4 Common Job Interview Mishaps and How To Recover From Them

People get so nervous during job interviews because the belief is that one false move will ruin a job prospect.  Here’s a reality check: people don’t lose out on jobs over one job interview mishap.  Instead, they lose out because they allow their mistake to shatter their confidence, thus doing poorly throughout the entire rest of the interview.  But any time you put yourself out there you are vulnerable to making mistakes; why not accept that you might make a mistake on your interview and learn how to handle it instead?  Here are four common job interview mishaps, complete with ideas on how to recover from them:



Tardiness

Should have:  Arrived 10 minutes early.

Mishap: Missed your train or got stuck in traffic – arrived 10 minutes late.

Recovery: A simple apology – “Sorry to keep you waiting.”  No need to explain why you’re late as it’s probably due to your own poor planning in some way.  I did this myself on an interview, and while the recruiter was irritated, I still had a great interview with the people hiring.


Dress Code

Should have: Worn a suit.  Even if your prospective employer’s website says the dress code is casual.  Even if you’re a woman.  Other tips: Schedule a haircut a week or two before job interviews (so it has time to grow out a little).  Wear great shoes.  For women, add some makeup and subtle jewelry.

Mishap: Wore something other than described above.

Recovery: Don’t make a joke about your attire or draw attention to it in any way, and don’t lose confidence because of it.  No (good) employer is going to overlook you for a job because of your wardrobe choices as long as you are impressive otherwise – so make it up to them with your talent and experience.  (And buy yourself a suit afterwards.)


Mistakes on Your Resume

Should have: Proofread your resume before sending it out, or asked others to proofread for you.

Mishap: You put something incorrect on your resume.  When I was searching for my last job, I updated my college resume to reflect my professional experience.  Big mistake – I left some undergraduate language classes on there, which included intermediate Japanese and Spanish, neither of which I can speak at an intermediate level.  Imagine my surprise when one of my interviewers asked me his last question… in Japanese.

Recovery: Complete transparency.  Explain you made a mistake on the resume and how/why you made it without sounding like an excuse-maker.  Own up and apologize for the confusion.  Don’t write off the interview at that point - I still received a job offer because I showed high integrity.


Confessing Too Much

Should have:  Learned to edit yourself in professional situations.

Mishap: Gave too much information, answered a question too honestly (ie: “My biggest weakness is that I’m lazy”), or shared an inappropriate personal story.

Recovery: Do not say, “I probably shouldn’t be telling you this.”  That sets off warning bells in the interviewer’s mind.  Instead, keep your confidence high.  If you realize you’re giving away to much, try to spin the tables by explaining how the experience changed you or made you a stronger person.  When you’ve said too much to spin it, stop talking – mid-sentence even - and switch gears.  Try “That example isn’t the best; here’s another one.”

One of the most important skills to have for any job is adaptability, so knowing how to handle mistakes in an interview is essential to landing a job.