The Interview Anxiety That’s Eating Us Alive
Today’s Most Asked Business Question on the Internet
Pop Quiz. Vibe Check. Emotional Minefield. And how to survive it with your sanity intact.
My wife had just come home from the hospital.
I hadn’t slept much. I hadn’t eaten properly. And I was sitting across from four colleagues I barely knew, trying to interview for a new role inside the company where I already work.
It was my first interview in seven years.
They asked me how I’d implement AI in their department. My mind went completely blank.
Not because I didn’t know anything—but because life had cracked me open, and I was expected to perform like nothing happened.
The New Rules
Interviews have become unpredictable, theatrical, and often disconnected from the actual job.
What used to be a structured conversation about fit and experience now feels more like an escape room puzzle. You walk in prepared to talk about your background. Instead, you’re hit with scenario marathons, culture fit simulations, or questions about technologies the company doesn’t even use.
The AI question ambush? It’s common now. Employers are tossing in trending tech just to prove they’re asking “modern” questions. The result? Interviewees freeze—not because they’re unqualified, but because the game keeps changing mid-play.
If you’ve searched “interview questions” on the web lately, you’ll find a digital support group of people unraveling under the same strain. Some are prepping for last-minute UX interviews. Others are begging for ChatGPT prompts to impress their would-be boss. One just writes: “Today I failed Google Phone Interview.”
It’s not just pre-meeting nerves anymore. We’re living through an epidemic of interview anxiety. And it’s hitting even smart, capable, experienced people hard.
Why Your Brain Betrays You
Interview anxiety isn’t just nervousness. It’s what happens when your working memory gets hijacked by stress.
You’re performing. You’re trying to make a good impression. You’re hoping they see your value. But your brain is busy managing cortisol instead of surfacing answers.
And if you haven’t interviewed in years? That pressure compounds. Interviewing is a skill. And like any skill, it rusts.
There’s also the deeper layer no one likes to admit: the vulnerability of asking strangers to judge your worth. That opens the door to every fear of not being enough.
The Grief Nobody Mentions
No one talks about the grief we carry into interviews.
You’re not just showing up to prove you’re the right fit. You’re often recovering from a layoff, a betrayal, a toxic boss, a burnout spiral. Or in my case, the weight of caregiving and the fear that your real life will betray your professional polish.
We act like interviews happen in a vacuum—as if you can press pause on life, wipe your mind clean, and smile on cue.
But what happens when you walk in holding grief in one hand and hope in the other?
The Survival Kit
Reframe the conversation.
Interviews are not interrogations. They’re collaborations. They called you in because they already saw something promising.
Expect the curveball.
If you get an AI question, a strategy case, or a “how would you…” scenario—pause. Breathe. Say:
“That’s a good question. Based on my experience in [related area], I’d approach it like this…”
Connect what you do know.
Tell stories, not scripts.
Keep 5–7 stories ready that show how you solve problems, lead people, or adapt. Stories stick. Scripts fall apart.
Acknowledge the nerves.
This is hard. Especially if you’re carrying grief, exhaustion, or doubt. That doesn’t make you weak. It makes you honest.
Redefine the win.
Not every interview will go well. Not every room will understand you. That doesn’t define your worth. That’s just one moment.
The Bigger Picture
The anxiety so many of us feel points to something bigger: a professional world that’s changing faster than people can keep up.
And maybe it’s time we stopped pretending that interviews are neutral ground. They aren’t. They’re human encounters. Messy, imperfect, sometimes beautiful.
The good news? Some companies are starting to notice. They’re moving away from pressure-cooker interviews and toward real conversations. Not enough of them. But a few.
Final Thought
If your last interview rattled you—join the club. My post today is me writing a lister to myself I thought someone else might benefit from it
The first I said to my wife after my interview was, “I’m sorry. I have never flubbed an interview.” She said “Stop. You are human.” We are navigating a professional system that often forgets the human on the other side of the table.
Take a deep breath. You’re still in the game.
And you bring more than you think.
Thanks for hanging out in your inbox with me,
Kevin
Kevin writes about leadership, technology, and the human experience at the intersection of both. When he’s not resolving to never interview again and just focus on building his business doing what he loves and is best at, he’s helping leaders remember what actually matters. He runs Advisory Table peer mentoring groups, is a consultant, and educator.
You can find me here:
📍 X (Twitter) – @KevinBakerBiz 📍 Threads –@kevinbakerau
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