Managing nerves for job interviews can be stressful at any stage of the application process. With virtual meetings increasingly preferred over face-to-face interviews, preparing to do this at home can add more pressure as many people continue to face emotional fatigue, additional caregiving responsibilities or altered living situations since 2020. Here are a few studies and insights on managing job interview anxiety.
A psychologist’s guide to managing your anxiety before, during, and even after a job interview (Business Insider)
Written before the pandemic, this article provides useful background on people’s responses to anxiety as well as actions that can help deal with its symptoms.
Coping with interview stress (Drexel University)
A list of signs of interview stress and anxiety. It includes strategies and additional guidance for stress management.
Honesty is the Best Policy: Easing Job Interview Anxiety (Tefler School of Management, University of Ottawa)
The first to examine the link between interview faking and interview anxiety, this study suggests that interview anxiety may explain why people with two specific personality traits are more likely to stretch the truth to impress employers.
How anxiety affects interview performance (CareerWise)
A lab study conducted in 2018 reviewed academic literature on studies that looked at interview anxiety. It explores what a job applicant’s anxiety really tells an interviewer, if rating more anxious candidates lower is justified and other important questions.
Interviewing Anxiety in a Pandemic: How Do I Calm My Nerves? (University of Guelph)
Geared for post-secondary jobseekers, this piece explores stress factors for students, includes existing research and offers advice on interview preparation.
Revealing True Self in Interviews Brings Benefits, U of G Research Finds (University of Guelph)
A study in the International Journal of Selection and Assessment, which was also featured in Psychology Today, found that most people try to engage in honest self-promotion in interviews, highlighting their strengths or playing up achievements. One in five described using something close to self-verification as a strategy to distinguish themselves in the interview.
The role of fear of negative evaluation in interview anxiety and social‐evaluative workplace anxiety (International Journal of Selection and Assessment)
This study investigates whether interview anxiety and workplace anxiety predict lower job performance across various types of jobs. It suggests that anxious interviewees and employees perform as well as their less anxious counterparts. The authors encourage managers not to overlook anxious candidates during hiring or promotions because anxiety does not hinder job performance.
Two evidence-based strategies to settle interview nerves (CareerWise)
Feeling anxious about job interviews is normal but can be very uncomfortable and unwanted. A study found that creating a shift in focus and picturing success are common ways that individuals attempt to settle their nerves.
Virtual job interviews infected by COVID-19 worries, new study finds (Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto)
A study from the University of Toronto finds that for jobseekers living in areas hardest hit by COVID-19 deaths, the pandemic heightened their anxiety during virtual job interviews held in the first wave, with a subsequent reduction in performance.
