I get that there really isn’t any alternative but I have a technical interview coming up and I can’t stop obsessing about it. I have to give a 45 minute presentation and then 4 technical interviews follow and a lunch interview. I’m dreading it like I’ve dreaded few things before. I don’t even need the job that badly. But I’ve had my share of semi traumatic technical interviews that I can’t handle them.
As soon as anything goes wrong, like my code has a bug or I’m not clicking with the interviewer, I freeze and can barely think anymore. I imagine it’s like a panic attack that some people feel, but I don’t get them outside of these damn interviews.
I would just cancel, but I don’t want to start a trend. If there comes a time I do really need to switch jobs, I don’t want my aversion to be any worse.
Ah well. this time next week it will be over.
Wow, that’s a full day of interviewing & challenges.
@lordranbound: How is it now that it has passed? I identify with your dread; maybe it was a good thing you don’t “need” it that badly…it might be easier to present yourself more authentically that way. People always says this sort of thing is good practice for when you do really need it.
Hope it went alright!
Thanks allison - sorry for the late reply.
I didn’t end up going through with it. Long story short, descriptions of the job and of the interview kept changing and it was interfering with work so I told them I wasn’t interested.
Tough to not think of it as a personal failure, though everyone I’ve talked to in my personal life feels like I did the right thing. The confidence hit certainly doesn’t help me going forward with interviews, but what are you going to do?
I know it has been awhile since your original post but just wanted to make an observation. If you can shift your thinking, particularly while you don’t need the job that badly, to seeing this as practice, it can really help a lot.
I know that may not be easy but think about the positives, that some day, the exercise of going through these interviews while you don’t have a load at stake will help set you up for when you do have a load at stake.
And, as with anything, practice helps. Especially for calming anxiety. It never goes away entirely, but can become manageable.
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