interview help

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Hi all how do you guys prepare and do interviews? I have trouble with eye contact and seeming very cheerful when I get nervous in interviews plus if the questions are not what I prepaired I get thrown and cant come up with a response on the spot. I've had like 6 interviews and they all have not gone well. Got any tips for me? thanks

If possible I recommend finding a quiet room to yourself where you can practice answering interview questions out loud. You could practice in front of a mirror or video yourself. It may feel strange at first to talk out loud to yourself but I find it useful for building confidence.

I also find it really difficult to come up with answers on the spot. I suggest looking at websites with example interview questions and practice answering a lot of different ones. If you can practice a lot of questions beforehand, hopefully there won’t be too many in the real interview that throw you off.

Henlo!

This is a very valid concern. I have found that transparency has been my friend in cases like this. When I get nervous or am hit with a question I wasn't prepared for my mind goes blank! I usually say something along the lines of "Let me think about that," or "when I get nervous I blurt out responses--here is what I actually think about xyz."

I also struggle with blurting out random responses I don't actually mean to say when I am nervous. I have found that taking a deep breath before responding gives me a second to gather my words.

I have also found that bringing a notebook along is really helpful. Not only does it show the interviewer that you are interested and serious about this job, it also allows you to write down cheat-sheets! I will go through and write down every possible question the interviewer might ask me, and write my answers in bullet points to give me ideas to go off of. I also suggest writing down some of the questions you might have for the potential employer!

Edit: I also remembered while I was driving home from work that you can disclose that you have a neuro-divergency to the interviewers (only if you are comfortable with that). It could either make them more understanding, or discriminate against you (in that case you don't even want to work at an awful place like that!). Remember, this is also a chance for YOU to interview the potential place. Don't settle for somewhere that has red flags or doesn't work with you.

Good luck in your job hunt! You got this ʕ•ᴥ<ʔ