How To Calm Your Nerves Before a Job Interview

In Hollywood, it’s easy to feel like everyone’s against you, especially when preparing for an interview – you’re thinking about all the trick questions you might get asked, worrying that your interviewer has some negative preconceived notions about you, and convincing yourself that they're just trying to weed you out of a big pool of candidates. But in reality, the hiring manager is on your side! Employers don’t want to spend their days interviewing tons of candidates, so they're looking for a reason to say "yes" quickly.

If you can remember this, you’ll be able to drum up a lot more confidence during your interview. Think about it: This person has already seen your resume (likely more than one person has), and they've come to the conclusion that you probably have the skills to do the job adequately. They believe in you enough to spend 30 minutes to an hour of their workday getting to know you better. That’s saying something. You are a qualified candidate. Just the fact that you got an interview proves it. This is good news, because all you have to do is confirm the interviewer’s expectation. You’re not working to overcome a negative first impression. This should be enough to calm your nerves.

At this point, the interviewer is trying to assess whether or not the team can connect with you on a personal level, and their hope is that the answer is a resounding yes! Especially if you've been referred for the role or someone's called on your behalf, the expectation is that they'll like you. Even if they're meeting you blindly, they connected with something on your resume or in your cover letter or LinkedIn profile. It’s kind of like online dating – when you like someone’s profile enough to go out with them on a date, aren’t you going into it hoping that it will work out? It’s the same with a job interview. The hiring manager really does want this to work! Keep in mind that if it doesn't work out, it doesn't mean you were unlikeable (just like you might go on dates with perfectly nice people who aren't "the one"), but there's only one person who can ultimately get the job.

When you’re mentally preparing for your interview, take a moment to remind yourself that you’ve gotten the interview because you deserve it, and that the hiring manager wants to like you. You should be going into the meeting with excitement and confidence – you’re meant to be there, so all you have to do is prove to the hiring manager that they were right to bring you in! And everyone likes to be right, right?