r/interviews • u/Phoebe__cate • 9h ago
Cried during interview
As the title says.
I get so anxious in interviews and find my voice wavering or faltering when it comes to talking about myself. Never do I have issues talking with strangers. I work in healthcare and have no issue talking with patients. It is literally just interviews and when I have to talk about myself or WHY I want something or WHY me?
What can I do? I have watched so many videos on interviewing and I have practiced questions and have answers prepared. I tell myself to imagine they’re patients. I take a moment before answering. But to no avail.
I think it’s that I hate being perceived, I hate feeling and knowing they’re judging my every move and answer. I want it so bad and I have good answers and thoughts, but my mind goes blank and or I start to feel like I’m saying the wrong thing.
In the past, I have kept it to a point of just nerves and my voice wavering. Today, one of the interviewers asked me “question, are you super nervous right now?” And for some reason tears started to fall.
I am SO embarrassed, I currently work at this hospital in the department and I feel like I can’t even come back lmao. They were incredibly nice, said I’m not the first and I won’t be the last, that’s why tissues are on the table etc. They said I had the heart for it. Idk, I’m hoping I didn’t totally blow it, I know I had good answers when I got them out.
Just suuuuucks. Advice?
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u/No_Ability7341 9h ago
Give yourself some grace. You are human, and the anxiety during the interview process is so real! Your interviewer reassuring you and telling you that you have the heart for it tells me you didn't completely screw it up.
As someone with severe anxiety, I highly recommend talking to a therapist who can help you work through methods to help calm yourself during situations. Anxiety medication and beta blockers have been life changing for me when it comes to anxiety inducing situations like interviews or presentations.
Good luck!
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u/Useful_Category9133 9h ago
they kept tissues on the table because it happens more than you think, not because you were worst case scenario. the fact they said you have the heart for it means they saw past the nerves
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u/Responsible-Storm609 9h ago
Try a beta blocker. I was unemployed and flunking every single interview I went to. Got prescribed propanolol, had an interview, got the job. True story.
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u/Orangechickenbaddie 9h ago
I’m also anxious about interviews as well. I started listening to music 45 minutes before it’s time. It calms my anxiety because I feel good listening to music. I also give myself a pep talk; I tell myself that it’s just a job and my worth is not associated with this outcome. This one’s pretty vain; but I also make sure to look at myself in the mirror before it’s time, idk why but it helps as well lol
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u/Lost_Figure_5892 8h ago
People cry. Sometimes we don’t know the origins. Forgive yourself. It’s ok, you are ok, and you can go back. You are ok.
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u/ninishrubbery 8h ago
I cried during one of those pre interview screenings that you have only one chance to record and made it to a virtual interview. 🤷♀️ I was sooooo embarrassed but it’s totally ok lol.
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u/Educational_Poet96 6h ago
Samesies. Life of the party, can work a room, a crowd, a panel of stakeholders. But a baffling baboon the moment I talk about myself.
I realized that it wasn’t talking about myself so much, its the selling myself. Since i have things to prove and am actively being judged, I fold. Mind completely blank. Then time goes by and money runs out so desperation is added to the mix and knowing that, attempting to not exute it. Impossible.
I had to have a strict prep routine that involved creating my introduction, two statements on my key areas that match the JD, and something Im proud of. And I put it in paper and kept it in my pocket to take it out and recite, several times throughout the day. I even recorded myself and listened to that in the car or while mowing. If it wasn’t engrained in my brain like that, i’d draw blank. I had to create the muscle memory.
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u/Pingu201010 3h ago
You’re being very hard on yourself!
I think point 1. You already work there. This person and the team already know what you’re like in some capacity and your ability to do your current job which will absolutely count for something. And was probably why the interviewer was so kind.
2. They’re right that you won’t be the first or last. I’ve seen many people cry in my years. It normally comes from putting too much pressure on yourself.
Try and treat it more like a conversation than an interview if you can, look at some calming techniques to relax yourself. Also there’s nothing wrong with having some notes with you or a copy of your cv to refer back to if you get stuck or go off track.
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u/drbootup 8h ago
I used to get extremely nervous in interviews to the point of having panic attacks sometimes.
For me it took a lot of therapy to deal with trauma from when I was younger. My therapist had prescribed medication, but that just left me feeling drugged up and wasn't effective. Really it was about dealing with the feeling of feeling trapped and unsafe. If I was aware of that feeling I could ground myself and I was usually ok. Doing mock interviews also helped.
Years later I get a normal amount of nervousness, but mostly it just feels like a meeting between two individuals.
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u/ConversationNo9040 6h ago
Do you try to have answers prepped for everything and answer with basically pre thought out answers? I noticed when I stopped this i interviewed better. My best interviews I spent about 5 minutes reading the job description and on the company site total. Just basically winged it. They’d ask me a question and I’d just talk to them not try to remember answers or anything.
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u/Sad-Minute2001 5h ago
You should consider that this might not be about interviewing.
Talk to a therapist that you feel that you connect with, work thru scenarios with them. You may have something else going on that is exacerbated by the interview process.
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u/Abitruff 4h ago
I cry during performance interviews or 1-1 because of the anxiety it builds up in my head
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u/Much_Somewhere7831 2h ago
Use the Canary Wharfian website's interview practice, it reviews your answers and suggest how to fix mistakes with personalised feedback (both verbal and non-verbal comms). Also got OA suite for psychometrics
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u/Taleproof-Moderator 8h ago
I’m sorry that happened. Crying in one interview does not mean your answers were poor, especially when they told you that you had the heart for the work and you still got good answers out.
For the next one, replace full scripts with three cue cards: a patient interaction, a teamwork example, and a hard moment. Give each card four anchors: situation, your decision, action, and result. Practice each answer at 60 to 90 seconds, then rehearse a reset line such as, “I’m nervous because this matters to me, but I’d like a moment to collect my thoughts.”
The STAR method can give you a structure to return to when your mind blanks. Focus on one decision and one observable result instead of trying to sound perfect.
Taleproof can help you rehearse one real example and spot missing ownership or evidence, so you practice from anchors instead of memorizing wording.
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u/jacksback81 9h ago
You need to cut yourself some slack.