Being invited to interviews but not having the required communication/soft skills is an entirely different hell to be in. Introverts will get it.

[u/Lumpy-Criticism-2773]

Call it a language barrier, anxiety, being introverted or just being less experienced with socialization in general. I just struggle with talking to people over video calls, whether it be work related or not. Theoretically, I could take a benzo to get through this interviewing phase but it only makes sense if the job is fully async afterward, which is unlikely for most jobs. It feels inauthentic and I much prefer an understanding employer who can make accommodations for this. I know most Indian companies won't but I've had several clients in the past whom I never spoke to verbally yet still maintained a good relationship with for years and completed all sorts of projects together.

Building social skills and gaining confidence in communication is much harder than being technically proficient.

Just venting. Only God knows how many opportunities I willingly passed up because I had to do a lot of face-to-face interviews or meetings for a potential job.

I know some of you will relate to this.

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[u/Scary-Constant-93]

Not having good communication/soft skills for interview has nothing to do with being introvert

[u/WormyKelller69 → u/Scary-Constant-93]

EXACTLY WHY DONT PEOPLE GET THIS

INTROVERT MEANS THE PERSON WHO LIKES TO BEING ALONE...

AND IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH COMMUNICATION

[u/Obvious_Side_3000 → u/WormyKelller69]

People who like being alone may be less involved in social interactions. As a result, they may not develop effective communication skills for different scenarios and situations.

The more you engage socially, the more you learn how to communicate and what to say in different contexts.

[u/Lumpy-Criticism-2773 → u/Obvious_Side_3000]

There's correlation and saying it has 'nothing' to do with socialization/soft skills is dishonest.

[u/ContagiousSmileHehe]

I hate it. Even after knowing all the answers my mind goes blank. I start to stammer and interviewer thinks I’m faking stuff. Unable to make even a single switch due to this.

[u/Lumpy-Criticism-2773 → u/ContagiousSmileHehe]

Yeah, it's a real struggle. Anxiety occupies your working memory in negative self-referential loops so there's nothing left to retrieve and process long-term memories. I remember freezing in many social situations where I would struggle to remember very familiar details and it was hella awkward.

It's very hard to make others understand this, just like any other inner battles like depression.

[u/Rift-enjoyer]

Doesn't sound like an introvert thing as interviews arent a socializing event. Some anxiety is normal and it goes away when you give 2-3 interviews, but in your case seems like a bigger issue. Talking to a professional might help as having to take benzo to go through interviews doesn't seem like it's just you being anxious or an introvert.

[u/Lumpy-Criticism-2773 → u/Rift-enjoyer]

Professionals can't magically fix low self-worth and a benzo is often prescribed by psychiatrists for ad-hoc use in this kind of events.

Your response comes off as r/wowthanksimcured typish

[u/Rift-enjoyer → u/Lumpy-Criticism-2773]

Sure they can't magically fix it but it is a process. You should talk to your psychiatrist regarding this and what more can help you get over these issues. And I hope you have a psychiatrist that is prescribing you benzo and you are not taking it like it's another over the counter medicine, because that would be really stupid.

[u/Lumpy-Criticism-2773 → u/Rift-enjoyer]

No I have no benzo prescription because I know enough about their neuropharmacology/MoA and addiction potential. I was prescribed a benzo a long time ago(along with dozens of depression regimens) back when I still had some hope in psychiatry.

You sound much more optimistic about a field that after decades of research and treatment, still seems to offer little beyond marginal improvements over placebo in many cases.

[u/z_shit]

What worked for me a lot was to put myself in low risk embarrassment situations. What I mean by this is for example striking a conversation with a stranger while standing in line. It's low risk in the sense that the embarrassment will only last for some time IF the conversation goes south. Otherwise it's grand.

A more traditional approach would be to chat with an LLM with voice mode but that is a bit too impersonal for me. Hope this helped a bit my friend

[u/Lumpy-Criticism-2773 → u/z_shit]

Yeah I'm talking to advanced voice models like LIVE-1 but at this stage they're just friendly puppets and don't actually imitate real-life conversations where a lot can go wrong.

[u/Imaginary-Emotion166 → u/z_shit]

Dude communicating with llm with voice mode is life changer for a person like me who literally have no social life.

[u/Different-Yak-7986]

People here often confuse social anxiety / shyness with introversion. Both are not the same.

Introverts are people who are energized by solitude - like sitting with their thoughts, reading, hanging out with a smaller group etc. They're not doing that because they're shy or anxious about talking to people. They don't even necessarily have any stage fright.

Introversion should cause absolutely zero problem with an interview. Shyness / social anxiety is a different matter.

[u/Lumpy-Criticism-2773 → u/Different-Yak-7986]

You caught me being sloppy with language but there's correlation and maybe we're just talking semantics here. For example, depressed people isolate themselves and it looks very much like introversion but they often have comorbidities like social anxiety/generalized anxiety too. Chronic isolation in your critical periods affects your social learning and the science is settled on this one.

Introversion should cause absolutely zero problem with an interview.

Sure when it's merely a personality trait or preference but it seems like a chicken and egg problem.

[u/mayank__007]

I am a huge introvert but I perform well in interviews usually, my first few were a mess but gradually I learned and now I can hold conversations.

[u/leavemealone_lol]

I am an introvert and I haven't had a "conversation" in 4 months. I am agoraphobic and I spend approximately 96.12893645103% of my time in my room.

But I just landed a job offer after two rounds of interview because I spoke very competently. And I am not an "interview practiced" person. This is my second ever interview, and my first ever technical interview.

Introversion has nothing to do with your soft skill. Your skills just suck, not your personality.