If we were to create a list of the most stressful things in the world, the job interview would surely be among the first ones. If you take some time to think about it, even if it does not seem like such a big deal in the beginning, when the date of the interview is closing in, the more the applicant start to fear. But what about the interviewer?

Stressed interviewers

Has anyone ever taken the time to think about the emotions of the interviewer? It is normal to believe that the person in that position has nothing to be anxious for. They are just there to ask the questions right? No, they are just as anxious and stressed as the applicant.

Try to see things from their point of view for one moment. The interviewer is the person responsible to talk to the applicant, ask the right questions, and evaluate everything he or she has heard in order to choose the right person for the job. We could be talking about hundreds of interviews within just a few weeks. Can you imagine the amount of data that person will have to go through?

Obligation of the interviewer

Sure, there will be a few candidates that will be eliminated from the very beginning but the interviewer cannot count on that. And then there is the added weight of the responsibility towards the company. What if they are mistaken? What if they were not able to evaluate the applicants’ skills correctly? Usually interview takes no more than 30 minutes. Is that enough time to evaluate the applicant’s skills and competences?

An interviewer is required to have a certain pool of soft skill, in order to be able to do the job. Not everyone possesses those skills though. And even if they do, they have to constantly work on them. Every applicant is different. There is a common basis but alterations between different behaviors and different people need different skills and of course a lot of experience.

Use stress to your advantage

So next time you go in for an interview and you are afraid of what you might have to deal with, remember that the person sitting opposite you is most likely just as stressed. Stay calm and keep theinter interview simple. If the interviewer find the process of your interview to be easier then, subconsciously, they will ‘’lean towards you’’ during the final evaluation.

And as an interviewer, evaluate the applicant based on what the company’s needs, not the applicant’s skills. It will be easier for you to come to the right conclusion. Anything other than that is just going to add extra value to the applicant and, if hired, the company.