How To Stop Sweating In Interviews

I still remember the look on his face when we met.

The blank expression told me he was scared to death.

A recent college grad (just one month out), he had not one, but TWO degrees in engineering. A duel major from a top school, I was intrigued when he emailed me asking to meet regarding his, "job search dilemma." Why was this talented, hard working grad struggling to land a job?

It took less than a minute to find out.

We grabbed a seat at a local coffee shop and I asked ,"What's up?" He immediately began to sweat. I mean really, really sweat! He explained that meeting new people was intimidating to him. Which made interviewing pure torture. My heart ached as he explained in the last semester of college he had gotten fifteen interviews based on his resume, but had sweated so badly in each one, he had never been called back, let alone given a job offer.

His career confidence was 100% in the toilet.

He had been to his college career center, but they had been no help. He had given up any hope of landing a job when he had read an article I wrote with some interview tips. He decided to reach out and see if I could help him. I knew in that moment that I had to build something truly powerful to help him.

Step 1: Get to the root of the problem.

First, we talked about what went through his head in these interviews that caused him to get so worked up. He admitted that as a high-achieving engineering student, he was obsessed with having the right answer. He hated being wrong. With interviews, the answers were subjective. He felt he couldn't study and come up with the right answer every time. He admitted that half the time he felt overwhelmed by the questions, many of them catching him off-guard. It was clear he needed a way to feel in control of the interview process.

Step 2: Build the ultimate interview prep tool.

As an engineer myself (Human Factors Engineering, Tufts University, Class of 1990), I went to work mapping out the most comprehensive breakdown of the interview process I could come up with.  Then, I built short tutorials and exercises to help him master each section so he could see his skills improving. [Today, the course looks like this.] This culminated in the ultimate test: a full mock interview where I asked him eighteen common behavioral questions, including the seven most intense questions you can get in an interview. [This INC magazine article shares what the seven hardest questions are.]

Step 3: Put him back in the game.

Once we completed the mock interview, I told him it was time to start applying to jobs again. We both knew his resume would land him instant interviews. He got two within a matter of days. He went on both, got competing offers within two days, and negotiated $5K more in starting salary with the employer of his choice. I'll never forget the smile on his face when he told me.

Helping someone get their career confidence back is one of the greatest experiences you can have. That's why I do it for a living - because nobody should job search alone. 

P.S. - Want to try my ultimate interview prep process?

I'm very excited to announce that I have partnered with Udemy.com to bring my class, "Job Seeker's Guide to Nailing EVERY Interview," to their 10 million members. We launched it this week. Right now, the first 500 people who buy it here will save 50%. The first video is free and you can check out the entire syllabus too. Plus, if you buy it, you can work with me inside Udemy via messaging to get your questions answered. If you've ever felt out of control in interviews, then I hope you'll check it out. I guarantee it will help.