How to Calm Interview Anxiety: What to Do Before and During

According to 2025 research published by SEEK, more than eight in ten people surveyed feel nervous about job interviews at least sometimes. You may have been there yourself. You know your work, you have read the job description, and you have a few good examples ready. But then the interview gets closer, and you start worrying about everything from your opening answer to whether the interviewer will notice your hands shaking.

Interview anxiety can make a conversation about work feel much harder than it should, but feeling nervous does not mean you are unqualified or that the interview will go badly. If you are wondering how to calm interview anxiety before an interview, here is what to do with ten minutes left, how to prepare earlier, and how to recover if your mind goes blank.

How to Calm Down Fast Before an Interview (the 10-minute version)

With ten minutes left before an interview, searching for more questions can give you more to worry about. Put your preparation aside and use the remaining time to settle down and check the essentials.

For the first five minutes, focus on your breathing. Sit comfortably with your feet on the floor and relax your shoulders. Breathe gently in through your nose and out through your mouth, counting slowly to five each way if that feels comfortable. Do not force yourself to reach five. The NHS recommends this breathing exercise for stress and anxiety, noting that it works best when practiced regularly.

Use the next two minutes to check the essentials. Take a sip of water and silence your phone. For a video interview, check the microphone and camera settings on the preview screen.

Spend two minutes reviewing your key points. Look over your opening answer, two examples from your experience, and a question you want to ask the employer. A few reminders are enough; you do not need to go through every answer again.

For the final minute, put your notes down. Feel your feet on the floor and focus on greeting the interviewer and listening to the first question. You do not have to feel completely calm before the conversation begins.

Why Job Interviews Make You Anxious

A job interview puts several uncomfortable things together: someone is assessing you, you cannot predict every question, and the outcome may affect your income or career. And if you have been looking for work for months, one invitation can start to feel like your only chance. It's hard to perform your best with that pressure before the interview even starts, especially when the job search has already been stressful.

According to LinkedIn research published in January 2026, 65% of respondents said finding a job had become more challenging. So, when getting an interview takes so much effort, it is understandable to worry about making the most of the opportunity.

Then there are the physical symptoms. The NHS explains that anxiety can trigger the release of stress hormones, which may make your heart beat faster or cause sweating. Once you notice your hands shaking or your voice sounding different, you might start wondering whether the interviewer notices too. That gives you something else to worry about while you are already trying to listen and answer, which can make the nerves feel even stronger.

What to Do the Week Before

With a week to prepare, you have time to work on the questions that worry you most. Read the job description and look at how your experience matches what the employer needs.

Choose three or four examples you can use in different answers. Think of a problem you solved, a time you worked with others, something you improved, and a mistake you learned from. Use the STAR structure: the situation, the task, the action you took, and the result. It gives your story a clear order without turning it into a script.

Prepare for the questions you would rather avoid. You might worry about explaining a career gap, being laid off, leaving a job quickly, or lacking a particular skill. Try to turn that worry into a specific question you can practice. "I am going to mess this up" gives you little to work with, while "How do I explain why I left my last role?" gives you somewhere to start. Prepare an honest, straightforward answer, then say it out loud to see whether it sounds natural.

Find out what the interview involves. Ask how long it will last, who you will meet, and whether there is a presentation or task. Knowing the format means fewer things to guess about. Set aside a few short practice sessions, and if you practice with a friend, ask them to follow up on your answers so you can practice clarifying a point or choosing another example.

What to Do the Night Before

The night before an interview, you might keep preparing just in case you have missed something. Set a finishing time so the evening does not turn into hours of extra work, then get the practical details ready.

Check the interview details. Confirm the start time, time zone, address or meeting link, and keep the recruiter's contact details handy.
Get your clothes and materials ready. Choose something comfortable and gather any documents or work samples you need.
Plan your journey or test your setup. Check the route and allow time for delays. For a video interview, test your camera, microphone, and software now so you have time to fix any problems.
Keep your notes together. A few reminders of your examples and questions are easier to review than pages of written answers.

Put your preparation away and do something that usually helps you relax. Write down any new worries to revisit in the morning. Try to go to bed at your usual time instead of staying up to perfect one more answer. The NHS recommends getting enough sleep to help you cope with anxiety. Rely on the preparation you have already done.

What to Do on the Day

On the day of the interview, you have already done most of the preparation. Give yourself time to arrive or join the call without rushing. Eat something familiar, drink some water, and resist the temptation to have extra coffee or an energy drink because you feel tired. The NHS advises limiting caffeine when managing anxiety, as it can make symptoms harder to control. Stick with what you know works for you rather than trying something new just before the interview.

If you have time, take a short walk before leaving or joining the call. Give yourself a break from your notes instead of using every spare minute to rehearse. For an in-person interview, allow for travel delays and check in around ten minutes early, unless instructed otherwise. For a video interview, open the link early for a quick final check of the setup you tested the night before. Before you enter or join, put your notes within reach and leave any unrelated work or messages until afterward. Give the conversation your full attention from the start.

How to Stay Calm During the Interview

Once the interview starts, you might catch yourself judging an answer before you have even finished it. Perhaps a phrase sounds awkward, or the interviewer's expression makes you wonder whether they are impressed. Before long, you are thinking about how you are coming across instead of what you want to say. Try to bring your attention back to the question. If you missed something, ask the interviewer to repeat it. If they asked several things at once, you can say which part you will answer first.

Take a moment before answering. You do not have to start speaking as soon as the interviewer stops. A brief pause gives you time to choose an example, and saying, "Let me think of the most relevant situation," is fine if you need a little longer.

Start with your main point, then explain it. For example: "I handled that by agreeing on priorities with the client. We had three days left, so I..." This gives the interviewer a clear idea of where your answer is going and gives you something to return to if you lose your train of thought.

Stop when you have answered the question. Once you have explained what you did and what happened, let the interviewer respond. A short silence does not mean you need to fill it with another example.

It may also help to think differently about the nerves themselves. In research published in 2014, people who treated their anxiety as excitement performed better than those trying to calm down during tasks involving public speaking, singing, and mathematics. The study did not involve job interviews, but the approach may be worth trying. You do not have to convince yourself that you feel excited if you do not. A simple reminder such as, "I am nervous because this matters, and I have something to share," may feel more natural. Then turn your attention back to the conversation.

What to Do If Your Mind Goes Blank

Sometimes you know what the interviewer is asking, but the example you had ready suddenly disappears from your mind. You start searching for something to say, and the longer the silence feels, the harder it becomes to focus. You do not have to rush into an answer just to fill that silence. If you freeze in an interview, a few simple steps can help you pick up the conversation:

Ask for a moment to think. Saying, "Let me take a moment to choose a good example," gives you time to consider your answer without pretending you have one ready.
Clarify the question if needed. You might ask, "Would you like to hear how I handled the disagreement or how we delivered the project?" Knowing which part interests the interviewer can make it easier to start.
Choose an example that answers the question. It does not need to be your biggest achievement. Explain what happened, what you did, and how it turned out.
Start again if you lose your train of thought. You can say, "Let me explain that more clearly. The main issue was the deadline, and my responsibility was..." There is no need to keep going with an answer that has become difficult to follow.

If you cannot remember an exact figure, explain the result you can recall accurately. Saying that you do not remember the precise number is better than guessing and getting caught out by a follow-up. You might also be asked about something you have never done. Be honest about that, then offer a related example: "I have not handled that exact situation, but I dealt with something similar when..." If you have no comparable experience, explain how you would approach it, making it clear that you are describing what you would do. Once you have finished, turn your attention to the next question.

How Practising Out Loud Lowers Interview Nerves

Thinking through an answer and saying it out loud can feel surprisingly different. A story that seemed straightforward in your head might take too long to explain, or you may struggle to describe your own contribution. Practicing out loud lets you hear where your answer becomes unclear and get used to pausing and starting again.

In a 2020 JDP survey, 70% said they practiced answers out loud, while 62% prepared examples beforehand. The survey describes preparation habits; it does not tell us whether this reduced their nerves. If you are not sure which questions to practice, AIApply's AI Mock Interview can help. It uses your resume and the job description to create questions suited to the role, then gives you feedback on what you did well and what needs more detail. The mock interview uses typed answers, but you can practice speaking too: read the question, answer it out loud, then type what you said and check the feedback.

Keep each practice session simple:

Answer in your own words. A few notes are fine, but avoid reading from a script.
Pick one thing to improve. You might need to spend less time explaining the background, make your role clearer, or add the result.
Try the answer again. Use the feedback, but keep the wording natural and the details accurate.
Practice difficult questions again later. See whether you can answer them without remembering the exact wording from your last attempt.

You can also use the tool's example answers as a guide to structure and detail, then answer based on your own experience. According to LinkedIn research published in January 2026, 48% of respondents said AI tools helped them feel more confident in interviews. This was not a study of AIApply specifically, but it suggests that some candidates find AI helpful for interview confidence. Practice the questions that worry you most with AIApply's AI Mock Interview. You may still feel nervous, but you'll have a clearer idea of what to say, and how to recover if you lose your train of thought.

FAQs

Is it normal to feel sick before a job interview?

Yes, anxiety can make you feel sick before an interview. The NHS lists nausea, sweating, and a racing heartbeat among anxiety symptoms. If symptoms are new, severe, or keep happening, speak with a healthcare professional.

Can interviewers tell that you are nervous?

Sometimes. They may notice a shaky voice, restless hands, or fast speech, but that does not mean the interview will go badly. Focus on listening and giving clear answers rather than hiding every sign of nerves.

What should you do if your mind goes blank in an interview?

Ask for a moment to think, then choose an example that answers the question. If you lose your train of thought, say, "Let me explain that more clearly," and start again.

Should you tell the interviewer you are nervous?

You can, but you do not have to. If mentioning it helps, keep it brief: "I'm a little nervous, so I'm going to take a moment." Then continue with your answer.

What if interview anxiety stops you from attending interviews?

Seek support from a doctor or licensed mental health professional. If anxiety repeatedly makes you cancel or avoid interviews, preparation tips alone may not be enough. The NHS recommends getting help when anxiety affects your life, and treatments such as cognitive behavioural therapy may help.