Posted by Peter S. on December 20, 2002, at 12:51:27
In reply to Re: Aaah! Interviews are killing me!, posted by Tabitha on December 19, 2002, at 23:22:56
Hi Tabitha,
Thanks for the response and feedback! Actually I've been getting experience lately in public speaking which has been great. I've been working on this with a counselor but it's been difficult to apply. I went in feeling real good yesterday- I had all the right answers. Then I started to get flustered- I started thinking "oh, my god I need this job but this isn't working out!" and it went down hill from there. When I start feeling desperate the spiral of anxiety and depression begins- and it really starts to show. I can rehearse as much as I want but when I get thrown some curves...
> Peter, that's really unfortunate. I'm PO'd at my job right now, and one reason is I recommended someone as a job candidate, and she got rejected after 2 rounds of interviews. I've worked with her so I know she's very smart and productive, but she comes off poorly in interviews due to just not seeming self-confident. In fact the interviewers end up reassuring her that she is in fact qualified for the position. She's actually even more qualified than most of the other candidates we're interviewing! This is a shame to her and to the employers who aren't getting a good employee. I'm also kicking myself for not trying to coach her more before she came in. Oops, excuse me, for going off on a personal tangent.
>
> Job interviews are just like public speaking, some people are naturally at ease, and others aren't but can improve with practice. Have you considered using professional career coaches, who might be able to put you through some practice interviews and give feedback? Or perhaps some regular counseling could help you reduce your anxiety level and approach interviewing differently. I know from your posts you're a smart guy so it's a shame if you're not able to get past the interview hurdle. And by all means try the beta blockers. I know an amateur musician who uses them for stage fright with great success. Just make sure you don't seem dopey on whatever you take.
>
> I hope some of this is helpful, and if not thanks for letting me rant on this topic.
>
poster:Peter S.
thread:33647
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20021218/msgs/33696.html