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How to Recover from a Bad Interview

It’s everybody’s worst nightmare. You’re in an interview for a job you really want and it all starts going wrong. Whether it’s your phone ringing or you giving the longest, most irrelevant answer to an interview question ever, once things start going wrong it feels like there’s no way back. However, it is possible to get things back on track and limit the damage during the actual interview. There are also some follow-up steps you can take after the event to rectify the situation and to move on with your job search regardless of what the outcome of the bad interview is. During the Interview

• Do not Panic:

Even if you’re convinced you’ve made a massive mistake in the middle of your interview, keep calm and carry on. The interviewers may not have even noticed, or if they have, they may be willing to allow it depending on how the rest of the interview goes.

• Stay clear of trying too hard:

Ok, so you know for sure that the interviewers know that you’ve made a mistake. Still, don’t overcompensate by trying too hard.

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If you do so, you’ll tighten up and will probably go on to make more mistakes. Instead, focus on executing your original game plan for the interview and try to keep your breathing even.

• Avoid dwelling on your mistake:

Yes, you made a mistake, but if you keep thinking about it for the rest of the interview, you’ll be distracted and that will make matters worse. Put the mistake out of your head by listening carefully to what the interviewers are saying. This will help you remain in the moment instead of thinking about what just happened.

• Keep your emotions under control:

Even if you feel like bursting into tears because the interview is going so badly, try to keep yourself in check. Keep things in perspective—it’s a job interview, not a fight to the death. If you really are emotional, excuse yourself to the bathroom so you can take a moment.

After the Interview

• Send a ‘thank you’ note:

No matter how embarrassed you are because of a bad interview, still email a ‘thank you’ note to the interviewers. It can’t logically make matters worse and is a simple sign of acknowledgement and politeness. If you are really convinced there’s no way you’ve gotten the job, just think of sending a ‘thank you’ note as an act of closure.

• Get in touch with new thoughts:

The last thing you may want to do after a disastrous interview is to email the interviewers with new thoughts or ideas about the interview topics. However, by emailing them with things that have occurred to you after the event, you may be salvaging the situation. In the clear light of day, your thoughts will be more lucid and will give the interviewers a more accurate idea of who you really are.

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• Don’t vent online:

You may think there’s no way in a thousand years the interview landed you the job, but that’s still not an excuse to jump on Facebook and rant about the experience. Firstly, you never know, the interviewers may still be considering you and therefore may be monitoring your social media presence to see if you’re professional online. Secondly, other employers you’ve applied to may also be checking your online profiles.

• Move on:

Speaking of your other applications, if you genuinely think the bad interview is a lost cause even after you’ve followed the above steps, don’t give up on your job search completely. Focus on the other applications you’ve made and how you’re going to improve upon your interview technique. If learning from your interview mistakes helps you to ace the next interview you get, the bad interview will at least have been worth something.

This checklist has been created by Position Ignition Ltd, one of the UK’s leading career consulting companies and founders of the Career Ignition Club. Please contact enquiries@positionignition.com for more information or to suggest additional resources.