You’ve landed an interview for the job of your dreams—congratulations! You’re up to your eyeballs in preparation, having grilled yourself on potential questions and done your homework on the company down to the last detail.
Yet, as any seasoned job-seeker will tell you, all the prep in the world doesn’t quite brace you for the moment you’re sitting across from your interviewer, heart pounding and palms sweaty.
It’s natural to feel like a bundle of nerves with your stomach in knots and your voice trembling. You’re not alone in feeling this way, especially when certain questions make your heart race more than others.
Digital marketing mavens at Reboot Digital PR have taken a scientific peek into exactly which questions turn our calm composure into nerve-wracked responses.
The method? Quite the modern approach: Reboot Digital PR asked 53 interviewees to sport a fitness tracker during their interviews to pinpoint which questions ramped up their heart rates the most.
The Findings: The most panic-inducing moment? A surprise “quick test” thrown by interviewers, skyrocketing the average heart rate to 154 BPM—a whopping 93% spike over the typical resting rate of 80 BPM. That’s not just a flutter; that’s full-blown palpitations!
When the topic of compensation came up, like the ever-daunting “What salary range are you looking for?”, heart rates soared by an average of 66%.
Money talks and it also quickens the pulse, apparently. Similarly, probing into the candidate’s financial expectations pushed the ticker to 133 BPM.
Even a basic “Do you know what we do here?” bumped up heart rates to 130 BPM, a curious 63% jump over the average calm. You’d think it’s a question everyone would prep for, but the stats suggest it’s a sneakily stressful one.
On the lighter side, “Tell me about yourself,” seemed to be the least of the worries, with an average heart rate of 94 BPM. It seems a little introspection goes a long way in calming the nerves!
Other heart-pounding enquiries included:
- “What would your last boss say about you?” at 129 BPM.
- “What are the gaps in your CV?” reaching 115 BPM.
And it’s not just the questions themselves that set our pulses racing. Reboot Digital surveyed 1,357 Brits to uncover the most dreaded elements of interviews.
Not surprisingly, having an audience of interviewers topped the list, with 17% of respondents feeling most intimidated by “Too many interviewers.” Close behind was the anxiety of “waiting in a full office,” where 14% felt all eyes critically on them.
Less concerning but still notable were interview logistics like “needing the toilet” or “arriving too early,” each troubling less than 5% of the respondents.
So, how do you keep your cool under such pressure? Preparation is key, but so is perspective. Remember, an interview is as much an opportunity for you to assess them as it is for them to evaluate you.
Take deep breaths, focus on your strengths, and let your genuine interest and qualifications shine through. After all, they invited you for a reason—you’ve already caught their eye!