How to Overcome Interview Anxiety

Once you are able to find an office who is interviewing, you may begin to feel really anxious. to You might feel like you are about to be judged and that the judgment will not be kind.

But the interview is just the door through. It’s like the door Alice (from Alice in Wonderland) has to go through to make it to Wonderland. The movie isn’t about the door at all. The movie is about something altogether different, but her willingness to adjust herself, to make herself bigger or smaller, to notice what’s working and what isn’t, is what gets her through the door so that the real story can start. A columnist, James Altucher, said:

“Anxiety is the doorknob. The doorway leads to change. But you have to open the doorknob first.”

You must be willing to try a few doors, of course. You may go on about ten interviews before finding the right fit. Don’t get discouraged early on, keep at it! The ones who are successful in finding a good fit may adopt a few key beliefs:

• They believe that even the smallest chance of a better life is worth the fight, worth trying again and again until they get that “Yes!”
• They are willing to ask for help. They are willing to practice interviewing and role-playing, and willing to research the opportunity ahead of time.
• They want to find a better way to think about interviews. I’ve watched women with extreme anxiety disorders coach themselves into being able to interview much better than when they first came to me. One of the exercises we do is look together at what most employers really care about. Employers are people too, and those people want to know a few very basic things:

1) Who are you?

2) Can I trust you?

3) Will you bring my office/company more respect?

4) Do you care?

If you can answer these questions for yourself, then you have nothing to be afraid of. Breathe in and out and own the answers to those questions. When you believe you are telling the truth about your quality of work, the employer will believe you too. Go through it in your head. Role-play it with the mirror or with friends and family who want to see you succeed. Any time you get nervous, take yourself back to the basics:

Who am I?

An extensively trained and determined professional dedicated to doing my best.

Can you trust me?

Yes. I give you my word that I will be here on time, consistently, with a good attitude. I will work to make the people around me better/stronger—whether they be patients or co-workers.

Will I bring your office more respect?

Absolutely—I will do my best to serve the patient in front of me. I will help those around me succeed. I will carry myself with maturity. I will be kind. I will treat everyone with respect.

Do I care?

Yes, I do care. I care because I am here to learn everything that I can about how to run the front office as smoothly as possible. Our patients go out of their way to come see us and count on us when they don’t have many options. I care about making their experience as warm as possible.

How did you answer those questions? If you answered something like above—or could teach yourself to answer like something above—you’ve got this!

Learn more about how UMA helps students prepare for job interviews and a career in healthcare.