Interview phobia/ panic HELP!!!!!

[LoveRNADN]

hello I am a new grad Registered Nurse and I reallyy need your advise and helppp......i have had 3 interviews so far and did bad on all 3....i het really nervous infront of the people interviewing me and dont know how to properly answer their question without stating at them with a dumb stare!!!!...i really dont know what to do i jave tryed practicing but that hasnt helped i will never find a job wt my interviewing skills....im a lil shy and dnt have the best communication skills which i know is important to become a nurse but i know that if i am given the chance ill be a great nurse!....please give me some Help wt this

[PrettyInInk]

I'm still in the nursing pre-requisites phase, but I went through the same phobia/anxiety as you are now in a different field.

First off, believe in yourself and that you deserve these interviews. You finished school, survived clinicals, all those exams, passed the NCLEX..., so the next level is getting your job as an RN. Congratulate yourself on your hard work, and keep that in mind when you go in to interview.

Secondly, if you've been selected to interview whereas many new grad's aren't even receiving that phone call, that means there's something in your resume/cover letter that is striking a chord with HR/management. Hone in on that and expand on it during the face to face interview.

If you get tripped up during a question, do what I do. Repeat the question back to them, this gives you a few extra seconds to think about your reply, and sometimes hearing it in your own voice makes your answer more apparent. After you repeat their question, smile with confidence while answering.

You already know you can be a good nurse, you said so in your original post. So carry that attitude when you do your face to face interview. Think about compliments given to you by a teacher/clinical instructor/patient. Hell, even think about something positive someone said or did that's not related to your nursing skills, such as a significant other saying "good luck" before you left home, or the barista at the coffee shop telling you to "have a nice day", or a stranger holding the door open for you on your way in to the interview. Having this positive reinforcement in your head makes your verbal replies come off as smoother and more collected.

Hope you found some of this useful and good luck on your next interview! :)