How to handle stress interviews

In an ideal world a job interview would be an informal chat about the job, about yourself and whether you would fit together. I've had interviews like that and you come out thinking : “there must be a catch, that was too easy”. In reality, most job interviews are tough. They can be stressful because you put yourself under pressure or the interviewer uses deliberate tactics to put you under stress.

The interviewer is hoping that by putting you under stress he/she will see you in your true light without any pre-prepared answers. In most cases they are not being nasty or sadistic but want to see how you react in an unstructured or uncomfortable position as this gives them a better understanding of how you might react in the job.

Some of the tactics they adopt are :

Asking questions that have no correct answer.

This could be considered stressful because you would not be able to answer the     question. What they are looking for is your reasoning and logic in forming a response.

Asking obscurely technical questions which you would be unlikely to know.

Similarly, you would have to form a response that shows how you might solve the problem if you didn't have the answer in your head.

 Asking questions that make you emotionally uncomfortable.

Although this is a very questionable tactic to adopt from an ethical point of view, the aim would be to see if you are likely to become irrational in these situations. These questions would be more on a personal nature, like failings in former jobs or mistakes made in the past like criminal convictions. Note: questions that are sexist, agist or religiously intolerant aren't acceptable and you shouldn't be afraid to take this up with the interviewer.

The interviewer may be boorish, uncouth or act stupidly to get some kind of response from you.

In this case it might be their true personality ! Or maybe they are putting on an act to see if you act in an irrational manner towards them. In situations like this you need to focus on the job and how you would perform it regardless of the personalities involved. This is a professional approach to the situation.

How to avoid getting stressed out

First and foremost, remember that this is just a job interview. Sure you want the job but if some of the questions and personalities involved in the interview get too uncomfortable then it's probably just as well that you don't get the job. No job interview is worthy of getting too stressed over, there is always another job just round the corner.

Remember that you are also finding out if the job is suitable for you. Ask questions about the job, gleen as much information from the interviewers as you can. In this way you are more in control of the interview process. If you are asked a tough question then ask for more clarification. Engage the interviewer in a dialogue about the question. You will find they will give away how they want you to answer the more you ask questions.
Remain focused on how you would perform the job in a professional manner. This means not getting emotionally involved in the job but staying calm and rational throughout.

Be yourself, be honest and answer to the best of your ability. You want to give the interviewers an insight into who you are but you are not a performing seal. You do not, and should not, do or say things that are false to get the job.

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