31 Times People Ruined An Interview In Seconds

High-stakes interviews combined with jittery nerves can make a person completely miss the mark on a question, even though they’ve prepared for it well in advance. It can also be the fault of an interviewer who failed to clearly formulate the query.

However, according to the hiring consultant and owner of Hire Possibilities, Carolyn Illman, the latter happens rarely and isn't used with the intention of testing their interviewee. "It doesn't build trust in an interview and doesn't result in gathering the information they need to know if this person is going to be a good hire," she tells Bored Panda.

But if an ambiguous question happens to pop up, similarly to the person who started this discussion, Illman advises always assuming that it's related to your professional career. "It's great to ask up front before you get too far," she notes. "For example, many interviewees have asked me, 'I have two examples for this question, X and Y- which sounds more like what you're looking for?'"

But if your mouth works faster than your brain and you accidentally let a foolish answer slip, it’s possible to recover. For this, try not to get too hung up about it. Instead, focus on maintaining a professional appearance, remaining calm, and mentally preparing to answer another question coming your way. It might be beneficial to take deep breaths, smile, and maintain eye contact. 

If the interviewer is seasoned, they'll also make sure that the interviewee feels comfortable and keeps the conversation flowing, says Illman. Therefore, the candidate shouldn't feel responsible for making up for a question they might not have answered flawlessly.

"It's also perfectly okay to circle back on a question during a natural break in the conversation and say, "You know, I'm realizing I could probably answer your question better. Can I give you a little more information?" The interviewer may choose that it's best to move on, but at least it shows self-awareness from the candidate," the hiring consultant says.

Besides, most times, the awkward situations are all in our heads. The slight quiver in your voice when you listed your weaknesses or your vagueness about your five-year goals may be much more obvious to you than to anyone else, and it often doesn't have that much of an impact on your interview. 

However, if an interviewee feels tested during the meeting and is uncomfortable with the way it's going, she advises thinking again about whether the organization is a good fit for them. "Companies should be aware that this practice can break trust and result in a bad customer experience for candidates.

An alternative to smoothing things over after a failed interview is to send a short thank-you note. The follow-up email should include only the most important mistakes and omissions from the meeting. After thanking the employer for their time, move on to additional information.

Job search company The Muse provides an example of this: “Since we were talking about my social media experience, I should also mention that as part of my internship at Smith Media, I wrote weekly blog posts and initiated a campaign to boost the company’s Facebook followers to over 3,000. This experience, along with the rest of my background, would really allow me to shine as your new social media specialist.”

This note adds any details that you forgot to mention but doesn’t count them as mistakes, rather than you saying, “I’m so sorry, but I completely forgot to mention one of my internships!”