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How do I overcome job interview anxiety as a 22-year-old girl from Pune?

Inderpaul

Inderpaul Singh  |48 Answers  |Ask -

Leadership Coach - Answered on Feb 20, 2025

Major Inderpaul Singh (retired) served in the Indian Army for eight years.
In the year 2008, he moved to the corporate sector and worked with Century Plyboards for 14 years, specialising in people management and organisation improvement interventions.
He is currently employed as a partner with Amishrit Terrene Pvt Ltd, an IT solutions start-up located in Mohali, Punjab.
A certified life coach, he also helps students and individuals handle challenges in their personal and professional lives.
He holds a commerce degree from DAV College, Amritsar, and a post-graduate diploma in business administration from Symbiosis, Pune. ... more
Asked by Anonymous - Dec 27, 2024Hindi
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Career

I’m a 22-year-old girl from Pune, and I’ve been struggling with job interviews. Every time I walk into an interview room, mera confidence bilkul hil jata hai. I either fumble with my answers or I completely blank out. I know I have the skills for the jobs I’m applying for, but itna stress ho jata hai ki sab kuch bhool jaati hoon. How can I deal with the performance anxiety and stress of not cracking an interview?

Ans: Hello
Interview anxiety is not uncommon & most face that.
Do practice/mock interviews with professionals (there are lot of them nowadays).
The only way to gain confidence is to PRACTICE.
Also do bit of introspection in terms of what gets you anxiety - subject knowledge/communication skills/public speaking?
Once you identify, put focused effort to improve that particular area.
All the Best!
Major Inderpaul
HR Expert, Career & Relationship Coach
Career

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Asked by Anonymous - Jan 07, 2025Hindi
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I have been jobless since 2 years. During COVID, I was undergoing tremendous amount of stress due to the lockdowns & WFH. It had telling effect on me & I realized am going through depression when I joined a job which required me to work from office. I quit job a month after I joined the company where the toxic work culture had a big toll on me to the extent of instilling a fear of formal office environs in me, which continues to this day. I have become a recluse. Now I feel I should have sought professional intervention much earlier, rather than just 6 months back. I lost all confidence of turning up for interviews, leave alone joining some job. I fear & hate admitting that infront of my wife who is very temperamental & nags me consistently about job search, as much as she tries to figure out things in my life. Every day I apply to jobs but every time I fail an interview I console myself thinking that I am saved of botheration of the rigors of a job which I can't face. I don't admit to my wife so as not to infuriate her & don't trust her that she will empathise with my situation in life. Hence try to keep up with good facade. But the results never improve- I failed every interview (calls though are hard to come by) which I fully know that its because I could not give my 100 % energy. Now the reluctance is due to many factors- IT is very fast changing field; I have reached a senior level where there are many expectations on that role which I never got to nurture/grow on myself. So every interview gives me shivers: 1) About my performance 2) (provided am selected somehow) About whether I would be able to fulfill my role to my satisfaction (previous professional experience haunts me to this date). As a result of all this I very often mentally exhaust myself (worrying/ wishful)thinking of things rather than bringing myself to earn money for the family. I feel I am just doing things to fill up my day, languishing by doing things that do not bring any value- rather than positively, pro-actively doing something of my career. Due to the gap of 2 years I do not get favorable response from companies I apply to. That is a very big gap to fill & I can't talk my way into saying things like I was in depression or that I did nothing for those 2 years. That further increases my anxiety, I have grown aversion to this entire goings on. I feel direction-less & drained out all the time. Please help.
Ans: Hello!!

Let's only look at the forward path here pls.

Forget about all the failings so far... Be kind to yourself, whatever happened to you, whatever is happening now, the period of COVID did it to many.

The only way to get out of this is -
1. your willingness to see a beautiful future ahead of you
2. you have already taken the first step by seeking counselling
3. leave the habit of revisiting the past again, like you just said that I should have gone to the counselor earlier, don't do this, be happy you are seeing him/her now
4. you have come so far in life, give yourself some credit, you have not reached the senior position just like that, right? You have reached here with your efforts, you have done it before, you'll do it again, have faith in yourself
5. your wife is your life partner, sit across and talk to her, take her to the counselor make her understand that this a phase where you need her on your side. A facade with your wife is a NO NO, it will come out some day, it is extra strain on you and your relationship, come clean , be truthful and honest with her.
6. make self care a priority ..get your routine in order, it's your life, just don't fill your day with mindless activities, like I said one step in the future, start taking actions now.....get up early, expose yourself to the sun and nature( they are great healers), exercise, have good meals throughout the day, learn something new , join a course which will be job oriented, how about adding an MBA or any other course which will help you in your career or job search?
7. make being joyful a habit... spend time volunteering, go teach underprivileged children or where ever you feel like lending a helping hand
8. value yourself....you were not put here to suffer, take action now.

Forget the past, jo beet gayi so baat gayi( meaningless to talk about the past)... stop blaming, complaining....look into the future with energy and enthusiasm, it's your life man , take one step towards it every day.

Bless you to life your life well..

..Read more

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What are the chances to get merit out in afcat for flying branch if you've cleared all stages till medical but with a slightly average written marks?
Ans: Hi Gaurav,
Greetings.
Whenever we decide to take an entrance exam, it’s important to review the guidelines thoroughly. Like other entrance exams, CDAC has provided details on their website regarding the examination process. Admission is based on the vacancies available in the respective areas, and candidates will be admitted after a proper evaluation.

As you mentioned, there are several stages that candidates must clear for admission, if a candidate achieves average marks (Point 8a. (v) In order to rationalise the marks scored by candidates appearing in different shifts in an objective manner through a statistical method, before declaration of result marks scored by candidates will be Normalised based on the formula ), it can be challenging to predict their likelihood of admission. The Air Force has the discretion to set qualifying marks for any or all subjects of the examination. Below are points extracted from CDAC to provide more clarity about the admission process.

Sometimes, they may even consider a second cut-off if necessary ( Based on organizational requirements, IAF may impose a second cut-off for particular branch and call additional eligible candidates for SSB testing. These candidates will be shortlisted purely based on order of merit for the particular branch. That particular branch should be one of the choices submitted by the candidate at the time of registration. The candidature of candidates thus shortlisted, will be valid for that particular branch only and not for any other branch. In the overall Order of Merit, they will be placed below the last candidate qualifying the First AFCAT cut off marks {Para 9(a) above}. If successful in the selection process, these candidates will be inducted into that particular branch only, subject to vacancies and order of merit. These candidates would be required to submit an undertaking to this effect).

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My daughter scored 94.62 percentile in IIT JEE mains exam 2025 session 1. She belongs to general category. Which colleges she have chances to get admission
Ans: Dr, Here is, How to Predict Your Daughter's Chances of Admission into NIT or IIIT or GFTI After JEE Main Results – A Step-by-Step Guide

Once the January JEE Main session results are declared, many students and JEE applicants start asking common questions about eligibility for specific institutes (NITs, IIITs, GFTIs, etc.) based on their percentile, category, preferred branch, and home state.

Providing precise admission chances for each student can be challenging. Some reputed educational websites offer ‘College Predictor’ tools where you can check possible college options based on your percentile, category, and preferences. However, for a more accurate understanding, here’s a simple yet effective 9-step method using JoSAA’s past-year opening and closing ranks. This approach gives you a fair estimate (though not 100% exact) of your admission chances based on the previous year’s data.

Step-by-Step Guide to Check Your Daughter's Admission Chances Using JoSAA Data
Step 1: Collect Your Daughter's Key Details
Before starting, note down the following details:

Her JEE Main percentile
Her category (General-Open, SC, ST, OBC-NCL, EWS, PwD categories)
Preferred institute types (NIT, IIIT, GFTI)
Preferred locations (or if you're open to any location in India)
List of at least 3 preferred academic programs (branches) as backups (instead of relying on just one option)
Step 2: Access JoSAA’s Official Opening & Closing Ranks
Go to Google and type: JoSAA Opening & Closing Ranks 2024
Click on the first search result (official JoSAA website).
You will land directly on JoSAA’s portal, where you can enter your details to check past-year cutoffs.
Step 3: Select the Round Number
JoSAA conducts five rounds of counseling.
For a safer estimate, choose Round 4, as most admissions are settled by this round.
Step 4: Choose the Institute Type
Select NIT, IIIT, or GFTI, depending on your preference.
If you are open to all types of institutes, check them one by one instead of selecting all at once.
Step 5: Select the Institute Name (Based on Location)
It is recommended to check institutes one by one, based on your preferred locations.
Avoid selecting ‘ALL’ at once, as it may create confusion.
Step 6: Select Her Preferred Academic Program (Branch)
Enter the branches you are interested in, one at a time, in your preferred order.
Step 7: Submit and Analyze Results
After selecting the relevant details, click the ‘SUBMIT’ button.
The system will display Opening & Closing Ranks of the selected institute and branch for different categories.
Step 8: Note Down the Opening & Closing Ranks
Maintain a notebook or diary to record the Opening & Closing Ranks for each institute and branch you are interested in.
This will serve as a quick reference during JoSAA counseling.
Step 9: Adjust Your Expectations on a Safer Side
Since Opening & Closing Ranks fluctuate slightly each year, always adjust the numbers for safety.
Example Calculation:
If the Opening & Closing Ranks for NIT Delhi | Mechanical Engineering | OPEN Category show 8622 & 26186 (for Home State), consider adjusting them to 8300 & 23000 (on a safer side).
If the Female Category rank is 34334 & 36212, adjust it to 31000 & 33000.
Follow this approach for Other State candidates and different categories.
Pro Tip: Adjust your expected rank slightly lower than the previous year's cutoffs for realistic expectations during JoSAA counseling.

Can This Method Be Used for JEE April & JEE Advanced?
Yes! You can repeat the same steps after your April JEE Main results to refine your admission possibilities.
You can also follow a similar process for JEE Advanced cutoffs when applying for IITs.

Want to Learn More About JoSAA Counseling?
If you want detailed insights on JoSAA counseling, engineering entrance exams, preparation strategies, and engineering career options, check out EduJob360’s 180+ YouTube videos on this topic!

Hope this guide helps! All the best for your daughter's admissions!

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