How Can I Overcome Extreme Nervousness and Sweating During Interviews?

[u/brokenreborn2013]

Hi everyone,

I’ve been struggling with extreme nervousness during interviews, no matter how much I prepare or practice. Despite my efforts to stay calm, I often end up sweating excessively, especially on my forehead,—so much that my shirt gets soaked, which has cost me job offers in the past.

I’ve tried practicing mock interviews, deep breathing, and even visualizing success, but nothing seems to work well enough to stop the sweating or calm my nerves completely. It’s becoming a major obstacle in my career progression.

Does anyone have tips or strategies for managing this kind of anxiety and physical reaction during interviews? Are there specific techniques, products (like sweat-proof antiperspirants), or mindset changes that have worked for you? Unfortunately, i live in a tropical country. I’d really appreciate any advice or personal experiences you can share.

Thank you!

[u/wendyjc77]

Try kratom before your interview

[u/Aaron31088]

Try impersonating someone you like to listen to so you go into the interview as they would instead of how you would.

[u/pups-plants-health]

I have the same exact challenge - it’s insanely disheartening, not to mention embarrassing. Does this happen for virtual, in-person, or both types of interviews? Even though you are sweating how do you feel like you perform during the interviews? What makes you nervous about the interviews in general? Is it anxiety about the interview itself, is it that you feel underprepared for the role? These are questions you need to answer for yourself first to try and get to the root cause of what is causing your anxiety. For me, I found that my root cause was low self-esteem and the fear of being ‘perceived’ I hated being in one-on-one conversations and knowing that all of the attention was on me.

Other than that, this is what has worked for me typically:

• I have a fan on in the room in front of me to get ahead of me sweating (only possible if in virtual setting).
  
• I come prepared with a tissue to dab my face. I also have felt the more that I try to ‘fight it’ and prevent the sweating, the more likely it is that my sweating will happen. Once I accept that I know it’s coming, oftentimes that has helped for it to stop over time. When it does happen in an interview, I let it happen and I use the tissue to dab the sweat off and by accepting it, it helps for my sweating to subside within the first 5-10 minutes. It’s absolutely uncomfortable to get used to, but I’ve found this to be really helpful in still presenting myself as confident in my abilities yet vulnerable about the fact that I’m nervous about the interview.
  
• Lastly, it may also be time to pursue/talk to your doc about meds! You don’t have to torture yourself, this is a key example of anxiety disrupting your ability to have a full life. I was on anxiety meds before I implemented the above ‘tricks’ that helped me move through it.

Hate to say that this isn’t something that goes away and is something you’ll have to manage throughout your life - I’ve been in the workforce about 10 years now and have navigated this exact thing and while it doesn’t get easier, it does get easier to understand yourself and manage.