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Ah, that sucks dude. No one would like to be in that situation, seriously. No one likes interviews or public speaking, people just practice a lot and learn to manage.
There are a lot of things you can do to help anxiety, you don't need to live with it. Medications, therapy, meditation, natural remedies, etc. It is a common human condition throughout the ages and there are tons of ways to help get rid of it, in the short term for stuff like you described and for the long term as well...
I feel your pain OP. I don't do well with that stuff either. I recently had an interview and started a thread about it actually, because I had an interview where I had to do a lot of public speaking in front of a large group and perform a skit! I almost didn't go. I did, was mortified as I knew I would but I did feel better about myself for at least trying.
Don't focus on how you messed up. Focus on the successes you had. You gave it a shot and went. Each time it gets easier. Although I was upset that I was too nervous at mine, I feel a little better about the next one. I too have been out of work for a while. Its tough getting back into the groove. Give yourself a break and carry on.
Just a tip, if being called into an interview, you can ask who you will be seeing. Say something like you want to make sure you bring enough resumes.
Have you talked about this with your doctor? A small dose of Ativan is commonly prescribed for these types of circumstances.
A mild beta-blocker called Propranolol also does wonders for the "jitters" - I'm a classical/performing musician, and it's kind of a trade secret of ours. Shhhhh.
Of course that won't give someone the ability to produce great answers, or great performances in the case of us musicians... but it completely eliminates all physical responses to fear, which in turn allows you to focus on building confidence & improving your skills. Mock interviews (with friends or counselors) also might help, as others have suggested. Hope you (the OP) find another opportunity soon, and best of luck in overcoming the anxiety!
Thanks for the tips- I have been researching medications and all of them seem to need to be taken over a period of time whereas my ONLY issue with these "panic attacks" is in very narrow circumstances involving presentations in front of strangers. Considering the side effects of these long term medications in addressing such a narrow problem I don't know if it is appropriate.
Another thing I learned while reading is excessive caffeine intake will make it worse- I have been drinking a LOT of coffee and green tea lately and I guess that has to be cut out. I am also going to take a combination of Kava Kava and Valerin root which are supposed to calm the nerves. I understand there are some risks with Kava if taken for prolonged periods but I am just going to take it until this interview stuff is over.
I do think if I had been prepared for a large group I might have been able to pull it off but the normal interview jitters were already at play and then ten feet from the conference room door this guy "mentions" that all the quality managers will be attending The minute he said that I felt the panic overcome me.
I like the idea of clarifying the interview conditions prior to going so I will know what to expect.
Thanks for the tips- I have been researching medications and all of them seem to need to be taken over a period of time whereas my ONLY issue with these "panic attacks" is in very narrow circumstances involving presentations in front of strangers. Considering the side effects of these long term medications in addressing such a narrow problem I don't know if it is appropriate.
Another thing I learned while reading is excessive caffeine intake will make it worse- I have been drinking a LOT of coffee and green tea lately and I guess that has to be cut out. I am also going to take a combination of Kava Kava and Valerin root which are supposed to calm the nerves. I understand there are some risks with Kava if taken for prolonged periods but I am just going to take it until this interview stuff is over.
I do think if I had been prepared for a large group I might have been able to pull it off but the normal interview jitters were already at play and then ten feet from the conference room door this guy "mentions" that all the quality managers will be attending The minute he said that I felt the panic overcome me.
I like the idea of clarifying the interview conditions prior to going so I will know what to expect.
Kava is awesome. I drank some right before my last interview (2 interviewers) and totally kicked ass. I don't like public speaking either but I just felt so calm and good it wasn't a problem. The only health thing I have found about it says you shouldn't drink it every day for over 3 months. But I think that is more there because it is relatively new and untested, I drank it all summer without any problems.
A mild beta-blocker called Propranolol also does wonders for the "jitters" - I'm a classical/performing musician, and it's kind of a trade secret of ours. Shhhhh.
Of course that won't give someone the ability to produce great answers, or great performances in the case of us musicians... but it completely eliminates all physical responses to fear, which in turn allows you to focus on building confidence & improving your skills. Mock interviews (with friends or counselors) also might help, as others have suggested. Hope you (the OP) find another opportunity soon, and best of luck in overcoming the anxiety!
Actually that is great advice. I used to take Inderol for high blood pressure and found it to be very effective for anxiety. This is a general beta blocker which blocks the adrenaline receptors in the body, which prevents the physical symptoms of anxiety. It is much easier to deal with anxiety when the physical symptoms are removed. It is also very effective for those with difficulty giving public speeches and yes, musicians.
Someone else told me about Kava before. I meant to look into it and never did. I think I will go ahead and order some. I found a site that is highly recommended because it is a small farm in Hawaii and the process is supposed to be completely organic. I think its against TOS if I put the website on here. So if anyone wants it, just send me a PM. I have not ordered from them yet but will be soon.
The way I look at it is you don't have the job anyway. If you fail at the interview you don't have the job. If you don't go to the interview you don't have the job. It is not like you have lost anything, as you don't have it yet. All you have is the potential to get the job.
Win, Lose, or draw I would have done the interview just for the experience. Go in knowing that you don't have anything to lose and see what happens. Ask them questions. Find out who they are and interview them. I always find it is better to stay in controll of a situation then to allow someone else to have the controll. Kind of like when you were younger and ask some girl to dance. She can say yes or no, but wont say anything unless she is asked. You just can't make someone elses decision for them.
I did some extensive research yesterday after my fail yesterday and am going to try the natural route first and lay off the caffeine- I had really been hitting it lately ( two pots of coffee a day and then five cups of green tea in the evening) Looking back it is no wonder I am so freaking nervous....
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The minute he said that I felt the panic overcome me. 
