Managing nerves at interviews and assessment centres

Learn how to manage your nerves so you can perform at your best

Interviews and assessment centres can feel stressful. You’ll usually need to show your potential in a short time and sometimes through several tasks.

It’s completely normal to feel nervous. But how do you manage your nerves so you can do your best at your interview or assessment centre? Read on to find out more.

Nerves before and during interviews or assessment centres

Most people know common signs of nervousness. Examples include a fast heartbeat, feeling sick, or sweating. But in interviews and assessment centres, less obvious signs can also get in the way:

your mind may go blank. You might find yourself unable to find words. This is usually a result of your attention narrowing, rather than a lack of preparation
you might focus too much on how you look, sound, or behave. The more you do this, the harder it is to focus on the question
small things like clothes, a chair, or the room may feel distracting. This is because your body is noticing more than usual and your sensitivity is heightened

The goal isn’t to judge this. It’s to recognise your reactions so you can choose tools that help.

We cover these helpful tools below.

Anxiety in relation to mental health conditions, neurodiversity or disability

Your anxiety might be more long term and linked to a mental health condition, neurodiversity or disability. If so you might also want to look at our disability, neurodiversity, and mental health information. This has guidance on sharing information with employers, should you choose to. It also has advice on reasonable adjustments.

If you’d like to talk to someone about this in relation to interviews or assessment centres, you can book a guidance appointment. We can help you decide if you want to tell an employer about your situation. We can also discuss adjustments you might need and how to ask for these.

Reframing nerves as information

Telling yourself to be confident or calm down is unlikely to help when you feel nervous. This can make nerves feel like a flaw when in fact it’s a normal reaction to a new or stressful situation.

Feeling nervous doesn’t mean something bad will happen. It usually means the situation matters to you, or feels uncertain. Your brain can mistake something that is important to you as a threat. This can make nervousness seem like a warning.

Some occupational therapists suggest a good approach is not to try and get rid of nervousness. They suggest you try instead to reframe nerves as information, not danger. This will mean you have more choice about how to respond.

Try recognising that you are nervous but then reframing it. How you interpret the feeling can stop you spiralling.

These are examples of reframing nerves.

I feel nervous and:

my body is giving me information.
this means the interview matters to me, not that I’ll fail
this feels important, not dangerous
I can use this energy
I feel excited about this opportunity (nervousness and excitement can feel similar)

This reframing can help stop or reduce the cycle. (This is where you notice symptoms, worry about them, and make them stronger).

Practical tips for managing nerves

Appearing confident can be tricky when you are feeling nervous. Small actions can help you appear calmer, be yourself and help manage your nerves.

Here are a few things that can help manage interview or assessment centre anxiety:

make a good first impression by smiling. Smiling can help you appear friendly, approachable and more confident.
acknowledge your nerves. You may for example, feel shaky or have sweaty palms. That’s OK, this is normal!
it’s fine to mention feeling a bit nervous, it shows self‑awareness. For example, if your interviewer asks if you’re nervous, you could say, ‘A little bit. This matters to me, and I’m looking forward to our conversation.’ Keep it short, and don’t apologise.
remember your interviewer or assessor may feel nervous too! They don’t want to mess it up for you.
breathe! Take a long exhale before you speak. Breathe in, then exhale a bit longer once or twice. This calms your body and gives you a few seconds to think before you answer.
ground through your feet. Press your feet into the floor and notice the contact. It steadies you and brings your focus back into the room, without anyone noticing.
sit back in your chair. The temptation is to lean forward to look engaged. If you sit back, it helps you breathe, move naturally, and look more relaxed.

What to do if your mind goes blank

Trying to give a ‘perfect’ answer creates pressure. This can make you panic and your mind go blank.

Instead, focus on giving a clear, structured answer. (See Interviews for more on the STAR technique, a way to structure answers).

Interviewers and assessors care more about your reasoning and communication. Your answer doesn’t need to be perfect. It just needs to show how you think.

If your mind does go blank, these are things you can do to help:

use a time‑buying phrase or ‘named pause’. This means pausing but letting the interviewer or assessor know what you’re doing. Say something like “Let me think about that for a moment,” or “That’s a good question, give me a second to think about it.”
It helps you stay in control and shifts focus away from your nerves. You could practice these phrases, so they feel more natural.
repeat an interview question out loud. This can help if your mind goes blank. It brings your focus back and gives you a structure. An example of how you could phrase this is:
“So, you’re asking about a time I communicated effectively. I’ll explain the situation, what I did, and the result.”
or
“You’re asking how I handled a challenging situation. I’ll give you an example, and what I learned.”
take a sip of water. This will give you a moment of thinking time. Take a bottle of water with you in case you aren’t offered a drink.
ask if you don’t understand. If a question or activity is unclear, ask the interviewer or assessor to repeat or explain it.
be honest if you don’t know the answer or forget what you were going to say. Pretending might lead to more difficult questions, and honesty is a good quality.
don’t panic if you go blank or make a mistake. One mistake doesn’t mean you won’t get the job. Explain that you made a mistake and ask if you can try again.

Practice handling your nerves

Most people prepare what they want to say at interview or practise assessment centre activities.

However, nerves often come from the situation, not just the content.

This might sound intimidating, but to build confidence, you could practise in realistic conditions that make you feel a bit nervous.

Try practising with:

your interview outfit on
a timer
your camera on to record your responses
someone watching and asking questions
pausing before you answer
timed tests

This helps your body get used to the feeling of adrenaline that can come with feeling nervous.

See More help (below) for how we can help you practise.

Prepare interview ideas, not scripts

Memorised answers can fail if the exact question you are asked changes.

Instead, prepare:

a few flexible examples
a simple answer structure (See Interviews for more on the STAR technique)
phrases you can use to buy time (see above for examples)

This should help with being adaptable and feeling more prepared.

Handling nerves in timed activities

See assessment centres for more on tasks you might expect. Recruitment tests also has tests you can use to practice and get used to being in a timed environment.

To help with anxiety during timed activities:

break the task into small steps.
instead of thinking “I must pass,” think “I will answer the next few questions.”
if you get stuck, move on.

Look out for practise assessment centre activities on our events page.

Managing your nerves on the day

On the day of your interview or assessment centre, focus on what you can control:

remember: nerves are information, not danger
use one calming tool
stay engaged
if you blank at interview: pause, restate the question, then give a structured answer
at assessment centres, contribute clearly and focus on the task

You cannot control the final decision or other candidates.

After the interview or assessment centre

Reflect

After the interview, or assessment centre, give yourself a short period of time to think about how it went. You could take a few notes about what went well, and what you feel you could improve on next time.

Reward yourself

Do something you enjoy after the interview or assessment centre. You could give yourself a small treat to reinforce the positive step you took. You did well to get to where you did, however it went.

Then move on

Avoid repeatedly playing the interview or assessment in your head. Let it go and focus on what’s next. If you want to know more, you can ask for feedback when you’re told the result.

More information

The following give more ideas to help you manage interview and assessment centre nerves.

How to be confident in interviews and assessment centres
Anxiety is Data, Not Danger: Law Interview Playbook (law specific but applies to other contexts)
Managing stress and anxiety in job interviews | Disability charity Scope UK

More help

Interview practice software

Current students and registered Newcastle University graduates can use the Graduates First video interview software at any time to:

record practice interviews.
receive automated feedback.
access online interview guidance.

Using this tool can help you become more confident and comfortable answering questions under pressure.

1:1 appointments

You can also get help preparing for interviews and assessment centres through our 1:1 appointments.

To book, log in to MyCareer, select ‘Book’, then ‘Appointments’, and use the Appointment Finder tool to choose the most suitable appointment type.

If availability allows, in an information appointment, we may be able to offer an interview coaching session with a careers consultant. This gives you the chance to practise answering interview questions and get feedback.

To access interview coaching, you must already have:

a confirmed interview date, and
received initial interview preparation advice from the Careers Service.

See interviews for more details.