This common problem is also called Performance Anxiety.  It has probably lost more people more opportunities (and thus more money) than any other psychological problem.  The problem begins as a straightforward example of Anxiety, before an Interview or exam.  As a result, the sufferer does badly, and does not get the hoped-for result.

The next time (s)he is attending an interview or exam, the same stress state returns.  This may be because of conscious thinking ("I hope I don't get anxious like the last time") which leads to remembering that previous event.  Alternatively, there may be no conscious thinking involved, but the highly stressed state may still return, through the same process which causes (for example) a piece of music from our teenage years to bring back strong feelings, which we may or may not be able to identify.

Straightforward stress management alone is usually ineffective in these cases, because the individual is already able to deal with stress well is other situations.  However, having learned the profoundly deep relaxation techniques of self-hypnosis, there are a number of psychotherapy techniques which can enable a person to associate the states of mind which are needed with the interview or examination situation - so that they happen automatically, without conscious thought, when they are required.

On occasions, of course, Performance Anxiety may be the result of other psychological mechanisms dealt with on other pages of this website. Normally, the structure of the problem is straightforward, and it responds well to treatment.