to put the interview out of your mind and concentrate on the next steps of the application process.
See more tips in our ultimate graduate job interview guide.