Interview anxiety

Most in survey express fear of the process

Feeling stressed? The vast majority of American job hunters have anxiety about job interviews, a recent survey indicates. An overwhelming 92 percent of 1,000 Americans surveyed fear at least one thing about the job-interview process, according to the 2013 Job Interview Anxiety Survey by Harris Interactive on behalf of Everest College.

“The Number 1 thing that they fear the most is just really being too nervous during the job interview,” said John Swartz, regional director of career services at Everest College.

And to Swartz’s surprise, 15 percent of Americans said they fear the job interview because they feel they are overqualified for the position for which they are applying. That’s because many of them had work experience before they got laid off during the economic downturn over the last few years.

“Clearly over the last five years, there’ve been significant layoffs, and it may be a function of individuals feeling this way because they are re-entering the workforce,” Swartz said.

He thinks that having previous work experience should not be a big problem to get back into the workplace, but rather offers potential.

“They do have significant experience, but it’s an opportunity to grow because quite frankly the industry they were in might have changed,” Swartz said.

The study also found that many are worried that they may not be able to answer the employer’s questions, that they are under-qualified or aren’t adequately prepared. Also 14 percent are actually worried about being late for the interview.

To overcome all these fears, experts suggest preparation is key.

“Proper preparation prevents poor performance,” Swartz said. “If you properly prepare, you can take care of nerves.”

And knowing how to better prepare for a job interview is also a key.

“One of the things that I think makes good sense in terms of preparing for an interview, in an effort to eliminate nervousness, is to role play,” said Ray Artigue, principal of Artigue Agency.

Artigue believes that practicing with family members or friends can help to make it “more comfortable and natural” during an interview and reduce anxiety.

Better preparation provides confidence. That’s true at least to JJ Tang, a recent college graduate who drove to San Francisco recently with his teammates to interview for the Lean LaunchPad Program for healthcare startups, an entrepreneurial program to teach those starting up businesses how to run those new ventures.

“We prepared so long that I knew I was gonna get this,” said Tang, who was accepted for the program.

Tang believes that preparation is important, but that’s not the only thing. Strong determination is key.

“Preparations is very important, but it’s not just preparation, you just have to show them you really want it,” Tang said.