6 Ways to Get Rid of Your “Night Before” Interview Nerves

How do you feel the night before your big interview? Unless you are the 1% that does not get phased by interviews, I would guess that you have some level of nervousness. Will I say the right thing? What if I can’t think of an example? Will they think my interview was terrible compared to everyone else?  

The first thing I want to tell you is … it’s normal to have interview jitters. I have interviewed for over 16 years, and I would probably need to do each and every one of these suggestions in order to have a good sleep the night before. Remember, you would not have even been invited to the interview if they didn’t think you have the potential to do the job and be great. Trust me, people are too busy to spend time interviewing people who they don’t think could be a good fit in the job.

So, what are some ways that you can overcome your interview jitters so you can actually relax and get a good nights sleep? Some of my recommendations are probably traditional things you could think of own your own if you had spare time. (But, you don’t have spare time.. you are prepping for your dream job!) And, some are these are non-traditional techniques that I have tried and I am suggesting them because they really work.

Let’s dig in:

#1: Spend 30 minutes on Linked in before you turn your phone off for the night

I want you to go to LinkedIn (because you have taken my previous advice and you have a great profile now) and I want you to search for leadership articles and positive articles about topics that interest you. Read articles about how people have succeeded and read what they say about leadership. Read articles about positive things that are happening in the community right now. And then, I want you to like the posts, comment on the posts and share the posts that match your values. Interacting and networking on a professional platform, like LinkedIn, will make you feel confident, empowered and will instill leadership qualities that will spill into your interview the next day!

#2: Think of someone you really care about and do a great job for them!

For me, this someone is my late Father who was always proud and supportive of my ideas and career. When I have something important and intense coming up, I think of him before, during and after the event and it really brings up my confidence level ….every time!

Who is your someone that you will do a GREAT job job for? Is it a parent, child, grandparent or mentor? Think of them before, during and after your interview and that will definitely motivate you and increase your confidence factor…and you will do GREAT!

#3: Write a short review list for the morning

When you feel you have prepared enough, write a final list of things you want to review one more time in the morning. This can be a list on some post its or a list on a sheet of paper. Knowing that you will give the most important things one last review will give you the relief to stop the preparation and get some quality shut-eye. There’s something about this technique that gives you a sense of relief knowing that you will have one final review the next day.

#4: Repeat a positive affirmation

If I had something positive to repeat it would probably be something like: “I am EXCITED to meet the team tomorrow. I have great examples to share with them. I AM a GREAT candidate!”. Make sure this affirmation is in the present tense and repeat it until you believe it. Repetition is the key in learning many things and in forming habits. The more you say this affirmation, the more you are going to believe it.

#5: Lay out everything the night before

You don’t want to be rushed in the morning, so lay out everything you will need: your outfit, your jewelery, your shoes, copies of your resume in a folder, a bottle of water, a notepad and pen and anything else you need. Know what you are going to eat in the morning and have the little things planned out so you can focus on your affirmations and one final interview review.

#6: Do the superman pose

Through research, I found out this superman pose actually comes from study done at Harvard in 2012. I, however, learned about it in Season 11 of Grey’s Anatomy when I went through my binge watching phase. If you watch the episode, you will see Dr. Amelia Shepherd standing like a superhero- picture the superman pose. She tells her peer that she is standing like a superhero because “there is a study that shows if you stand like a superhero for five minutes before a job interview or a big presentation or a really hard task, you will not only feel more confident, you will perform immeasurably better.”

I have tried it … and it works. This, in combination with the other methods, are all things I have tried that work for me. I hope they work for you too!

How would you rate your level of nervousness before an interview? What techniques have you tried in the past that worked well for you? We are a job seeker community with a wealth of knowledge. The goal is for everyone to share ideas with each other so we can excel in our interviews and get into a career we love!

The best way to be prepared is to have specific examples and to have done preparation with a professional interview coach.

Schedule a mock interview with me to ensure your techniques is 100% ready to stand out from the other candidates!

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