Manage performance anxiety

- Ever get pre-interview jitters? Yeah, you're not alone. According to a study by Harris Interactive and Everest college, 92% of adults get nervous before an interview. What that tells me, if you don't get nervous, you're basically a unicorn. The case study interview is a very high pressure environment. There's often a timer set. The interviewer looks really intimidating. You're worried that you'll blink on your frameworks and honestly, you're just praying you don't sweat through your clothes. I get it. I've been there. So if we know that performance anxiety is inevitable, how do we manage it when it comes? Well, friend, I have four tips just for you. Number one, shift your mindset. Your mind can be your biggest advocate in this process or your biggest enemy. You have to decide today which one it's going to be. Of course, it's really easy to go into an interview and put so much pressure on yourself. But the reality is, this is not a life or death scenario. This is the conversation between two people. Shift your mindset away from, this is my one shot, I have to get it perfect. To, i'm good at what I do. If this doesn't work out, the right opportunity will, let's have some fun with this. Just that small mental tweak will turn those jitters into excitement. Number two, channel your anxiety. As shown by the study, most adults have nervous energy as they enter into an interview. Your job is to channel that energy and use it for you in the interview, not against you. So instead of allowing your brain to obsess about how you're stressed, move that attention and focus to solving the problem in front of you. That momentum will help you push through the strenuous nature of this type of interview. Number three, schedule a dress rehearsal. When I was in high school, I was a musical theater nerd. I loved opening night. The excitement, the thrill, the audience, but the real reason I was able to enjoy the stage was because I did the work and worked out all the kinks during dress rehearsal the night before. Similarly, you need to have a solid dress rehearsal before your case study interview. Grab a friend and do a mock interview. You'll be thanking yourself on your opening night. Number four, remember half of the interview is confidence. I tell every single one of my clients this, half of the interview is content and half of it is confidence. Because there is no one right answer to a case study. It is so important to show your interviewer that you are confident in your methodology. Do that and you'll calm those jitters right down. Interviewing can be overwhelming, but with some quick mindset shifts and real life practice, you'll be convincing not only yourself that you can land the job, you'll be convincing your interviewer as well.