Managing anxiety before interviews

Hi there,

I would recommend the following:

1. Apply to more companies. Unless you only want MBB, apply also to 2nd Tier. Having other interviews aligned will help to decrease the pressure. In my case, I got my OW offer before my MBB interviews and had a lot less pressure due to that. They could also be companies in other verticals if aligned with your long-term goal. It is also going to offer a nice backup and position yourself better for your next application
2. Interview first with companies less interesting for you. How did you drive the first time you drove a car? How did you present the first time you gave a major presentation? I guess it was not the best performance ever. But the second time, you were already confident, because you tried it before. Replicate the same with consulting interviews if possible
3. Realize what is the worst possible outcome and put it into perspective. We have a lot of fears related to rejection and failure. Until we realize that the worst possible outcome is not that bad. What if you fail all your interviews? You can apply again in 2 years. Would it be better if you get the offer? Yes. Is it something that will mark your life as terrible forever? No. You are not going to starve or die. You may just need to spend a bit more time and effort to arrive where you want and get that offer (I coached a good number of people who got into MBB on the second attempt). There may also be new opportunities that may appear that would have not materialized otherwise.

Also, a quick note on failure.

If you look at the richest and most successful people in the world, you will find most of them failed (sometimes in a huge way) before becoming successful.

Walt Disney, Stephen King, Oprah Winfrey, JK Rowling, Michael Jordan, Colonel Sanders all failed before achieving huge success. Overnight success is a nice story told by the media but it doesn't quite fit with reality.

It is totally okay to fail at something. I would personally be very suspicious if someone told me that they have never failed at anything. It's a painful but very effective way to learn and lay the foundation for your next big success if you are willing to work hard and learn from your experience.

Best,

Francesco

Hey,

You are not alone. Most people go through this. Important thing is to learn to deal with this. Here's some snippets from a detailed article that am about to publish. All the best and take it easy.

Feel free to message if you want to discuss further.

How do I manage my stress, anxiety, or nerves during the interviews?

We manage our finances, our home or our life

I personally don’t like the term “stress management”. We manage things that are dear to us or matter to us. We manage our finances, our home or our life. There is nothing good about stress that needs to be managed. It’s not a nice thing to have and must be kept at a distance as much as possible.

Why do we feel stressed?

It’s important to understand why one feels stressed, anxious or nervous during an interview. The simple answer is this- you are doing it to yourself. The situation itself is not causing the stress or anxiety. It’s the way you are reacting to it. You are unable to deal with your own thoughts and related emotions. One thing leads to another and you feel stressed out. You create a lot of performance pressure on yourself.

The way you think is the way you feel. And the way you feel is the way you think. This is a loop in which too many people get stuck without knowing it. It’s like an autopilot system running you.

Exaggerated focus on thoughts and the mind

Do you consciously listen to your heart or liver or spleen or stomach? No! You just leave them alone to do their job. So, why the exaggerated focus on thoughts and mind? Use them when you want, otherwise ignore them. This requires a lot of practice and won’t happen overnight. If you notice your mind drifting and creating negative thoughts, catch it and ignore it. Come back to what you were doing in the present moment. Be relentless with this.

So, what can you do before and during the interviews to deal with this?

Before the interview

1. Prepare well! Don’t leave any gaps in your preparation as these can trigger anxiety. Enjoy the preparation phase as there is so much to learn
2. Remove peer pressure. Your life is your making
3. Remind yourself that you chose to be in that interview. No one has put a gun to your head & forced you to attend the interview (I hope not). So, isn’t it ridiculous to feel anxious about something that you genuinely want to do?
4. Feel grateful for the opportunity. Remind yourself that so many people around you and in the world don’t get the opportunities that you have
5. Remember that the interviewing company is giving you an opportunity. So, they deserve to see your best
6. Eat something light and not a big meal
7. Listen to some soothing music or watch something funny
8. Go for a short walk or meditate (30-45mins before the interview) if you can

During the interview

1. Remind yourself to take it one interview at a time
2. Focus on giving your best and don’t worry about the outcome
3. Sit (or stand) straight with an erect spine
4. Keep a glass of water next to you and sip as required. Don’t overdo it. Sometimes, this can buy you a few extra seconds and help relax in the moment
5. Breathe slowly and deeply if you notice your pulse racing
6. Smile and be relaxed as much as you can. Focus on enjoying yourself, truly open to learning something new from this experience
7. Learn from your performance and work on things you can improve, no matter how small. Do better next time

Closing thought

Life is short and before you know it, time passes. Be grateful for all the good things and learn to deal with the undesirable things. Dealing with stress, anxiety, or nerves in an interview setting has a lot to do with mindset shift in addition to a holistic interview preparation.

Hey there!

Who doesn't get anxiety? Even the GOATS do!

SOME REASONS FOR ANXIETY:

• You are expecting too much from yourself
• You "feel" there is too much at stake
• You "feel" you will end up on the street or die if you fail
• You have not practiced and prepared well enough
• You feel you will get stuck in the case
• You feel the job is above your league
• You are not one of those people who are content with what you have
• You have preconceived notions about how the interviewer will be
• You have actually not done a proper reality check of your abilities and if they match

If any of the above are true - then first rectify it. You might feel easier.

OR ELSE - THINGS TO SAY TO YOURSELF WHEN TENSE:

A) Unless you are saving lives - there is nothing to be tense about. Paramedics and soldiers have the right to be tense, we are just cruising in life by comparison.

B) What's the worse that can happen - you get rejected. 99% of people do get rejected. So thats anyways more probable. So why not just give it a go?

C) Everything happens for a reason. Sometimes we just want MBB. Maybe you don't make it to MBB but make it to a tier-3 consult. Maybe your life turns out to be much better at that firm vs MBB - who knows?

Most of the people trying for interviews on this website are under 35. Probably even under 30. There are some who are in the early 20s as well. Eventually you will end up doing "something". Everyone ends up doing something. Just keep going at it and eventually something will crack open.

Hi, I recommend recreating the interview scenario while preparing with people more expert than you/strangers/consultants. Before doing your dream-firm interview I usually recommend trying other interviews and possibly already arriving with an offer

Best,
Antonello

Hey there,

my personal experience:

1) put everything in perspective: ask to yourself: what will happen in the worst case scenario? is it so bad?  You should be able to tell to yourself "i've pute effort in preparing it, i do not have regrets"

2) relax the day before the interview  do not overstress doing a lot of case just the day before, think more to have some rest, good sleep and a chill day

3) have in mind a plan B  what you will do if this does not go trough? try to have a plan B that you like and anyway