Stutter and Interview
Hi Everyone,
This problem has been bothering me for a while. I have medium stuttering since very young, and although it affected me during middle school and high school, I was able to get by. But when I was interviewing for summer positions last Fall, it hurt my interview a bit. I'm afraid that interviewers will perceived my stuttering as lack of confidence and nervousness. But the fact is that I stutter in any circumstances.
I'm wondering have any of you guys encountered stuttering candidates before? Should I mentioned it during the interview? Any advice will be greatly appreciated!
Best,
A stutter
I had a stutter growing up and throughout high school. In high school I joined the debate team which forced me to practice public speaking while thinking critically and eventually led me to be able to overcome my stutter. I found a couple of things most useful.
Practice - interviews are pretty repetitive (at least content-wise) so you should have your answers to common questions almost memorized. Rehearse (and record yourself) going over your answers to the most common questions to the point that it's second nature.
Rhythm - interestingly enough if you find a good rhythm at which to speak at, you can be able to maintain that and it will help not stutter. Tapping your foot gently or maybe your hand on your leg while seated can help you keep a rhythm. Be careful about sounding monotonous though -> this may be less applicable to interviews than it was for me in debate.
Confidence - Even if your stutter isn't entirely confidence driven (mine was not) being confident enables your voice to project more which will generally help reduce your stutter. If you're getting interviews you're clearly qualified enough for the position that they're bringing you in so remind yourself that before you sit down to speak with your interviewer.
Deep breathing - practice breathing deeply before starting sentences. Before answering any question take a deep breath and then begin your response. This usually also helps starting off with a stutter as it will relax your body/mind.
PM me if you have any other questions.
I am a stutterer, my stutterer is very bad, but i work at KPMG and i am a consultant and a very good one... don´t let this thing get to you, believe in yourself, if you got the books in your brain, nothing can stop you
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I have also had a stutter ever since I was in elementary school, and it hasn't slowed down my career. Confidence can overpower a stutter - just ask Joe Biden! If you stutter in an interview, just get back on track and keep demonstrating how you are fit for the role.
You could take some L-theanine or Propranolol or beta blockers to calm yourself down before the interview. It assists with stage fright.
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