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

Inderpaul

Inderpaul Singh  | Answer  |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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Archana

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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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Ans: Dear Anonymous,
I understand how difficult it is to let go of a relationship you have built from scratch, but is it really how you want to continue? It really seems to be going nowhere. His parents are already in bad health and he married someone else for their happiness. Does it seem like he will be able to leave her? So many people’s happiness and lives depend on this one decision. I think it’s about time you and your BF have a clear conversation about the same. If he can’t give a proper timeline, please try to understand his situation. But also make sure he understands yours and maybe rethink this equation. It really isn’t healthy. You deserve a love you can have wholly, and not just in pieces, and in the shadows.

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Mayank

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IIT-JEE, NEET-UG, SAT, CLAT, CA, CS Exam Expert - Answered on Dec 04, 2025

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My son will be appearing for JEE Main & JEE Advanced 2026 and will participate in JoSAA Counselling 2026. I request clarification regarding the GEN-EWS certificate date requirement for next year. I have already applied for an EWS certificate for current year 2025, and the application is under process. However, I am unsure whether this certificate will be accepted during JoSAA 2026, or whether candidates will be required to submit a fresh certificate for FY 2026–27 (issued on or after 1 April 2026). My concern is that if JoSAA requires a certificate issued after 1 April 2026, students will have only 1–1.5 months to complete the entire procedure, which is difficult considering normal government processing timelines. Also, during current JEE form filling, students are asked to upload a GEN-EWS certificate issued on or after 1 April 2025, or an application acknowledgement. This has created confusion among parents regarding which year’s certificate will finally be valid at the time of counselling. I request your kind guidance on: Which GEN-EWS certificate will be accepted for JoSAA Counselling 2026 — a certificate for FY 2025–26 (issued after 1 April 2025), or a new certificate for FY 2026–27 (issued after 1 April 2026)?
Ans: Hi
You need not worry about the EWS certificate. Even if you apply for the next year's certificate on 1 Apr 2026, the second session of JEE MAINS will still be held, followed by JEE ADVANCED, which will be held in May. JOSAA starts in June. so you will have 2 months in hand for fresh EWS certificate.

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