I'm horrible in job interviews. What do I do?

Not necessarily in this order....

1. Here is a recommendation you don't hear often.....Ask your doctor for medication! LOW doses of anxiety medicine will do wonders for you. It begs to point out....do NOT overdo it and again, DOCTOR PRESCRIBED. Just enough to get your nerves in check. I would NOT suggest alcohol (and yes....it should not include weed) as it might smell. Also, don't make it your first time doing the medication for your interview....get a feel first of how you react (to the medicine) or how your nerves are before you attempt (medicated) with an interview.
2. Practice with people you know.
3. Begin with a conversation. YOU get the ball rolling. YOU set the tone! If YOU have to begin with.."how's your day goin?" ...do so! Don't sit there and wait for the interviewer's questions.
4. When you get the hang of it and feel comfortable with interviews, the need for #1 diminishes.

1. Be yourself, do not try and change who you are in trying to follow all the interview tips everyone gives to you.
2. Have fun!
3. If you do not know an answer to a question, turn it and ask the interviewer how he or she would answer the question.
4. Realize that the interviewer is probably just as nervous as you.
5. Think of an interview this way, it is not complicated: they like you and you like them you get the job, if not, oh well life goes on.

I've been there! I got used to it and the questions they asked. Sometimes I took charge, other times I went with the flow. I always tried to inject some light humor - that's who I am, if they weren't appreciative, then I probably don't want to work there - but that's just me.
Bring paper and pen and don't be afraid to take notes. Bring a listen of questions YOU want to ask.
Preparation and practice will lead to success.

Without being party to your interviews, it is difficult to judge what you mean by you are horrible at interviews, as there is a wide spectrum as to what qualifies as a bad interview.

Addressing your nervousness, here are some suggestions that have helped me.
1. Thoroughly research the company your interviewing. Whether the company is public or privately held, does have an impact, on how much information you can obtain.
2. List all the interview questions that have increased your anxiety, during an interview, and prepare yourself to answer those questions.
3. In addition to your list of difficult positions, research the web for difficult interview questions, and prepare answers for those questions.
4. Prepare responses for questions you anticipate, that are not difficult.
5. Practice your answers until you feel comfortable with what you are trying to convey to the interview.
6. Find an acquaintance to interview you. One time I did not have an acquaintance available, so I had my wife interview me. Practicing your responses when someone else asks the questions, is significantly different than when you read the questions to yourself.
7. Do as many interviews as you can, even if you do not think you want the job. The more interviews you do, the more natural you will be come. Additionally, there are numerous situations where people have accepted positions they thought they were not interested in.

Best wishes!!!

As someone who was very nervous interviewing, I would say Luigi's number 7 was the most helpful thing for me. Each interview I did gave me confidence, to the point now where it feels like I'm chatting with a friend. I would practice all the time, but the stress in the interview would make me forget my rehearsals, which would lead to more anxiety, which would exacerbate my hyperhidrosis, which would make me worry about shaking hands....Medications didn't help either, although they could for others.
Just know there's hope. Someone will see your talent through the nervousness, and it gets better each time.

Here's some unorthodox advice: during the 10-15 minutes right before you go into the interview, stop thinking about questions they might ask and re-live the best interview you ever had. Play that, and the associated feelings, over and over in your head. I guarantee you'll do better in the interviews.

Good luck.

I have actually developed a formula to help people who have difficulty with interviews. The trick is largely in the preparation.

1. Start with identifying the key skills(not activities) you need when doing the job.
2. Identify the 3-5 best experiences that illustrate you have these skills (others can be helpful in helping you to choose them)
3. Practice telling these stories with each story lasting no more than 3-5 minutes
4. These stories then become the answer to ANY question they ask you -- all you need to do is change a one sentence intro.

For example. Lets say your story was about how you saved your existing company alot of money by identifiying a trend in purchasing habits.

They ask -- tell me about yourself. your intro could be Well my career has been spent in successive roles where I help leaders identify trends that have been critical to growth. -- then telll your story.

They ask you about your strengths -- different intro, same story

5. Think about an honest answer to your weakness.

You may also want to watch the Amy cuddy ted talk that discusses some approaches to use immediately before your interview to improve your confidence and poise.

The key is that this interview approach is similar to PR processes. You take control of the interview by knowing your answers ahead of time. The questions are just give you the opportunity to mention your career highlights.

I have a whole process I use to work with people who are doing interviews.

Let's be clear. You are not INTERVIEWING. You are having a dialogue with a future friend. They're explaining why the company and job are right for you and you are explaining why you are the best person for that job.

Remember that they WANT to hire you. That's why you got the interview.

Relax and have fun and don't put pressure on yourself.