We tend to view all stress as bad stress and therefore fear the inevitable interview nerves which come on interview day. And what’s worse that fear and the anticipation of those nerves only goes to fuel your stress. BUT what if interview stress actually helped us to perform better, what if rather than a negative it actually assists us? Well, recent research from Stanford University has proven just that.
They call it Eustress and evidence shows that short term interview stress actually improves your cognitive function, motivates you and helps you to perform and learn better. This short term stress doesn’t hang about long enough to do any damage to the body but instead makes use of the very beneficial fight or flight response within us all, allowing you to focus and overcome obstacles.
Once we know that all stress is not born equal and that interview stress is a help not a hindrance our whole attitude towards interview day can begin to change, when we feel that familiar nervous energy and adrenaline instead of panic we can understand that actually it’s there to help. It will sharpen our thinking, allow us to focus and tap into better brain function, all very useful under pressure!
So next time you are heading to that interview remind yourself stress is not to be feared but is instead one of your tools for success.
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