Job interviews are no cake walk. When you are sitting in front of the recruiter, fumbling, trying to look for the perfect answer, you realise how everything depends on one thin thread. And that thread being whether you are able to impress the interviewer or not. However, what if you make a faux pas at the job interview, how do you recover from that?
Here are some interview tips to help you save a bad job interview and still come out at the top.
Say hahaha
If you say something stupid, like getting the interviewer’s name wrong, then laugh about it. Laugh at yourself, say you are horrible with names and crack a joke at your expense. This strategy will surely work for you as it can tell the interviewer that you are someone confident enough to laugh at yourself. It will also make you come across as someone who is flexible and it shows that you are not someone who is overtly defensive.
Making mistakes is only human, but recovering from it, and recovering quickly and with a laugh is a quality that can really recommend you.
Apologize with all sincerity
If you walk in late for a job interview then you can expect the interviewer to not take you seriously and reject you even before you have really opened your mouth. However, apologizing and apologizing sincerely really works in such a case.
A simple sorry, oozing with sincerity and the promise to do better next time speaks volumes. Do that, and you might just recover from a bad interview effectively.
Make necessary corrections
Okay so you fumbled, or you gave a wrong answer. That is completely okay and understandable. Everyone makes mistakes and you are totally allowed to make some, even during a job interview, as long as you have the grace to correct yourself. Apologize and give the correct answer in a more confident tone.
Say that you realized your answer was wrong and give the correct answer. This will give the interviewer the confidence that you know your stuff and what you are talking about.
Follow up
Sending a thank you email or message after the interview is not necessarily a bad idea. If you said something during the interview which you should not have or if you answered something incorrectly then mention the question or the turn of events that lead to that, apologize and give the correct answer.
This will keep your name fresh in the minds of the interviewers and give them the assurance that you are someone who can accept their mistake and work on it.
Be confident
I once had a job interview where I gave an incorrect answer and despite the interviewer questioning me and hinting at things, failed to see that I was in the wrong. Sometimes, we all can be a little astute. However, the key to salvaging the interview is staying confident.
Even when I gave the incorrect answer, I was so convinced that I was correct that I was ready to defend it until I realized my mistake a few days later. I obviously got the job and realized that more than the answer, it was my body language that did the work for me.
Your body language can make a lot of difference when it comes to job interviews, and that is why it is important to know the nonverbal language you are speaking and how you are portraying yourself. Online portals can help you a lot in figuring that out and getting your body language right.
And for the rest, there are these interview tips to help you save even the worst job interviews and get the job home.
