How to Reduce Anxiety After a Job Interview

You worked very hard to prepare for your job interview. You made sure that you had extra copies of your resume and any required documentation, you had a friend review your resume, and you prepared thoughtful answers to interview questions. You have completed the interview. All you have to do now is wait. Sometimes, this can be much easier said than done. If not controlled, the anxiety can even turn into obsession. Fortunately, there are steps to avoid obsessing and make the waiting easier.

Replaying the interview in your mind is not a bad thing. Just as emergency responders review their actions after an incident, reviewing the interview in your mind can identify successes that you want to repeat and challenges that you want to avoid. Once you have completed this review then let it go. Unless you realize that you provided untrue information, replaying the interview over and over again will only generate undue anxiety.

Continue with your job search. Even if you are positive that you had a good interview, you should continue your job search. You are not guaranteed the position until it is offered to you. External factors outside your control may cause the interviewer(s) to choose another candidate or stop their search completely. Continue submitting resumes and following up on other leads. If you are offered the job and have other interviews schedule then you are in a pretty good place. It is much better to turn down interviews because you found a job then to find out you did not get the job and start all over again.

Be careful not to overly follow up. It is acceptable to send a thank you note. It is also acceptable to follow up with a phone call. However, base your follow up on the information the interviewer(s) provided. If you were told that a decision would be made in two weeks then refraining from calling during this time. If you were not given a time frame then a weekly follow up call may be appropriate. The proper amount of follow up varies from situation to situation. You want to keep yourself on the interviewer(s) mind(s) but you do not want to annoy them.

If you did not get the job then use it as a learning tool. Inquire about what qualifications and/or experience the successful candidate had that you did not. When asking this, approach it as a learning tool. Explain to the interviewer(s) that you want to hone your education and experience. This can prove useful in expanding your education and experience for future job opportunities.

You will not be successful on every job interview. There are actions that can make your chances worse. The interviewer(s) expect follow up such as a thank you note and a few follow up calls. However, be careful that your follow up does not annoy the interviewer(s). While waiting for an answer, continue your job search. If you do not get the position then take the moment to gather information to expand your resume. These methods can help turn even an unsuccessful interview into future successes.