How to Manage Anxiety Before a Job Interview

You’ve been sending out resumes left and right, applying for jobs in your sleep, and now you finally got the call and have a job interview set up. After lining up the interview, you might discover that you have a lot of emotions, including anxiety. Perhaps you’ve been looking for a job for a while and have started to feel a little desperate to return to the workforce.

Of course, you know that to perform your best in the interview you’ll want to manage your emotions.

Here are a few ways to manage your anxiety before the interview.

Recognize how you feel. Don’t bother denying how you’re feeling about the interview. Your emotions are not right or wrong. If you’re feeling anxious, nervous, or worried it’s necessary to acknowledge how you’re feeling so you can implement some strategies to better manage your anxiety.

   

Discuss how you feel with a friend. Take some time to share your feelings with a friend, spouse, or partner. It can help to manage your feelings simply by acknowledging them to another person. When we hold our emotions in or try to bury them, they can feel more oppressive and difficult to handle.

Get some good sleep. Of course, you want to get good sleep before your interview. Don’t stay up late watching television, perhaps take a hot shower or bath, and read for awhile to help you relax.

Avoid alcohol. Do not drink the night before your interview. You might think it will help you relax and fall asleep, but alcohol actually impairs your ability to fall into a deep sleep. And it should go without saying that you don’t want to drink in the hours before your interview.

Meditate and self-talk. Take a few minutes to meditate the day of your interview and develop some phrases for positive self-talk, such as “I have the skills necessary to do this job well” or “I will perform well in this interview.”

Breathe. When we’re feeling anxious, we can sometimes neglect to breathe properly, and this can increase our feelings of anxiety. So, take some time and breathe deeply, while repeating your positive self-talk phrases and you’ll do just fine in your interview.

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: The Perfect 3-Step Sunday Night Routine

Each week we present our Daily Leap Career Video of the Week. The video we share presents news or advice related to career and life development, searching for a job, the economy and employment, and other career-related topics.

The video below from Inc. discusses "Sunday Scaries" and identifies three steps to implement on Sunday evenings, including taking a 5-minute retreat. Check out the video to learn more.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: 4 Ways to Cope with Anxiety at Work

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

• 4 Ways to Cope with Anxiety in the Work Place: "In every place I’ve worked, I’ve found a confidante. I let this person know about my anxiety, and update them if anything is happening in my personal life that may cause increased stress."

• Are You Ready to Go Freelance?: "When asked about the biggest challenge they face, half of the independent consultants we surveyed mentioned unpredictability, insecurity, and volatility."

• What You Need (Besides Grit) to Succeed: "You need grit to have a chance. But success requires the action of others, too. Be realistic and give it everything you've got, and be bold if you can about requesting a recommendation."

• 3 Things to Do to Be Better at Decision-Making: "But just knowing your purpose isn’t enough. You must also identify the precise outcomes (the what) you desire to achieve."
• 3 Ways to Prevail as a Female Entrepreneur:"Taking the high road, staying focused on the goals ahead and trusting yourself and your capabilities is most often the best course of action."

What to Do When You Hate Making Business Phone Calls

Let's face it, not everyone likes making phone calls, particularly in this time when more and more of us resort to texts or emails.

However, there are times when business calls must be made and if you dislike making phone calls these experiences can provoke a lot of anxiety. Yet there are ways to make the process tolerable, and one can even learn to enjoy the experience of making business calls. Yes, we said enjoy!

Here are several ways to improve your skills on the phone.

Write down what you plan to say. Obviously, if possible, you want to create a script for the phone call. How detailed that script is depends upon your comfort level. Some people find it easier to write everything down word for word while for others it's enough to jot down some key points. Having a clear understanding and written guide for your business calls can reduce your anxiety and make the calls proceed more smoothly.

Practice with a partner. You might be fine practicing your phone script a few times on your own but it's always more helpful to practice with a partner and to ask for feedback. Working with another person can provide you with a better sense for how to handle the conversation as it veers off your script and prepared remarks.

Relax. Practice some deep breathing and other relaxation techniques, including visualizing a successful and pleasant phone conversation.

Make the phone call privately. If you work in a cubicle you might want to schedule a conference room to enable you to have more privacy for the call. Having the nearby ears of your co-workers listening in on your call can provoke anxiety so don't hesitate to find a more private place in the office for the conversation.

Practice makes progress. View each call positively and as an opportunity to get better. The more calls you make, the easier it will become and the less anxiety you will experience when you need to make important business calls in the future.

You don't have to be paralyzed by anxiety or discomfort when talking on the phone and it doesn't have to hold your career back it you take a few small steps to improve the experience of making business calls. 

Four Ways to Manage Stress and Anxiety at Work

You have a big project coming up or you’ve taken on new responsibilities at work and you feel anxious. When we encounter something new or have an increased workload if is easy to feel overwhelmed.

But you don’t have to through it alone and there are ways to manage the stress without going crazy at work, quitting your job, or kicking the dog.

If stress and anxiety is getting you down at work, implement the following four practices. 

Identify any patterns related to your stress. If you can find specific patterns to your stress and anxiety it becomes easier to develop some strategies to deal with it. For example, if you notice more intense stress on Sunday evenings or Monday mornings as you begin to turn your attention back to your job, you can be better prepared to face the work week. Perhaps the anxiety increases in the lead up to making a presentation at work. This information can lead you to decide to take a public speaking class at the local college, or join the Toastmasters, or avoid procrastinating and have the presentation prepared a few days in advance to allow time to get comfortable. Once you’ve identified patterns related to the stress and anxiety you experience you also help to reduce its power over you.

Discuss the situation with your supervisor. Don’t be shy about asking for help. Oftentimes we don’t want to admit to feeling stress at work because we don’t want our manager to think we’re incompetent or unable to handle the job. However, it’s necessary and important to our growth as a person and as an employee to learn to seek out help when needed. Your boss can likely offer some suggestions or tips that can reduce your stress, and sometimes it just helps to have someone lend an ear.  

Take care of your health. Our physical health plays an important role in dealing with stress and anxiety in our lives. Be sure to get enough sleep, engage in some movement and exercise daily, and be intentional about the foods we eat and the drinks we consume. Alcohol and coffee can negatively impact our sleep, while also contributing to a sense of grogginess or jitters during the day. Also consider adding time in your schedule for a brief meditation practice.  

Seek out professional help if necessary. At times we can feel overwhelmed the stress and anxiety and are unable to see a way out of it. If this describes you, seek out a counselor or therapist. You can likely find a good one in your area who is specially trained to treat anxiety and stress.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: 7 Tips to Achieve What You Want in Life

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

• 7 Tips to Achieve What You Really Want in Life: "Answering the question, 'Why are you here?', is the solution to your life. Unfortunately, only you can find the answer. Fortunately, when you do, everything else falls into place."

• 7 Practical Tips to Achieve a Positive Mindset: "Almost invariably, you’re going to encounter obstacles throughout the day—there’s no such thing as a perfect day. When you encounter such a challenge, focus on the benefits, no matter how slight or unimportant they seem"

• 3 Ways for Women to Rethink Office Politics & Wield More Influence: "I have made it my mission to show up with confidence and to be my true self. I have found that influence and authenticity are inextricably linked. Only by being truly self-confident can we influence others to follow us."

• How to Deal with Anxiety & Depression on the Job: "The cover up is worse than the crime. All of the things we do to try to prove to the world that we're fine is what causes all of these problems, and it feeds on itself."
• Toxic Corporate Culture: 10 Warning Signs to Watch For: "Employees reporting anxiety, lack of motivation and dissatisfaction at work across the organization are likely influenced by the environment created at work."

5 Tips to Reduce Anxiety Before Your Next Job Interview

The interviewing process often produces a great deal of anxiety, particularly if you’re unemployed and feeling desperate to find work. There are ways to reduce your pre-interview anxiety and to be best prepared to make a good impression on a prospective employer.

Implement the following practices to manage your apprehension and nervousness and to boost your confidence before your next interview.

Get adequate sleep the night before and eat a healthy meal. You can’t be at your best if you’ve had a lousy night’s sleep and you’ll be more likely to experience anxiety if you are tired. In addition, you’ll want to avoid food that makes you feel unwell and give yourself a night off from alcohol. It will inhibit you from getting deep, restful sleep. Choose a light, healthy meal that provides you with energy instead of weighing you down.

Work off some anxiety with a brief exercise regimen. Do yoga, get in a quick run, a bike ride, or a simple workout at the gym, but be sure not to overdo it.  You don’t want to feel fatigued when you attend the interview, nor do you want to show up with an injury sustained from a morning workout. Some brief exercise will get the blood flowing, boost your energy, and decrease your concern over the interview.

Participate in a meditative practice. This will lower your heart rate, and help get you in the right state of mind, calm your nerves, and enable you to focus on the strengths you bring to the position you’ll be interviewing for.

Interview preparation is key. You can significantly reduce the anxiety you have about a job interview by adequately preparing for it. Your preparation should include the following: understanding the company you’re interviewing with and its main competitors, knowing how to describe the ways your strengths and skills make you a highly qualified candidate, and identifying appropriate questions to help you determine whether the job (and company) is a good fit for you and your interests.

Enhance your mood. Finally, on the way to the interview listen to something that lifts your spirits, encourages you to be at your best, and fills you with confidence. This can be music, a podcast, an audio book, or even a favorite TED talk. Find what works for you.

You can reduce your anxiety about and increase your confidence by implementing these five practices the next time you get that call to come in for a job interview.        

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: 5 Morning Rituals to Make Each Day Happier and More Productive

Each week we present our Daily Leap Career Video of the Week. The video we share presents news or advice related to career and life development, searching for a job, the economy and employment, and other career-related topics.

The video below from Entrepreneur notes that a if you want a happier and more productive start to the day, adopting your own morning ritual may help increase confidence and alleviate anxiety.

5 Steps to Deal with Work or Career Anxiety

Many people experience anxiety or fears related to their work or job situation. For some, there is a generalized anxiety about facing the day, dealing with unexpected occurrences, or communicating with colleagues. Others who are unemployed may find it increasingly difficult to take the necessary steps toward getting a job.

Here a five ways that you can deal with work or career-related anxiety and fears.

1. Acknowledge the anxiety. Recognize that the anxiety and fear is there and is not unique to you. Understand that your anxiety does not have to control and define you and that you can take steps to minimize the impact on your career and job happiness.

2. Meditate. Simply taking 5 minutes in the morning to sit and meditate can bring significant benefits. Meditation has been shown to reduce anxiety and depression and many successful entrepreneurs laud its impact on their success.

3. Set one simple goal. Achieving one goal, even a simple one, can have a ripple effect and enable you to move forward more effectively. Apply for one job, call one friend, attend one networking event, make one proposal, ask one question. It only takes one. And you must do one before you can do two.

4. Accountability. Let at least one other person know about your fears and anxiety and let that person know about the one goal you set. Ask them to hold you accountable and support you in achieving the goal and developing other strategies and plans to help ease your anxieties.

5. Celebrate. It does not matter how simple the goal or how small the achievement. Reward yourself with a celebration for taking a step forward and there will be many more opportunities to celebrate as you move forward and deal with your anxieties and fears. Be sure to include your support person in your celebration!

A final note: If necessary, seek out professional assistance. Many therapists or career counselors can assist with helping to recognize the causes of anxiety and develop effective strategies to help work through the fears.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: 6 Rituals to Reach Your Potential

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

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• 6 Simple Rituals to Reach Your Potential Every Day: "Solo-task and do more faster by working in 50/10 increments. Use a timer to work for 50 minutes on only one important task with 10 minute breaks in between."


• 15 Ways to Make Your Life Better This Summer: "If you have dreams of being an entrepreneur but aren’t yet ready to jump in with both feet, try a summer experiment and see what works. .... See what resonates, learn and then decide if it’s the start of a hobby or a career change."


• Why Stress and Anxiety are Your Best Friends: "Anxiety is an inevitable part of life, and success typically requires embracing it (or at least tolerating it) rather than avoiding it."


• Enjoy that Vacation and Avoid Work Stress: "To maximize the relaxing benefits of your vacation, have a good re-entry plan. This can include arriving home a day early — or at least earlier in the day — so that you have some time to unpack, do laundry, and get a good night’s sleep."


• 3 Steps to Stop Procrastinating: "Take a baby step on an unwanted task by working on it immediately and then planning to finish the task by breaking it up into manageable amounts."