Hopeless in interviews

[NiceKipperTie]

Hi, I'm just looking for advice from outside my usual bubble!
I'm an allied health professional with over 25 years experience. I'm 50. I work part-time which is a relic from when my kids were younger but I'm very flexible now. I'm bored in my current role because it doesn't stretch me at all any more. I went to an interview for an internal training post which would lead to a promotion. I'm easily qualified for it and a lot of colleagues (including supervisors/managers) encouraged me to go for it. I didn't get the job.
Anyway, I get really anxious in interviews although I'm normally a pretty confident person. I arrived and, in addition to the 3 interviewers I'd been told about, there was a 4th interviewer on the panel which I wasn't expecting.The room was tiny and I couldn't see everyone without turning around in my chair. Basically, I was intimidated and I think I fluffed the first question (why do you want to do this...? Type of thing) by not going into enough depth which probably put me on the wrong foot from the start. The other questions were not along the lines of the questions I'd prepared for, they didn't ask me to expand on anything I'd written in my application and, although the role is heavily clinical and patient facing, there were no questions about patient care or how I would problem solve when dealing with patients (which was heavily pushed in the job description). I found it difficult to think on my feet even though the job which I do well every day is literally thinking on my feet!!
I have ruined interviews before by being nervous and I'd employed strategies to deal with this: preparing answers to possible questions, arriving super early to find the location, deep breaths and fresh air beforehand etc.
I've asked for feedback (I already had 'it was very close') but they never want to hurt your feelings so I don't expect any great insight from that.
So, my question is this: How can I prepare better for interviews? What advice would you give me? I feel like walking away from it all and just getting a job I know I can do (not a promotion) somewhere else which I know is a ridiculous over reaction but I'm so disappointed in myself. The disappointment of my colleagues that I didn't get it also makes me feel like a complete pillock. How can I be better at this??!! I don't think I can do my current role for the next almost 20 years until I retire...
Thanks for reading my interminable waffle :)

You have my total sympathy, I am exactly the same! You sound like you're doing everything right. I'm guessing you looked at both the person and job specs and anticipated questions around those? Maybe ask them for more than "it was very close", tell them you really do want some feedback so you can improve your technique. But they may have meant it when they said you were close...I'm a nurse and failed my interview for a higher grade job, and was told the same thing and didn't believe it either! Then they came back to me and said actually they'd like to offer me a secondment as I was second only to someone with more clinic experience. I took it, and went on to keep the job as they could see I work well! Would that be something you could look into?

Thank you for your kind response. I have received some slightly more detailed feedback now which said I could have gone into more depth on a couple of points which I knew already really. I just need to find a way of getting the confidence to sell myself better, I think, and not get so intimidated by the situation. We did used to have some rotations to other roles and permanent jobs were given following informal interviews but everything has become very formal in the last few years. I guess there is more accountability that way but it's not great for those of us who struggle to perform well in an interview situation.

I'm the same as you. Unfortunately I think it's the same as anything you get nervous about - it's practice you need. Not easy as it's hard enough to get an interview!

Is there anyone who can do mock interviews with you?

Thanks. This is a good suggestion. I do have a colleague who might be willing to help me.

Definitely do some mock interviews and try to get more senior staff, of the grade that would be doing the interview, to do the mocks. I have also had a mock interview videotaped on a development course which was slightly excruciating but also helpful to review. I succeeded in the end even though I was nearly ten years older than you. Dust yourself down and try again. Good luck.

You could also use chat GPT to help you prep. I did this for recen interviews. Fed it the job spec and some of my good examples and then got it to ask me questions. I was able to use a headset and dictate my answer and then chat got gave me feedback. It’s not the same as in person mock interviews but it does get you used to speaking out loud and gave me good tips on where to stop waffling and where to focus more on what I did.
I panicked though in my interview on one question - half thinking of asking my GP for a beta blocker for my next one to see if that helps the freezing response…

good luck

My preparation involved getting used to hearing my own voice speaking, practicing ways to 'recover' if i realised I'd gone off at a tangent and wasn't answering the question. I was walking in my local woods and sat down on a fallen tree trunk to tie my lace. I noticed a row of trees in front of me. This became my mock interview panel, where I practiced answers to a variety of questions out loud using STAR. I practiced in my car in car parks. I practiced for an hour and a half in a car park prior to my interview, to warm up my voice. The questions will be the same for all candidates not tailored to YOUR cv so they can score people. Really analyse what they are looking for in the job role. Think of the interview as a conversation, not an interrogation. I cannot over stress the need to prep and practice out loud. Create a strong list of star examples and know them inside out. e.g. A time you worked with a difficult colleague, a time you managed competing priorities etc. The one thing I always forgot too is that you can pull examples from your non work life, so if you volunteer or for example organise a sports team or social events.

If you can film and record your practice answers, that's hugely helpful. We are usually our own worst critics so you can assess how you come across, your body language, eye contact etc and tweak your delivery.

There are online AI interview prep things which give you quite a few free practices. I used Yoodli recently. I’m shit at interviews and it really really helped! Didn’t get the job I went for but they asked me to apply for something t else, which I got.

AI can be helpful here. You can tell it your interview examples and ask it to frame them for different types of questions - this reduces the chance of getting questions you don't feel prepared for, because you can use the examples you want to use, but with different emphases depending on what you are asked.

Preparation and practice.

I'm pretty good at interviews, in 40 years of work I've only ever not been offered one job, and that was a day I shouldn't really have gone because I was so ill, but only because I do a lot of prep. Like days.

Google standard interview questions and write out your responses. Then rehearse them.

Have examples of when you've covered all the things required in the job description and person spec. Write them out and rehearse them.

Take your notes with you - well organised in a folder. As much as a comfort banket as anything, but if you need to you can use them - employers will see you as well prepared and won't mind if you ask to use your notes.

Interviews are a competition and many candidates self select. It a question of being the best person on the day. It's possibly not your technique it's just that on the day someone else beat you to it. I can recall interviewing 6 candidates and 5 could have done the job. You're confident you can do the job and you need to instill that confidence in the panel. There's some good advice here already, so don't give up just keep applying. Make sure your presentation is excellent. Turn off that voice that's telling you that you're not good at interviews. Go in full of confidence in your ability.

Thanks everyone. This is all hugely helpful and encouraging.