Preparing for a big job interview for a job you really want to land might make even the coolest cucumber succumb to some interview anxiety.

In fact, a whopping 93% of Americans admit to feeling some level of anxiety when preparing for an interview.

Even if you know you're a qualified candidate, what makes the nerves takeover? More importantly, what can you do to calm interview nerves when they kick in? 

Read on to learn what strategies you can use to calm your interview nerves before you're in the hot seat. 

Take Care of Yourself With Focus

If you know you're prone to anxiety before a job interview, this is one time when it's ultra-important to practice self-care. 

Make sure you get enough sleep for several nights leading up to the interview. Drink plenty of water to make sure your body is hydrated. 

Avoid caffeine and alcohol before the interview, as they can escalate feelings of anxiety. 

Get some exercise before your job interview, even if it's a short brisk walk before the interview time. 

Be Prepared 

There are many who believe that preparation is the absolute key to success. Even if you're the most confident person normally, you should never walk into an interview without any preparation. 

Take some time before the interview and learn all you can about the company you're interviewing with. Anticipate what kinds of questions you might get asked and practice the answers. 

It even makes sense to practice your answers to job interview questions out loud. Get so comfortable with how you'll answer the questions, that even when your anxiety inches up a bit, you have the answers locked in your brain. 

You might even opt for some job interview coaching by a professional to help you work through your interview time anxiety. 

Accept You'll Feel Some Tension

You've probably seen it happen before. Someone is anxious about something, and others tell them to calm down. Or you tell yourself to stop being nervous. 

Those are probably not realistic expectations. Prepare for the fact that you might feel some anxiety; then, you won't be thrown for a loop when it appears. 

Remember to Breathe

Often when someone is feeling anxiety, their breathing changes and becomes faster and more shallow. 

When you take those short quick breaths, you're only fueling the anxiety. 

Before and during your interview, be deliberate in your breathing. Take a long, slow, deep breath several times before you walk into an interview. 

Focus on the action of taking that deep breath. Also, imagine all the anxiety you feel leaving your body when you exhale. Visualize the anxiety leaving your body with your breathing. It's a powerful tool to control feelings.

Stand Up to the Pressure

It's easy when you're feeling anxious to want to disappear, even curl up in a ball and avoid it. 

There's some real power in standing up to the pressure and recognizing it might be there. Then you can work to regulate how you're coping with it. 

Pay attention to your posture, even practice powerful poses to overcome feeling inadequate. 

Imagine leaning into the questions and knowing you have the control to answer them. This change in mindset can help you regulate the anxiety as it creeps in.

Use These Strategies to Manage Your Interview Anxiety

For many people, interview anxiety is just part of the process of trying to score a new job. The statistics show that clearly, many people feel it. How you choose to handle it, though, is the key to overcoming it. 

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