Recover From Blunders Like a Pro(fessional): How to Save Your Interview
It happens. No matter how well prepared you are for your interview, sometimes you'll make a mistake. Maybe the interviewers hit you with a complete curve-ball, or maybe you let your nerves get the better of you. In any case, you should never let one slip-up tank an interview for you. Here's how to recover from any interview blunder and come out looking collected and professional.
Keep Your Confidence
One thing to remember immediately following a mishap is that interviewers don't expect perfection. They're used to interviewing humans, not robots, and mistakes happen in even the best interviews. In many cases, showing a little vulnerability can even be a good thing, showing yourself as authentic and down-to-earth.
The number one key to recovering from an interview mistake is not to let the mistake shake you. Whether you flubbed a question or forgot to mute your phone (ouch), you can still make a positive impression, provided you don't allow one mishap to snowball into many. Take a deep breath, repeat a positive mantra in your head, and keep going.
Take Control of the Situation
In the few moments following a mess-up, you've got some quick analysis to do. How bad was the mistake, and what is the best way to fix it? You may be able to buy yourself some time by asking the interviewer to repeat the question, for example, but then you'll need to settle on a course of action. Some options?
Laugh it off. Sometimes, the best way to handle a small flub is to make light of it. Forgot the interviewer's name or completely misheard the question? Make fun of yourself and then move on. Of course, you should be careful to read the room before doing this, and it might not be appropriate for a more serious mistake. Still, humor can go a long way towards humanizing you and leaving a positive impression.
Change your strategy. In the heat of an interviewer, it's easy to forget your well-rehearsed answer to "tell me about yourself." If something like this happens, no need to stress about it. Just be sure to work the critical bits in later in the interview.
Own your mistakes. This strategy is best if you are completely unable to answer a technical question or if you answer a question incorrectly. It takes a lot of maturity to admit that you aren't sure, offer a guess if appropriate, and explain how you'd go about finding the answer. Showing a willingness to learn is the best way to save this sort of situation.
Apologize and move on. In some serious cases, such as showing up late, you'll need to apologize to show that you take ownership of your mistakes. Be sincere, but don't dwell and definitely don't apologize more than once. You don't want the interviewer to think about the error for any longer than necessary.
Learn From Every Experience
After the interview, there's no need to beat yourself up over whatever happened. Note the mistake and how you could have handled it better, then apply that lesson to your next interview.
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