Can you Fix Interview Blunders before the Interview is Over?

Can you fix interview blunders before the interview is over?   It is not always easy to tell how things are going while you are actually at the interview.  Short of the interviewer saying “Well, you have completely blown this interview!”, there is no real way to know for sure how you are doing in the eyes of the interviewer.

If you arrive late, aren’t dressed appropriately, your cell phone rings, then you probably haven’t started off on the right foot.  However, at that point, you still have time to make amends.  If you are in a good position to begin with, i.e. there aren’t a lot of stronger candidates, then the hiring manager may overlook one or two of these little faux pas’.  Explain anything that happened that was out of your control.  For instance, if you had started out to the interview in an outfit that was clean and tidy, and spilled some coffee on yourself on the way to the interview, just let them know.  Everyone is human and we all understand that things can go wrong.

But what about what you feel are bigger mistakes.  What if you just answer a question really badly?  Or at least, that’s what you think.  Well, don’t assume anything.   You don’t know what the interviewer is thinking so it might not be as bad as you think.  Keep going, shake that off, and continue to answer the questions that are asked.  Even if you have one answer that isn’t what you had hoped, you can improve if you keep a positive attitude and don’t let that one answer deter you from getting back on track.

So, what should you do while you are still at the interview if you think you have blown it?

• Mitigate as much as you can while you still have the attention of the interview board, i.e. acknowledge why you are late, assuming you have a very good reason, or explain why your outfit isn’t quite the way it should be.  Of course, your phone will be off so you won’t have a ringing phone to explain!!
• If you are asked a question that you aren’t ready to answer, simply ask if it would be ok if you came back to it later.  That will give you a bit of time to try and formulate a good answer.  Most good interview boards will give you that opportunity.
• If you do give an answer that you feel isn’t quite as good as you would have liked, ask if you can elaborate on that question at the end of the interview.  Again, most interview boards are looking for the best candidate and are not trying to make it harder for you.

Remember, regardless of the type of interview, whether it be an executive level position, a summer job or the RCMP Regular Member Selection Interview, the rules are all the same.  Get yourself as prepared as you can, be at the interview focused, articulate your answers clearly and logically, and never take yourself out of the race.  If you need help getting prepared, reach out to someone who is experienced at conducting interviews, or engage the services of a  Certified Professional Career Coach experienced in conducting interviews to help you work through the process.

Do you know someone who is faced with this challenge?  Feel free to share this post by using the share links at the top of this page.  Also, if you’d like more interview tips, feel free to check out the interview resource page.