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That depends on the job. Most of my staff are working alone at their cubicle 90% of the time, and when they do have meetings or work with others it's not at all stressful, so I can overlook nervousness in the interviews as not being job related. On the other hand, for a lead, supervisor, or any position that involves negotiation or persuasiveness, a person has to be comfortable dealing with stressful situations and conversations with both co-workers and strangers.
Another factor is the perception of the interviewer(s). Some will consider some or all of the nervousness to be the result of an candidate trying to come up with appropriate answers that may be contrived, because they really didn't have all of the experience required. Hiring managers with experience can usually tell the difference between that and just the stress of an important interview on someone not accustomed to it. I remember when I used to be nervous when being interviewed, it was only after I became a supervisor for the first time and sat on the other side of the table that I became comfortable with interviews for later promotions. In fact, one suggestion that I have made to people in preparing for interviews is for them to do some research, then come up with questions for that job and find a volunteer to interview for practice. They can learn a lot from seeing the process from the interviewer's point of view. Good luck on your next one, hopefully soon.
you cant fake leverage, the reason its less nervous on the other side of the table is you are in a position of authority/leverage. The person being interviewed (unless they are some kind of world class person that have tons of options) are in a position of negative leverage.
I got pretty nervous during my last interview. Fortunately it didn't matter. My job actually required a lot of face to face interaction with clients (tech support for our product) and with others in the company. I was never nervous around them. Not a single time. But it's different when you're trying to sell yourself for a job so I understand why you may be upset.
There must be something about your demeanor throwing them off. You can't always control being nervous. I think the key is to not let it show, or learn to channel your nervous energy into socially acceptable mannerisms instead. Maybe something as simple as smiling more would help. Have you heard similar feedback from others or was this a one-off comment?
I meet clients frequently for my work and I get nervous every single time! Even after 6 years. My stomach sometimes gets affected by my nerves, too, which really sucks! I was in a meeting a couple weeks ago and I remember looking around the room at everyone while speaking thinking....damn this is a lot of people....lol then I lost my train of thought.
What did you do leading up to the interview to prepare? Maybe some quiet/relaxation time in the couple hours before the interview could help relax you. Maybe even a workout or something.
Based on other interviews that I went on, this was first time for feedback. Up until this interview, it was either other reasons or "looked at other candidates" kinda thing.
I started with this staffing agency at the beginning of this month (March). This past week I went on a job interview through them. I got feedback this morning from the recruiter saying that the company told them that they are not sure if I can do the job because I got nervous during the interview.
So, the question is, what does getting nervous during an interview have to do with not getting the job? I did give good answers and tried expanding on everything, but apparently since I got nervous they didnt think I can do the job.
Just because you think you gave good answers doesn't mean that you did. I have interviewed a lot of people, and I am sure some of them have walked out thinking they "nailed" it, when, in fact, they did quite poorly.
I feel bad for you. In 12 years of hiring staff for client support/customer relations, I never once saw their nervousness during the interviews as a negative. In fact, these people turned out 100% to be the most sincere, most capable and formed excellent relationships with their clients. One girl was so nervous she could not speak during the interview. I found it frustrating but she had been highly recommended by a client I respected. So I walked her out to her car, and chatted casually about nothing. She opened right up and I was able to interview her standing outside her car, without her knowing it.
I was always a bit suspicious of those who were a bit too gregarious and relaxed. They were often the more two-faced types.
So maybe you just had a very inexperienced interviewer. Good luck with the next ones
I started with this staffing agency at the beginning of this month (March). This past week I went on a job interview through them. I got feedback this morning from the recruiter saying that the company told them that they are not sure if I can do the job because I got nervous during the interview.
So, the question is, what does getting nervous during an interview have to do with not getting the job? I did give good answers and tried expanding on everything, but apparently since I got nervous they didnt think I can do the job.
It really depends on the job. If you are going to do overnight stocking in the warehouse section of a large grocery store, a sign of being nervous might not matter. But if you are going to be seeing clients and prospective clients especially under what might be stressful situations, they don't want to feel you are going to become a liability.
But at the core of it, appearing nervous is a negative thing because it comes across that you aren't sure of your capabilities and might not be up to the task. Giving the correct answers isn't enough, it is how you present yourself during the interview.
Being nervous during an interview is similar to stage fright for those who give speeches or perform in public. There are techniques to work on for stage fright to overcome it.
I work in software and I've been in the work force for a long time. I'm trying to think if I was ever nervous on an interview. I think the first one I ever went on right out of college I was, because I had never interviewed for a job like this and didn't know what to expect. But I wasn't so nervous it caused me to give a bad interview and I got hired. After that, I don't recall ever being nervous and that was because I was applying for jobs that I knew really well, so I wasn't concerned if I could handle it or not. But for some people, even if they are the expert at what they do, they appear nervous during interviews, so they should get help with that as those do with stage fright.
Best way to handle being nervous on a interview is letting the interviewer do most of the talking. Once I was able to do that and keep my answers short I started being more successful at job interviewing.
I started with this staffing agency at the beginning of this month (March). This past week I went on a job interview through them. I got feedback this morning from the recruiter saying that the company told them that they are not sure if I can do the job because I got nervous during the interview.
So, the question is, what does getting nervous during an interview have to do with not getting the job? I did give good answers and tried expanding on everything, but apparently since I got nervous they didnt think I can do the job.
How did you get nervous?
I will say that as a hiring manager, I don't recall ever interviewing someone who displayed no nervousness. However you express that nervousness, its usually evident to the person hiring.
I would think it is abnormal for someone to display no nervousness. And, in fact, I probably wouldn't hire someone who displayed no nervousness, as to me that would be bordering into psychopath territory.
Also, I would say that as a manager, anytime I gave someone negative feedback, I learned early on to say to the employee........"I'm sure I'm not the first person to tell you this, but you are...........whatever" 99.5% of the time, I was correct and the employee confirmed they heard this feedback before.
So, if you are overly nervous, I'm sure you've heard this before. If you aren't and haven't heard that feedback before, I wouldn't worry too much about it and just chalk it up to some fluke with this particular interviewer who may or may not know what he/she is doing.
It could also be like buyers at an open house in real estate. They are asked for feedback, so they give stupid feedback like "want a 4 br house even though they went to look at what they knew was a 3 br house."
That being said, review yourself and make sure you don't have nervous habits like tapping on the table, tapping your foot, wringing your hands, fidgeting with things etc.
If you have access to any means of mock interviews especially with video, that's the best way to tell how you come across in an interview.
I once had a mock interview where there was a question that became intentionally confrontational along a moral/ethical line. I remembered it as being offensive, but when given the feedback that I overreacted to the question, I couldn't believe that. It was only when I watched the videotape of the interview and saw myself actually push my chair back from the table like I had been slapped that I could accept the feedback.
So, take the feedback on board and come up with strategies to deflect from any nervousness you feel, but don't lose sleep over it.
The statement never let them see you sweat holds merit.
I go in with with a bit of an attitude...I hold them accountable to woo me into wanting to work there. I have the talents...It's up to the interviewer to convince me they meet my criteria. I stopped being a beggar and behaving grateful if they are just doing a cattle call. I'm polite and open to leading questions.
I recall being in my 2nd interview..And in walks the owner to sit in on the interview. He made it a point to address his many achievements....As if to make me cower. I wasn't intimidated. He immediately observed that I was firm in maintaining myself. He liked that I didn't kiss up to him. He remarked that I had what the company was looking for!
Be an equal.and the nerves will subside.
Too many walk in with the please hire me attitude, instead of the let's see what we both can do to achieve !
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