You cannot switch nerves off, but you can make them smaller. The most reliable way is to say your answers out loud before the day, so no question is entirely new. Add slow breathing, an early arrival and a plan for the first minute, and most people feel steadier.
Why you feel nervous
An interview is a situation where someone judges you and you want the result. Your body treats that as a risk. Your heart beats faster, your hands feel cold and your thoughts speed up.
That reaction is normal, and a little of it helps you pay attention. The trouble starts when it takes over, so the aim is to turn it down, not to remove it.
Before the interview
- Say your answers out loud. Thinking an answer through does not train your mouth. Speak the answer to “Tell me about yourself” five times and it will start to sound like you.
- Prepare three stories. Choose a time you solved a problem, a time you worked with others and a time something went wrong. Most questions can be answered with one of them.
- Write your questions for them. Two good questions make the end of the interview feel like a conversation.
- Do the practical work early. Choose your clothes, find the address or test the link, and charge your laptop. Every small thing you settle is one less thing to worry about.
- Sleep and eat. A tired, hungry person feels more nervous.
The ten minutes before
- Breathe slowly. Breathe in through the nose for four counts and out through the mouth for six. Do it for two minutes. The longer out-breath tells your body to settle.
- Move. Walk, stretch your shoulders or shake out your hands.
- Read your three stories once. Do not cram anything new.
- Arrive early or join early. Five minutes of quiet beats a rush.
- Say one calm sentence to yourself, such as “I know this and I have said it before.”
Thoughts that make it worse
Some thoughts feed the nerves. Swap them for ones you can check.
- “They will see I am nervous.” They may, and most interviewers expect it. Nervous is not the same as unprepared.
- “One bad answer ruins everything.” Interviewers look at the whole conversation, not a single moment.
- “I must be perfect.” You need to be clear and honest. A small stumble you recover from shows composure.
- “If I fail, that is the end.” Another interview will come, and each one you do makes the next easier.
During the interview
- Pause before you answer. A two-second silence feels long to you and ordinary to them. It gives you time to choose the first sentence.
- Say the first sentence slowly. The first minute is the hardest. After it, most people find their pace.
- Ask for the question again if you need it. “Could you repeat that?” is a normal thing to say.
- Say it is fine to be nervous. A line such as “I’m a little nervous because I want this job” is honest, and interviewers hear it often.
- Keep your answers short. Nervous people tend to talk fast and long. Stop when you have made your point.
If your mind goes blank, the next guide, what to do when your mind goes blank in an interview, gives you a short script for it.
What to do afterwards
Write down the questions you were asked while you remember them. Note one thing that went well and one thing to change. Then stop analysing. You cannot control the decision, and an interview you replay for days teaches you little after the first hour.
If your anxiety is severe or makes it hard to go to interviews at all, please speak to a doctor or a mental health professional.
Practise this with PrepHint AI
Facing a real question for the first time is a large part of the fear. Practising removes it, and the free start is enough to try.
- Add or build your resume. Resume Maker is free forever with an account. Import a PDF or answer a few questions.
- Create a mock interview for the job you are nervous about.
- Answer out loud, by voice, to the AI mock interviewer. Nobody is watching, so you can stop and start again.
- Read the transcript. You will often find your answers were clearer than they felt.
Every new account gets 15 free minutes of live help and 1 mock interview, with no card needed. See pricing.
For a longer routine, read how to practise for an interview with AI or how to practise for an interview by yourself.