How to Stay Calm During a Job Interview | FlexJobs (2024)

Arming yourself with answers to likely questions and researching your potential employer goes a long way toward calming nerves before a job interview. But even the most prepared candidates can get butterflies when they hit the interview room.

The ability to stay composed, however, may make or break the meeting. Calmness demonstrates poise, instills confidence, and promotes the clear-headedness necessary for thinking on your feet.

Easier said than done? Not when you take to heart these tips to stay calm during a job interview:

Visualize and channel the most confident person you know

“One of my clients was an extremely meek fellow who would almost disappear in his interviews. Despite his impressive credentials, he never managed to cross the finish line. To prepare for his next interview, I planned a role-play for him. I asked him to take a moment to visualize the most confident and assertive person he knew—to enter my office boldly as this person would and to engage in a practice interview with the same image in mind. The man who entered was transformed. He shook my hand with confidence, and he performed in the interview with power and authority.”

—Roy Cohen, career coach and author of The Wall Street Professional’s Survival Guide

Practice your power pose

“Practicing the ‘power pose’ (hands on hips, making yourself wider) even for just a couple of minutes has been shown to increase feelings of confidence and power! Try it in the bathroom or elevator before the interview.”

—Laura Hall, marketing executive at Shiply

Focus on your breath and pause before speaking

“Nerves start to become an issue when your mind wanders to negative scenarios that could take place and derail your chance at a dream job. To keep this from happening, focus on your breathing instead when you are not speaking, and make sure you pause to take a breath before answering any question. In addition to helping you stay calm, pausing for a minute before answering also gives you the opportunity to think and makes it more likely that you will give a good answer to their question.”

—David Waring, co-founder of Fit Small Business

Think only of one question at a time

“Think of each individual question as its own moment. Don’t think of the WHOLE interview at once; it will seem too much or too big. Really listen to each question, take a breath before you speak, and answer the questions one at a time. If you think of the interview in small bits, it won’t seem as overwhelming or scary!”

—Jen Oleniczak Brown, founder of The Engaging Educator

Never trust your memory in an interview

“If your conversation becomes stressful, you are likely to feel panic, and all your preparation may fly right out the window. Before you enter a job interview, have a positive mantra, your personal strengths, and interview story keywords written along the margins of your notepad or embedded in the header of your tablet so that no matter what transpires, you have a way to get you back on track.”

—Erica McCurdy, strategist at McCurdy Life Coach

Remember that the interviewer wants you to succeed

“Never lose sight of the fact that the intimidating figure across the table actually desperately wants you to be good. They want to fill the position with an amazing candidate. That candidate is you. If you go into an interview like this, you’ll view yourself from a position of strength, and the real question will become whether they can remain calm when they see how outstanding of a candidate you are!”

—Augustin Kennady, media relations director for ShipMonk

Cool as a Cucumber

By keeping these tips in mind, you’ll stay calm during the interview, increasing your chances of landing that job.

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