I’m hitting a wall with interviewing. No matter how much I prep, my brain seems to short-circuit the moment the pressure hits, leading to rambling or freezing up. I have the HR expertise down, but I can't seem to clear the second-round hurdle. I need to find a way to stay grounded and brief when it counts. What am I doing wrong?

Nothing. Cut yourself some slack.

This market is just awful.

With so many people unemployed, hiring managers are cherry-picking.


Never forget the golden rule of job-seeking:

Whom you know is worth more than what you know.

Connect with people in the real world and establish a brand for yourself. You need people to advocate for you in closed door meetings that you do not have access to to attend.

There's some great pointers and encouragement in the prior responses that should be taken note of. I'll add in one more fortunate/unfortunate truth and --hopefully valuable-- perspective: so much of the interview is also about how you make people feel. You want to instill confidence. As hard as it might be, try going into the interview with the mindset that you're the best person for the job and it's up to them to see it or not. If they don't, it's their loss! If you can channel that mentality, it will hopefully alleviate any pressure that might be causing you to stumble and also project a more calm, poised version of yourself than you may currently be projecting. Good luck!! You will find the right place, it's a matter of timing..keep your head up!!

This is literally me🥲

I am right here with you. Trust me, we are better than we think, more capable than we think, it’s so many factors outside of our control. I can’t clear final round interviews they always end up selecting someone else :/ - our yeses will come.

The only tangible thing I could think of is to stop trying to prepare for all of the questions that may come up and rehearsing your answers. This can lead to freezing if the question is an unexpected one or one you didn't prepare for.

Really the best thing you can do is have 3-5 main "buckets" of skill sets you want to reference (eg: employee engagement, leadership, data analysis, etc), then have stories you want to tell that demonstrate that skill (and Ideally they reference things that are on your resume). This means you only have to figure out what skill the question is asking about, then you can answer based off that and tell your story. This keeps you from going through your mental rolodex of answers to 50 questions.

The good thing is the 3-5 skills are usually laid out in the interview, or you can ask in your initial phone screen the skills that would lead somebody to success in the role.

And.... sometimes its just a crappy job market and you need to give yourself a little grace (as others have pointed out)

I have struggled with this as well. Pressure changes how you think. I have found slowing down and pausing helps more than trying to rush through answers.

Don't over think and exaggerate the truth. Be comfortable with speaking on your skills, what you know, what you do, I learned that is the BEST way verses; trying to tell them what they want to hear. Stick to the facts only and that is: what you actually do...what you have done...the outcome.. the skills and knowledge you have and it will go smooth. Brag on your self in a professional manner, you know what YOU KNOW and keep in mind YOU ARE THE TALENT BEING SOUGHT, they want YOU, and the interview is a chance to tell them WHY you are the best.. Brag on self

Same. I rehearsed And recorded my answers on my laptop. Body language was off. My words were jumbled and I sounded like I just stepped into an HR role. Practice helped. I know what I am doing, but sounded terrible and intimated. my favorite interview was a question and a recording interview. the question…. how to maintain a family feel in the company. my first thought was “are you kidding me“ with this video? Never heard from them again.

Perhaps rehearse with someone in a mock interview. You're getting interviews, which is great. But prepping alone isn't enough for you. Find someone who is willing to ask you some normal interview questions as well as questions like "what was your proudest achievement at XYZ company?" and be prepared to talk to your achievements. Prepare for behavioral interview questions as well, by practicing with someone.

Good luck. You're halfway there with getting the interviews!

Same!

Lots of great advice ... one more for you to consider. Take a few deep breaths just before your interview and don't over prep. Keep a short list of key bullet points as points of reference so your responses are natural. Be human, be you! For the nerves, discuss taking a beta blocker with your doctor. Sooo many senior leaders pop a 10mg of Propranolol before big presentations. Your best fit role/ company is out there, you got this!

Have some trusted friends ask you interview questions based upon your resume and accomplishments. That type of rehearsing worked for me every single time I was looking for my next career move. I received many job offers over the years.

I finally got a new HR job after 1.5 years of search and it’s such a $hit show. I’m grateful for a check but wow it’s stressful. 20 years of HR experience.

From past observations and research this past and last year. Many companies/employers are attempting to hire the more experienced people at the "lowest/cheapest cost".

1. Here in the state of California, I have observed and witnessed that companies/employers are even posting exempt salary jobs that have minimum pay ranges below the minimum required exempt salary threshold of $33.80 per hour (equivalent to $70,304 annually).


2. Companies/employers originally at first attempt to hire within the local area/vicinity. However, when they realize the $ market value is beyond their pay limitations, they instead attempt to hire external/outside of the state of California and with a remote employee that will travel regularly to the office location(s) within the state instead. Their primary idea is to conserve $ payroll costs by hiring someone with more experience outside of the state and at a $ cheaper cost.

However, I am unsure/ whether the idea is long term practical, since the $ price of automative gasoline and jet fuel connected to air travel is currently excessively high due to the war conflict with Iran.

The story of mine !

Practice, Practice, Practice. Have your stories ready, know which experience example you are using + tell them over and over in a mirror. "Why do you want to work for our company? Why are you looking for an opportunity? Project where things went well or how did you handle a situation where things went wrong?"

What you are experiencing is anxiety. Being “judged” may be your trigger. Anxiety is the stress the body uses to protect themselves from harm. The interview isn’t designed to hurt you. It’s to get to know you and who you are. So, keep reminding yourself that whether you get the job or not, you’re going to be ok. If talking to a therapist isn’t an option, there are free therapy aid tools online to help you explore where the anxiety comes from so that you can learn to cope and eventually heal that wound. Yes, it’s a wound. It’s a pattern. You can change it with mindset. But, “putting in the work” takes more than a worksheet. It means you truly have to reflect on that moment in the interview where the anxiety starts and what are you telling yourself. Then replacing it with another thought. “Believe in yourself” is not just a catchy phrase. It’s about having a core belief that you are capable vs not capable. So eliminate anything that prevents you from not believing in yourself by filling that gap and know that not getting the job is not a rejection of who you are. You will land where you feel safe and appreciated. I learned that there are a lot of interviewers/managers that are toxic and I see it in the interview. So, knock the interviewer off the pedestal and have a real conversation. Seriously, knock the interviewer off the pedestal you are putting them on. I’m definitely not saying disrespect them. I’m saying treat them as your equal, not better than you. It doesn’t matter if they are the CEO. They called you in as they want your level of experience. Oh and don’t forget to write a follow up thank you email to everyone you meet. Good luck.

Change your mindset. This is a reciprocal discussion. Your are interviewing them as well. They want a good fit and so do you. Don’t give the employer all the power.

would love to learn more about your insights. I have a questionnaire below on the study I am doing for application and hiring research: https://forms.office.com/r/bXb2DjaNKN