Excessive sweating, involuntary shaking, a quivering voice - we’ve all been in a situation where nerves have got the better of us. And as the symptoms take hold, our anxiety can often worsen: the sweats, shakes and wild vocal undulations increase, and panic sets in. 

This bundle of physiological and neurological responses to stress can strike in a huge range of situations, but one of the commonest - in which even the most confident of people can be reduced to mumbled responses, or worse, incoherent rambling - is the job interview. 

Few people enjoy the experience. Even in teaching, where candidates are used to being in front of people, being observed, and where confidence in presenting is part of the job, nerves at interview are common. Unfortunately, those nerves can prevent or seriously hinder a candidate’s chances of landing the job. For some, the mere thought of their nerves derailing an interview can be a serious barrier to applying for a new position. 

Overcoming anxiety is far from easy but by looking at what happens when we get the jitters, we can not only find ways of offsetting the negative consequences but we can also learn that, sometimes, being nervous can be a good thing.  

Increased heart rate

In evaluative situations, such as interviews, anxiety has two main effects on the body, explains Deborah Powell, a psychological scientist from the department of psychology at the University of Guelph in Canada.

“The first is physiological - for example, an increased heart rate, sweating,” says Powell. “These things can happen and a person may or may not be aware of them.” 

The second impact is, arguably, the more worrying for teachers about to be put through what can be incredibly rigorous interviews compared with other professions. 

“The other thing that happens is distracting thoughts or ruminations,” says Powell. “Anxious individuals might worry about what will happen if they don’t get the job, or about what the interviewer is thinking about them. It is believed to be these distracting thoughts that lead anxious people to get lower scores in interviews.”

To test this theory, Powell carried out a study with fellow psychological scientist Amanda Feiler, during which she videotaped students undertaking mock interviews. Each participant was asked to rate the level of anxiety they felt during the interview immediately after its conclusion. The interviewers were also asked to rate the level of anxiety they observed and how they felt the participant had performed. In addition, the researchers scanned the video footage to measure behavioural “cues” in participants, such as smiling or fidgeting, and also “traits” - was the participant attentive, confident, honest, and so on?

The aim of the research was to explore the behavioural cues and traits that are exhibited by anxious interviewees and those that are perceived as “anxiety” by interviewers. 

Low assertiveness

In terms of trait judgements, Powell and Feiler found that there was a significant correlation between the interviewer’s and the interviewee’s rating of interview anxiety, with one of the biggest factors being low assertiveness. However, the situation was completely reversed when it came to behavioural cues.

“Our results found that few behavioural cues significantly related to interviewee or interviewer ratings of anxiety,” says Powell. “Four cues correlated with interviewee ratings of anxiety: fewer hand gestures, less nodding, more pauses and fewer words per minute. Three cues correlated with interviewer ratings of observed anxiety: more licking/biting lips, fewer words per minute and more torso movement. So, only one behavioural cue - words per minute - correlated with both interviewee and interviewer ratings of anxiety.”

Powell established the “speech rate” for each participant, based on the number of words per minute they spoke, and found that people who were more anxious didn’t say as much in their responses.

“They didn’t provide as much detail and they paused more. So, I wouldn’t say that the less anxious people spoke faster per se, they just didn’t have as many silent pauses,” she explains.

The research also suggested that traits such as looking enthusiastic and warm are more important in an interview than cues such as fidgeting or shaking your foot.

“Often interviewees are worried that they are engaging in nervous tics, when in fact the impression that they convey of themselves as assertive, or not, appears to be more indicative of their anxiety,” says Powell. 

So how can interviewees take on board this information and use it to positive effect the next time they find themselves in an interview situation? 

Powell’s suggestion is simple. “Because long pauses seemed to decrease interview performance scores, anxious interviewees should try to extensively prepare for interviews in advance to lessen prolonged silences following questions and provide more details in
their responses.”

Patterns of speech

The importance of how people speak in interviews is a subject that Juliana Schroeder, assistant professor at the Haas Business School, University of California, Berkeley, also knows a lot about. With Nicholas Epley, professor of behavioural science at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Schroeder produced a piece of research titled The sound of intellect: speech reveals a thoughtful mind, increasing a job candidate’s appeal. 

As part of their research, Schroeder and Epley ran a series of experiments that included videotaping MBA students giving spoken “elevator pitches” (a short summary of their abilities) to their top potential employers. The findings underlined the value of the spoken word in an interview situation, says Schroeder.

“When recruiters hear candidates’ statements about why they should be hired, they believe the candidates seem more intelligent, like the candidates more and are consequently more interested in hiring the candidates than when recruiters read the exact same words - for example, in a cover letter,” she explains.

She adds that while many self-help experts advocate “face time” she is a big fan of “voice time” and making sure a candidate’s voice is heard when someone is forming a first impression of them. 

To ensure that nervous candidates sell themselves effectively in an interview, she recommends that they edit and practise their speech in the same way they would edit their writing. Familiarity reduces anxiety, as does confidence in having a honed answer ready. 

“When preparing for an interview in which you can anticipate that certain questions will arise, make sure that you have very well-practised and persuasive responses to these questions. It’s impressive to hear someone being articulate and thoughtful - and I’d suggest even more impressive than reading the same thing,” says Schroeder.

Undertaking a healthy amount of pre-interview preparation is also something that Jared Curhan, an associate professor of organisation studies at the MIT Sloan School of Management, advocates for nervous applicants. 

Curhan, who specialises in the psychology of negotiation and has written a book on the subject of how to negotiate, targeted at school pupils, says that the impression made by candidates in the first few seconds and minutes can determine which way an interview will go. As a result, he recommends that nervous interviewees spend more time considering those early exchanges beforehand.

“It’s really important to think about how you are going to walk into the room, if it’s a face-to-face interview, or how you’re going to begin a Skype conversation, if it’s a virtual setting, because those first few moments really matter so much,” says Curhan. “Obviously you don’t want to overthink it because it will seem artificial and unnatural. The old adage about being yourself is more important.”

Alter your mindset

Another piece of advice he gives to nervous interviewees is to think about altering your mindset before entering the room and viewing the interviewing process in a completely different way. 

“When you go into a job interview or an employment negotiation, often your heart is racing and you’re sweating a little bit more, and there are certain physiological responses that take place that could undermine your performance. 

“But what we’ve found in our research is that it doesn’t have to undermine your performance - it could be that it helps your performance,” says Curhan. 

“The research suggests that physiological activation amplifies whatever your dominant response is to that situation. So if your dominant response to a job interview is negative, or if you’re full of anxiety, then the fact that your heart is racing or you’re sweating may exacerbate those negative aspect feelings. 

“But if you have a positive association with the activity then the research suggests that physiological activation actually amplifies the positive response to the activity.”

Get excited

So, convincing yourself that the interview is going to be exciting before you step into the room is a much more effective coping strategy than the standard way most people deal with anxiety, which is to tell yourself to calm down.

“Try to think of how what you’re doing could possibly be construed as an exciting activity,” says Curhan. “It might be exciting because you’re going to learn about a new employer, or maybe it’s exciting because you’re going to have the chance to make a good impression on somebody and you’ve prepared well, and feel confident and excited about being able to do that. 

“But essentially, it’s about trying to come up with a way to convince yourself this process is going to be exciting so that you can actually leverage the physiological response to be beneficial for you rather than detrimental for you.”

Programming your brain to perceive anxiety as excitement is something Alison Wood Brooks, assistant professor of business administration at Harvard Business School, explored in a 2013 research paper. 

To test the strategy of “reappraising anxiety as excitement”, Wood Brooks conducted several experimental studies in which she placed participants in a range of stressful situations, such as a public-speaking exercise and a maths test. Her findings suggest that simply repeating the mantra “I am excited” prior to undertaking a stressful task such as an interview can help to improve performance. 

In her research paper, Wood Brooks wrote: “The more often individuals reappraise their pre-performance anxiety as excitement, the more likely they may be to trigger upward motivational spirals, and the happier and more successful they may become. Instead of trying to ‘keep calm and carry on’, perhaps the path to success begins by simply saying ‘I am excited’.”

Easier said than done, of course, but positive news nonetheless for the thousands of job seekers out there for whom nervousness is a constant issue. By taking on board the various pieces of advice above, nerves can not only be conquered but could be used more effectively. So get applying for those jobs: and don’t be nervous, be excited. 

Simon Creasey is a freelance journalist

Want to keep up with the latest education news and opinion? Follow TES on Twitter and like TES on Facebook