Interview nerves made me freeze despite preparing well for the role

[Uniqueheartbee]

I need interview help!

I have managed to escape more formal interviews since an interview I had in my early 20s that did not go well… I had previously not had any problems past the normal nerves! However I applied for and got invited to an interview for a job I really wanted. They had interview guidance on their website so I knew the kind of interview it would be. I prepped well (or so I thought) but I was extremely nervous. When i arrived i really didn’t think I could go in as I felt that anxious. I felt sick, sweaty and my heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest. I did make it in, and it did not go well.

I had a really good “tell me about yourself” prepared but I didn’t get asked that so didn’t get a chance to introduce myself and break the ice so to speak.

It was straight into the more ‘formal’ questions, and after he read the first question I just went into complete freeze. It was like my mind couldn’t think of anything, I felt like I was going to burst into tears and just wanted to leave. I keep replaying it in my head and feel so ashamed over how it went. I tried to gather myself together but I just felt more panicked. I can just imagine them talking about it, I’m actually feeling a bit teary writing this.

It was an entry level job but in a new sector for me. The guy did try and help me out by keep asking more pointed questions but it didn’t help me!

Reflecting on it afterwards I realised I didn’t have a chance to say anything about a success at work, a challenging situation, using my initiative, nothing about my personal self or previous job roles. Id done good company research, had a really solid answer as to why I wanted the job, and some good questions for the end. Instead he read me these questions off a bit of paper, that almost felt like they didn’t make sense to me. I just really totally completely messed it up.

The frustrating thing is I am a good employee. I’m reliable, a great team member, I go above and beyond with my work and with my colleagues and get great feedback on how supportive I am, I get on well with everyone. I’m organised and think of ways to make things easier/efficient for everyone and to solve problems. I always have good supervisions. Ive recently been recognised for being a great asset with many positive things said…. But I can’t get through a bloody interview!!!!!

Can anyone share bad interview stories to help me feel a bit better! Is anyone the same as me, OR is anyone an interviewer and can tell me honestly have you ever had a candidate as bad as me!!! I think I need some sort of interview coaching. Is that even a thing?

Thanks in advance for any support!

“The frustrating thing is I am a good employee. I’m reliable, a great team member, I go above and beyond with my work and with my colleagues and get great feedback on how supportive I am, I get on well with everyone. I’m organised and think of ways to make things easier/efficient for everyone and to solve problems. I always have good supervisions. Ive recently been recognised for being a great asset with many positive things said…. But I can’t get through a bloody interview!!!!!”

all your opinion. Easy to say I need to asses that interviewing you.

“Instead he read me these questions off a bit of paper, that almost felt like they didn’t make sense to me.”
you mean questions you didn’t prepare for, he wanted to hear you and your thought process not a pre planned, potential ally AI written and rehearsed answer.

“The guy did try and help me out by keep asking more pointed questions but it didn’t help me“

so that’s what you need to work on. He gave you everything. You were planned, prepped, AI’dyou weren’t yourself and couldn’t demonstrate that.

your prep for future interviews is know your subject, know you, listen and answer: don’t script and rehearse what you think. Allow freedom of thought and opinion. That’s who I want to employ. Initiative, own mind, great attitude, genuine ability not a script.

you were paralysed by prepping for what you expected and not able adapt. That works for some companies and roles, but from what you say not what this one was recruiting for and certainly not making you a stand out candidate for any.

“Reflecting on it afterwards I realised I didn’t have a chance to say anything about a success at work, a challenging situation, using my initiative, nothing about my personal self or previous job roles. Id done good company research, had a really solid answer as to why I wanted the job, and some good questions for the end.”

you almost certainly did. You wanted explicit questions and didn’t hear or read the opportunities to communicate this.

as an employer I look for all this in understated way. As an example of what you say re initiative I may say “get in contact” without saying how: that assess intuitiveness and attitude and thought process without a pre prepared answer to the question.

Next time put the jd into chat gpt and ask it for 20 possible interview questions, it will create ones about the job, with 20 it will cover most of the 5-7 you will get.

Also look for organisations that have a policy to share questions in advance. We do and I think you get great answers.

I do a lot of interviewing and we never have a problem with people bringing notes in with bullet points of things they know they will need to mention at some point.

Neither do we have a problem with people asking for time to write the question down and a moment to think about it.

Although I've started to provide a printed sheet with the questions on that the candidate can have in front of them to read as we ask them. I prefer giving the best candidate for the job the opportunity to perform well than only ever hiring people who have the gift of the gab in an interview scenario.

Don’t beat yourself up about this. You didn’t perform well but, as you say, you haven’t had interview experience in years. I think that’s particularly tough to accept when you’ve put so much into it. It’ll happen. Do you have someone to go over with interview questions?

I totally understand this and remember an interview where tears started at a tough question.

I am currently back looking for a new job and really hoping to get an interview but the thought of going and facing those people I am not sure I can do it but then that means I am stuck where I am.

It sounds almost like your prep was too rigid. A job interview is about the company getting to know you, not you just reciting answers you have memorised. Can you give some examples of the questions that threw you? You (or AI) can usually easily predict the kinds of questions you’ll be asked my carefully reading the job description and person specification.

Do as many mock interviews beforehand as poss - at least 2 tho' - with a friend or family member acting as interviewer. Give them all the info about the job, and your application, ask them to gen up on it & devise questions to ask you and/or give them a set of questions. Ask them to take it seriously & role play a proper interview & make it hard - it doesn't matter if you fluff these interviews & difficult ones will be better prep for the real thing, which might even be comparatively easier. Take it seriously yourself & prep as if you're going to a real interview. When I've done this it's really increased my confidence at the actual interview

I didn’t rehearse specific answers, or use AI. I was nervous, so I read lots of sample answers, and prepared for possible questions by thinking of different examples for many scenarios that I might be asked. No pre planned scripts.
I read up on the company in an attempt to feel more confident, and wrote down a ‘tell me about yourself’ that I felt happy with but I was more paralysed by the setting. Like the actual physical being in the interview. When he read the first question to me, I couldn’t think properly and went into total freeze mode. It felt like there was no air in the room. It was like my brain couldn’t make sense of what he was saying. May as well have been speaking a different language.

It think it probably did make me a stand out candidate, but for completely the wrong reasons, because of course if you can’t get through an interview it’s not great is it!

Yes I certainly did have had the opportunity to say things but I just couldn’t get my head sorted. It’s a ridiculous reaction to an interview I know, but that’s why I posted for advice.

I’m the same and had a similar interview recently. Did loads of prep based on the job description, the role and what the recruiter told me to focus on. Then the interview was totally different. So I froze. I’ve had much better interviews with the questions in advance but not everywhere will do that. I sometimes take beta blockers which help but you need to try them out first to work out timing and dosage.

In the past most of my jobs have been through friends or temp to perm but interview anxiety has been a massive issue and barrier to having a career.

As someone who has interviewed a lot of people, this is very very common! We work really hard to try and put people at
ease, sometimes it’s successful, sometimes not.

It’s very common for people to freeze or garble the first answer, which is often a really obvious question, such as Why do you want the job.

Just do your best with the next question, at the end I try to offer people the opportunity to go back and fill in anything they’ve missed but it would be fine to ask to go back and say you omitted x,y or z and offer it then.

What I’m looking for is someone who can do the job, not put on a performance for an interview.

It sounds like you had anxiety which led to a panic attack. Read up on panic attacks and how to manage them. Beta Blockers may help.