You’re sitting in the waiting room. Or worse, staring at your own reflection in a Zoom window.
Your heart is racing. Your palms are slightly damp. You’re mentally cycling through the three "perfect" stories you memorized last night.
You’re terrified you’ll forget a line. You’re terrified they’ll see through you.
The truth? You’re nervous because you’re trying to perform.
Most interview advice tells you to treat the interview like a stage play. You have a script. You have a "role" to play (The Professional). You have a set of lines you need to deliver to get a standing ovation.
But here’s the problem: when you perform, you aren't present. And when you aren't present, you can't be yourself.
At Less Prep, More Pep, we have a better way. It’s a complete mindset shift called Guess What Energy™ (GWE™). It’s the fastest way to stop overcoming interview anxiety and start actually enjoying the conversation.
The Trap of "Please Pick Me Energy"
Before we talk about how to fix the nerves, we have to look at what’s causing them. Most candidates walk into the room carrying what I call Please Pick Me Energy.
You know this energy. It’s the vibe of someone who is asking for permission to exist.
When you’re stuck in Please Pick Me Energy, you:
- Shrink. You try to be as small and non-threatening as possible.
- Over-explain. You ramble because you’re desperate for them to validate your experience.
- Apologize. You apologize for your gaps, your resume, or even just taking up their time.
- Robot-speak. You deliver scripted answers that sound like a LinkedIn bot wrote them.
This energy is a repellent. It makes the interviewer feel like they’re doing you a favor by talking to you. But you aren't there for a favor. You’re there to solve a problem.
What is Guess What Energy™?
Guess What Energy™ is the exact opposite.
Think about the last time something wild happened at work. Maybe a project went sideways and you saved it, or a client said something hilarious. You walked over to a friend later that day and said, "Guess what happened today?"
That's it. That’s the energy.
When you tell a friend a story, you don't worry about your "transferable skills." You don't use corporate jargon. You don't sound robotic. You’re animated. You’re specific. You’re real.
GWE™ is giving yourself permission to show up as the full version of who you actually are.
It’s not about being loud or extroverted. It’s about the authority you have over your own life. You are the only person who was in the room when your stories happened. You are the expert on your own experience.
When you use Guess What Energy™, you aren't begging for a job. You’re sharing a story.
Stop Testing, Start Talking
One of the biggest reasons you're nervous is that you think an interview is a test. You think there’s a "right" answer hidden in a vault somewhere and you have to find it.
An interview is a conversation, not a test.
If you were having coffee with a mentor, you wouldn't be sweating. You’d just be talking. The moment you reframe the interview as a collaborative discussion about whether you can solve their problems, the pressure disappears.
When they ask, "Tell me about a time you failed," Please Pick Me Energy tries to find a "fake" failure that sounds like a strength.
Guess What Energy™ says, "Oh man, guess what happened? I once totally missed a deadline because I underestimated the vendor’s timeline. Here’s what I did to fix it, and here’s why I never let it happen again."
Specific. Engaging. Real.
Build Your Brag Bank
To use GWE™ effectively, you need to know your stories. But you don't need to memorize them word-for-word.
We teach our clients to build a Brag Bank.
Instead of scripts, you have a collection of "energy moments." These are 3-5 stories from your career that prove you know what you’re doing. You don't write them down in paragraphs. You jot down the bullet points: the "Guess what?" moments.
When you have your Brag Bank ready, you don't have to worry about "overcoming interview anxiety" by memorizing 40 different behavioral questions. You just pull the right story from the bank and tell it with that natural, conversational pep.
How to Apply GWE™ Right Now
If you have an interview coming up tomorrow, here is your 3-step plan to shift your energy:
- Ditch the Scripts: Stop reading your "perfect" answers. They are making you sound like a machine. If you can't say it naturally to a friend, don't say it to a recruiter.
- Find the "Guess What": For every project on your resume, ask yourself: If I was telling a friend about this over a drink, what would I say? That is the version of the story you should tell.
- Check Your Posture: Energy starts in the body. Sit up. Open your shoulders. Take up space. You’re allowed to be there.
You Already Have the Experience
The most important thing to remember is this: You are already enough.
The company saw your resume. They know your skills. They already think you can do the job: that’s why they called you. The interview isn't about proving your resume is true. It’s about showing them what it’s like to work with you.
Do they want to work with a scripted robot who is terrified of making a mistake? Or do they want to work with someone who has the confidence to own their story?
Less prep. More pep. More you.
If you’re ready to stop the over-preparing and start walking into rooms with total confidence, start with The Pep Kit. If you want deeper support, book 1:1 Coaching — The Confidence Call, grab The Book, or work through The Workbook.
Stop performing. Start talking. Own the room.
About the Author
Ebonee is the founder of Less Prep, More Pep and the creator of the Guess What Energy™ method. After years of seeing brilliant professionals freeze up in interviews, she decided to flip the script. She teaches candidates how to communicate their experience naturally, helping them land roles at Fortune 500 companies without the burnout of over-preparing. Less prep. More pep. More wins. ⚡