Sometimes things just go wrong with interviews. You can do all the preparation you like, make sure you look good, and generally do everything you’re supposed to – then something unforeseen just throws you. Here are five of the trickiest interview situations we’ve heard of, and some survival methods that will help land you that ideal job
1. Transport catastrophe
It’s the oldest excuse in the book for poor timekeeping, but sometimes it genuinely does happen. The bus breaks down, the traffic grinds to a halt, or the train gets cancelled, and suddenly the extra half hour you left for mishaps just isn’t enough. You’re going to be late.
The only solution to this is to call the interviewer as soon as it becomes clear you are running late. You should be forthright, apologetic and helpful. You have to hope that they believe you and that they’ve been in a similar situation themselves in the past.
Make sure you have their number programmed into your phone before you leave and make sure the battery is fully charged. Explain the situation, let them know your best guess of when you will arrive and offer to reschedule at a time of their convenience.
2. Clothing mishap
We’ve all had it happen at one point or other: that moment where you look in disbelief and horror, wondering how that ketchup managed to leap a full six feet from your bacon sandwich onto your pristine white shirt or blouse. Or, how that car managed to find the only puddle of water for miles around and get every drop of it over your freshly-ironed trousers.
It’s rare, but sometimes, despite all your careful precautions – not eating or drinking in your interview clothes, or if you absolutely have to, covering them with a napkin – these things do happen.
Honesty is your best policy. When you arrive at the interview, calmly explain what happened, make it clear that you are as appalled as they are by how you look, and hope that they will take pity on you. Don’t go on about it too much. Make your apologies and leave them to make their decision on it.
3. Forgetting your notes for a presentation
You checked they were there before you left the house. They were safely in your bag. So where have your notes gone? And, more to the point, what are you going to say in the next ten minutes to this panel of people sitting there waiting for you to begin your presentation?
It’s a terrible feeling, and one that you can avoid ever happening, by following this three step plan.
- Firstly, make three copies of your notes. Put one in your bag, one in a coat pocket and a third in another pocket.
- Secondly, copy your notes to a memory stick, and if you manage to lose all three printed copies ask if you can use their printer.
- Finally, if for some reason you lose all your notes and their printer breaks down, have the key essentials of your presentation memorised. Practise it so many times that you can more or less remember the outline, then take your time with the presentation, relax, and you’ll be surprised how much of it comes back to you.
4. Freezing with nerves
Nerves affect everyone, and interviews are stressful situations where it can be easy for those nerves to get the better of us. Make sure you have prepared fully beforehand, get a good night’s sleep, try to do some exercise on the morning of the interview, smile, breathe deeply and slowly, and remember that they genuinely want to find out more about you.
5. Scheduling clash
Once we had a candidate who informed us they could only spend 40 minutes with us as they had another interview booked. If you’re ever tempted to try this trick, thinking it will make you look busy and in-demand — don’t. It will just make you look either arrogant or a poor scheduler — neither of which are appealing to a prospective employer.
TIPS:
- Know who you’re speaking with. Try to find out the name (and gender) of the person that will be interviewing you, and some facts about them.
- Have confidence, even if you’re not sure your answer is what the interviewer was looking for. Try to overcome nerves.
- First impressions are not easy to repair. Studies show it can take 20 additional contacts to repair a botched initial meeting, so try to get it right the first time.
- Make your time with an interviewer a priority. Do not excuse yourself or interrupt the meeting for anything personal unless it is life or death. If you know something important might arise prior to your interview, either reschedule the meeting or inform your interviewer beforehand so they’re not caught off guard.
- Do not have Mobile phones or other personal devices present at the interview. Turn them off and stow them away.
- Always be prepared. When you’re job hunting, recruiters will contact you at will. If an unknown caller is trying to reach you, respond professionally and pay attention, just in case.
- Everyone has had an interview experience that could have gone better. Try not to dwell on the bad experiences; you could be destined for greatness somewhere else.