If you're feeling nervous about your upcoming job interview, you are not alone. Most people experience a degree of nervousness before and during a job interview as nerves are a natural response to any important event. But by approaching job interviews in the correct manner and taking note of a few key things, you can make sure you don't freeze on the big day. To ensure you don’t walk into your next interview a sweaty and nervous mess, here are a few strategies to try out prior to the big day!

• Slow Down
Fast paced speaking is one of the biggest signs of nervousness, so try and keep your speaking at a slow and natural pace. By speaking slowly this will also give yourself time to think before you speak and therefore you will produce stronger responses. Breathe in through your nose very slowly for three seconds. Then breathe out through your nose for a further three. Then repeat this three times. In that time you will have significantly lowered your heart rate and when you speak, you'll find you won't rush!

• Preparation
Something that you are in complete control of is how much preparation you put in before attending your interview. Help yourself out and start thinking about the answers to a range of possible interview questions as early as possible because recruiters will often try and catch you out with some rather unexpected and tricky questions.

• Know Your CV Like the Back of Your Hand
Don’t fall into the trap of not being able to back up a piece of information on your CV, or stuttering when being asked about certain dates for example. You should know every itty gritty bit of information on your CV, no matter how irrelevant it may seem. Many individuals who don’t have truthful facts on their CVs fall victim to failing an interview. Many interviewers will review your CV in-depth to ensure you are worthy of consideration. An experienced interviewer has the knowledge to pick out such candidates. Anything that looks questionable and can be tested can easily get you in trouble. Knowing that you are completely familiar with your CV will calm your nerves and keep you feeling confident before and during the interview.

• Time Management
Plan your interview day properly. Research how long it will take you to arrive at the interview location. Ideally you should conduct a trial run the day prior to the interview (at the correct time of the day) to test out how long the route will take regarding possible traffic delays and public transport issues. Leave yourself at least 15 minutes to run over time because turning up late is a big no no! We would recommend entering the interview location 10-5 minutes early as being late will only stress you out and increase your interview nerves.

• Exercise
Try waking up extra early and hitting the gym, taking a yoga class, or doing a run around the neighbourhood to get an extra little burst of natural energy and to clear your head. It might take a little more effort than, say, meditating for two minutes, but it’s worth it if you want to be at the top of your game for the interview and to calm you down.

And most importantly…be yourself!

Information sourced from The Guardian and The Muse.