Ask Sam letter

Hi there,

Job interviews can be really stressful and scary - especially when it's your first time and you don't know what to expect. Being prepared and staying calm are really important steps that you can take to give you the best chance of getting the job. Sometimes not getting the job can still mean you get something positive out of it as well.

Nerves are absolutely normal for any job interview, even when you have done lots of them they can still be a bit scary. Reducing that stress will give you the best chance of doing well in the interview.

Being in the right frame of mind is the first step to reducing nerves. It's tempting to imagine messing something up and not getting the job. Another way to look at it though is that you can use the interview to decide if this is a place you would want to work. If you turn it round and look at it as you giving them the opportunity to impress you, it can take the pressure off. Go with a few questions for them as they will usually ask if you have any.

Being prepared will also take some pressure off. Decide what you are going to wear and plan your route to get to the interview. Making sure that on the day before you have everything ready will mean that the next morning you don't have to panic about getting there and you can arrive much calmer. Remember to leave some time for if things go wrong so that you can still be on time.

If things don't go as well as you'd hoped and you don't get the job, you can still get something out of it. Ask for feedback from the interview and use it next time you have an interview to improve. Everything we do is a journey and sometimes failing is an important step towards getting to where we really want to be.

I hope this helps. If you'd like to talk to one of our counsellors, we're here for you.

Take care,

Sam