Recruitment and interview practices

In this video, Alice introduces the topic of job interviews. She talks about interview nerves, how they are a normal part of the process, and gives her biggest top tip for interviews. 

Most people find interviews stressful. You may really want the job, but you’re competing with others who want the same thing. You also don’t know what to expect, and you may have previous experience of stressful interviews or assessments.  

With such a lot at stake, it’s normal to feel nervous. However, there is a lot you can do to stay positive and minimise your nerves.  

Understanding and managing stress

As an interview approaches, you might feel tense or shaky, sense your heart is beating fast, feel hot or cold or have a churning stomach. This is quite normal – your ‘fight or flight’ mechanism has probably been triggered. Understanding that this is a natural response will help you to manage these feelings better.

Understanding stress: a lot of what goes on in our bodies is regulated by our autonomic nervous system. Most of the time, you won’t be aware of it, but if it detects an increase in your stress, the system goes into overdrive. When activated, it sends more blood to your muscles, increases your heart rate and breathing and pumps out the adrenaline hormone. All this subsides when the ‘crisis’ is over.

Managing stress: to prevent those symptoms making your interview difficult, it’s useful to learn some calming strategies that you can practise if you feel nervous. Mindfulness and meditation can help you feel calmer through focus and breathing. Familiarise yourself with these techniques and use them regularly to keep your stress levels down.

Stress is not all bad though. Having no nerves at all before an interview is probably just as unhelpful as having too many. Stress is motivating. It prompts you to prepare for the interview and engage with the process when you get there.

When you arrive, smile and make eye contact when you greet people. If you’re offered a glass of water, accept it in case you get a dry mouth or need a moment to think in the interview.

During the interview, think and breathe before you answer each question. If you don’t hear properly or are confused by a question, ask the interviewer to clarify. If you go blank, breathe, regroup your thoughts and look as if this is a natural pause in your answer.

If you feel nervous, wriggle your toes inside your shoes to loosen the tension. Remember, nerves are normal and if the interviewers do notice yours, they will know that getting the job is important to you.

If things go wrong:

Despite all your best efforts and preparation, the tech involved in online interviews can sometimes be unreliable. Your interviewer may face the exact same problems.

Try to stay calm and redo your last action. If you’re unable to fix the issue, explain what’s happening to the interviewer. They will be able to guide you on what the best course is.

Remember, it’s unlikely that something will go wrong and even if it does, this is not something you’re being assessed on as part of your interview.

We have covered how to handle your nerves before, during and after an interview. But what about the practicalities of doing the interview? In this video, Patrick, one of our Youth Ambassadors, talks to Simon Connington about best interview practice and techniques. He asks all the questions he wishes he’d had the answers to when he went through this process a few years ago.