Have you ever felt incredibly stressed during a job interview? If so, you’re not alone. Most people say that interviewing for a job is an overwhelmingly stressful experience. Fortunately, you can come to terms with job interview stress by understanding that a certain amount of stress can actually help you ace the interview; that practicing for your interview can help you maintain a manageable stress level; and that there are some effective responses you can use if your level of stress starts to feel overwhelming.
在面试过程中，你有没有觉得压力很大？ 如果是这样，你并不孤单。大多数人都认为工作面试工作压力很大。幸运的是，一定的压力实际上可以帮助你进行面试，通过理解这一点，你在面试中可以将压力水平保持在可控范围内。如果你觉得压力过大，可以采用以下几种方式缓解一下：


First, consider the upside of stress: Researchers and counselors remind us that an appropriate amount of stress can be a positive thing, while too much stress can wear us out mentally, emotionally, and physically. It can be a balancing act to keep your stress level at an appropriate, productive level. A job interview provides the perfect example of how just enough stress can keep us on our toes while helping us to put our best foot forward.
首先，多想一下压力的好处：研究人员和指导顾问表示，适量的压力可能是积极的，但压力过大会使我们在精神上、情绪上和身体上都受到伤害。将压力水平保持在适当的范围内是很重要的。面试就是一个很好的例子，说明正确的压力可以使我们保持清醒，同时帮助我们把自己最好的一面展现出来。


Lyrics from the Broadway smash hit A Chorus Line demonstrate how much is at stake in an audition — the stage version of an interview. The dancers sing, “I really need this job; I’ve got to get this job” as they execute difficult moves and literally remain on their toes. While they, and we, need to remember that there are other jobs out there, the stress of really wanting this particular job can help us approach the audition or interview with as much energy as possible. We just have to remind ourselves to use that stress effectively — remember, you want that job.
百老汇热门歌曲“A Chorus Line”中的歌词表明压力在试镜（舞台版本的采访）中扮演着重要角色。 舞者唱道：“我真的需要这份工作， 我必须得到这份工作”，一边变换着各种动作，一边站稳了脚跟。虽然他们和我们需要记住还有其他的工作，但真正想要这个特定工作的压力可以帮助我们在面试或试镜中发挥最佳水平。我们只需要提醒自己有效地使用这种压力--记住，你想要那份工作。


The problem is that job interviews are an unusual kind of conversation: one that we have only so often, where there’s a huge imbalance of power, and that requires the type of confident recitation of our strengths that wouldn’t fly in other social interactions. Unlike a relaxed chat with a friend, this encounter requires that you rattle off all your relevant skills, experiences, strengths, and interests in an efficient and effective manner so that your listeners are quickly reassured that their time with you is worthwhile (and might even be extended). Producing all of this information in a way that comes across as confident, eloquent, and appropriate means paying attention to your interviewer’s questions, striving to remember that list of things you wanted to be sure to say, and working hard to tackle unexpected questions. A bit of stress keeps you paying attention and giving your best.
问题是求职面试是一种不同寻常的对话方式：面试中存在巨大的权力差距，这就要求我们对自己的长处进行自信的诠释，而这种情况在其他社会交往中不会出现。不像轻松地与朋友闲聊，这种面试需要你以高效率和有效的方式喋喋不休地讲述你的所有相关的技能、经验、优势和兴趣，这样你的听众很快就能放心，认为与你交谈是有价值的（甚至可能延长交谈时间）。 以自信、雄辩和恰当的方式来组织这些信息，这意味着要关注面试官的问题，努力记住你想要说的事情，并努力解决意想不到的问题。有一点压力可以让你聚精会神、并展现出最好的一面。


Because a job interview isn’t typically something that we encounter very often, it’s important to fully prepare for this unusual and nonstandard interaction. Consider some of the standard things your interviewer is looking for: what do you already know how to do, how confident are you that you can learn new skills, what do you consider to be your strengths, and what might be a weakness that you’ve had to address. The latter is where you can demonstrate that you have self-awareness and know that no one is perfect but practice makes us better. Practice your responses to questions like these so that you know what you want to say when some version of them comes up. When you’ve already practiced these expected interactions, your stress level will be manageable and can even provide the remaining energy needed for the unexpected requests that come out of left field and require you to think on your feet.
因为求职面试通常不是我们经常遇到的事情，所以充分准备这种不寻常和不规范的交流是非常重要的。考虑一下你的面试官正在寻找的一些标准：你已经知道怎么做，你是否自信可以学习新的技能，你认为你的优点是什么，以及什么可能是不得不克服的弱点。最后这一点是证明你有自我意识，并知道没有人是完美的，但实践使我们更好。练习对这些问题的回答，以便在某些问题出现时知道自己想说什么。当你已经练习了这些问答，你的压力水平就能够控制在一定范围内，甚至可以帮助你解决一些突发情况。


But what happens when, despite all of your practice, you feel like you’ve screwed up during your interview? Your stress level might skyrocket and send you into a spiral of despair, making you feel that you’re flubbing the rest of the interview and that you’ve already lost the job. While you really can’t ask for a total do-over, rest assured that corrections can be made. When you realize that you forgot to say something important, you can still correct the omission in order to minimize ongoing stress. If you’re still in the interview, it’s always possible to say: “I just realized that I hadn’t mentioned…” Now you’ve made sure that the information you wanted to share has been shared. If you realize an important omission after the interview has already ended, you can send a thank-you email that says, “I want to add to, or clarify, or revise what I said about x…” Again, you’ve completed the message you wanted to get across. Now you don’t have to lie awake at night worried about that omission or mistake.
但是，尽管你经历了所有的练习，依旧搞砸了面试该怎么办呢？此时，你的压力水平可能会急剧上升，并使你陷入绝望的螺旋状，使你对面试的其余部分感到不安，并且觉得自己已经失去了这份工作。虽然你真的不能要求重来一遍，但请放心，这时候是可以补救一下的。当你意识到自己忘了说重要的事情的时候，你仍然可以纠正这个漏洞，以减少压力的上升。如果你仍然在面试，你总是可以这样说：“我刚刚意识到我没有提到...”这样的话就可以将信息分享出去。如果你在面试结束后意识到一个重要的疏忽，你可以发送一封电子邮件感谢信，上面写着：“我想补充、澄清或修改我所说的关于x的事情......”这样你也可以完整传达信息了，晚上不必因犯下的错误而失眠。


Sometimes, the stress level in some interviews goes way beyond what most people experience. As you can imagine — or perhaps have experienced — a room full of multiple interviewers can be difficult for the lone candidate. For example, a client of mine named Jane, who is very skilled in her field and very good at interacting with others, is an introvert who’s most comfortable in a one-on-one situation. She learned that she would have to appear before a panel of interviewers, and wanted to discuss what she could do in that situation to maintain a calm and confident demeanor. Jane’s concern was that she would not be able to “connect” effectively with every person in the room as she worked hard to answer their questions and tried to remember who was who.
有时，一些访谈中的压力水平超出了大多数人的承受能力。正如你可以想象的-- 或者也许经历过的—面对一屋子的竞争对手，受试者总会觉得困难。例如，我的一个名叫Jane的客户，她非常擅长自己的领域，擅长与他人互动，但她其实是一个内向的人，在一对一的情况下是最舒服的。她知道在面试中她必须脱颖而出，想知道在这种情况下她能做些什么来保持冷静和自信。 Jane担心她不能有效地与房间里的每个人“连接”，所以她努力回答他们的问题，试图记住大家的名字。


We discussed making a quick outline in her notebook of the oval table where her interviewers sat, marking, as they introduced themselves, their positions around the table with their names and titles. Jane did just that, and her interviewers were pleased that she was able to address each one of them during the course of the interview. Jane also planned to make eye contact with each member of the group as they addressed her or heard her comments. By planning these ways of managing the stress of a multiperson interview team, she felt more confident and not overly stressed. Her interviewers, in turn, felt that she managed to engage with them all and took the extra effort to get to know them right away.
我们在她的笔记本上快速定下了大纲，包括采访者坐在哪里，并在他们自我介绍的时候标出了他们的名字和头衔。Jane这样做了之后，她的采访者对她非常满意，因为她能记住每个人的名字。Jane还计划在小组的每个成员发表讲话或听取她的意见时与他们保持目光接触。 通过规划这些多人面试时管理压力的方法，她感到更自信，压力减小。 她的采访者也感觉到Jane在设法与他们接触，并且付出了更多的努力快速认识他们。


Another onslaught of overwhelming stress can occur when a wacky question comes your way. You didn’t see it coming (because who would?), you’re not sure if it’s sincere or intended as a joke, and you have to decide quickly how to attempt an answer that may be what your listener is seeking. Your first step in managing your stress and developing your response is to acknowledge the unusual nature of the question: “That’s an interesting question. May I have a moment to consider that?” This procedure could help by first finding out if the interviewer really means for you to answer the question. Is it just a joke to break the ice, or is it a sincere effort to find out if you can think on your feet? If the latter, their response gives you more time to think about a topic you hadn’t rehearsed.
遇到古怪的问题也会使人压力骤增。你没有注意到这个问题的到来（谁又会注意到呢？），你不确定它是真诚的问题还是只是一个笑话，你必须迅速决定如何恰当地回答这个问题。你处理压力和制定应对策略的第一步是承认这个问题不寻常的性质：“这是一个有趣的问题。 我可以思考一下这个问题吗？”这个过程可以帮助你了解面试官是否真的要你回答这个问题。这个问题可能只是为了暖场，也可能是为了测试你是否能快速反应？如果是后者，他们的回应会让你有更多的时间思考这个你没有思考过的问题。

Wacky questions or not, an intense and important interview could create a stress level that results in brain freeze: Your mind goes blank, you stutter, or you blush with embarrassment. What to do?
不管是否会遇到古怪的问题，激烈的面试都会令人感到有压力，影响思考：你可能觉得脑子一片空白，或者觉得脸红尴尬。这时候该怎么办呢？
 
Take a breath, take a sip of water, and take a moment to compose yourself. It’s okay to reply — even to a standard question — with, “Ah, let me think about that for a moment” or “Do you mean…” or “Could you rephrase the question?” You can also ask: “Does my answer cover the issues you were asking about?”
吸一口气，喝一口水，花一点时间梳理一下思绪。 可以说“啊，让我想一下”或者“你的意思是...”、“你能否重新提出这个问题？”来应对这些状况，也可以问：“你对我的答案是否满意？”

Regain some confidence and a sense of calm by remembering that you are interviewing the organization just as much as it is interviewing you.
你要记住，当你在接受面试时，也是在考察这个面试对象，这样想来就会增加一点自信、更加沉着冷静。

The best defense against experiencing overwhelming stress in a job interview is a good offense. Practice in advance what you want to be sure to say, whether it’s initially asked for or not. Remind yourself of your value, your skills, and your ability and enthusiasm about learning additional skills. If you tend to suffer from anxiety or lack of confidence in interviews or in general, consult with a career couch or a counselor who can help you prepare emotionally for this kind of situation. Remind yourself that you might not necessarily get the job, but you’ll know that you’ve done your best to stay calm and ace the interview if it’s at all possible.
在面试中遇到很大压力时，主动进攻是一个很好的防御策略。事先练习一下你想说的话，不管是否被要求如此。回顾一下自己你的价值、技能，以及你学习额外技能的能力和热情。 如果你在面试时总是感到焦虑或缺乏自信，那么可以咨询一下职业咨询师，他们可以帮助改善情绪。还要记住，虽然你不一定最终会得到这个工作机会，但你知道自己已经尽力保持冷静、尽力而为了。

Remind yourself that stress in an interview is not only normal — it’s necessary. Prepare yourself for stress while you train yourself to do a great job. Take the edge off through practice beforehand and by successfully managing your stress in real time. Use your stress effectively and land the job you want.
提醒自己，面试中的压力不仅是正常的，而且是必要的。准备好面对压力，表现优秀的一面，通过练习来汲取经验，面试中正确管理压力。做一个伟大的工作。 事先通过练习，并成功地实时管理你的压力。最终有效地利用压力，得到你想要的工作。