We’ve all been there….you’ve just had an interview for a dream role and you walk out feeling mad at yourself. In spite of meticulously preparing for the moment, you stumbled over your answers, found yourself rambling on to avoid silences, forgot to give a brilliant example of something you’ve done or even accidentally said the wrong thing.
The good news? It’s unlikely to have gone as badly as you think.
We are all our own worst critics. You will have noticed things you said or did that would have gone completely unnoticed by the interviewer.
If you do say or do something in an interview which you regret, there are ways to handle them and move on with grace.
Here are our tips for dealing with some of the most common, awkward interview moments.
1. Your mind goes blank
You’re mid-answer and your mind goes blank. Even after preparing and rehearsing thoroughly, you’ve just frozen…
What to do: Interviewers are usually experienced in these situations and understand that job interviews are stressful. They are human too and will have most likely experienced the same at one point.
There’s no shame in admitting you’ve lost your train of thought. In fact, it may work to your advantage.
Apologise, explain - and ask the recruiter to repeat the question. Chances are, they’ll add more detail to the original question or rephrase it in a way that’s easier to understand.
2. You say something you shouldn’t about a previous employer
Everyone knows that bad-mouthing a former employer is poor form in an interview, even if your last job ended on bad terms (such as due to a toxic environment or a difficult manager). It gives the interviewer a warning that you could end up doing the same about them.
However, sometimes, things slip out – particularly if you are getting on well with the interviewer and feeling comfortable.
What to do: As soon as you realise what you’ve said, try to put on a positive spin on it. For example: ‘I just realised that sounded very critical, which is not how I intended it. There were some great things about working for that company. I’ve taken away a lot that will help me in my next role.’
3. You can’t think of an answer
You can do all the preparation in the world and still get thrown by a difficult question that you just didn’t see coming.
Often, an interviewer is looking to see how you react under pressure, so how you respond is much more important than the actual answer you give.
What to do: Resist the temptation to make something up. That’s a recipe for disaster. Instead, take a deep breath, maintain an assertive posture, and allow yourself a moment to think.
There are a couple of tactics you can use to tackle this situation.
- Try the ‘reframing tactic’. This is something politicians do when asked a tough question. Focus on one element of the question you can answer, and express your thoughts on that aspect of the question. For example, if you were asked to talk about a time you handled conflict in the workplace, and you haven’t actually been involved in any conflict, then state that while you don’t have direct experience of this situation, you have witnessed it - and then explain what you learned from it.
- Use the ‘parroting technique’ of rephrasing the question back to the interviewer in order to buy yourself more time. For example: "Just so that I understand, what you are asking is…" response will serve you far better than treading down a potentially incorrect path.
The above tips will help you navigate awkward moments in interviews. However, if you are still frustrated that things didn’t quite go to plan, remember that your interviewer is far more likely to show you empathy than to dismiss your application because you faltered on one question.