How to save a failing interview

Failures during an interview can get in the way to desired job. Have you been invited for an interview? And nothing has happened after it? Well, it means you should try to fix the mistakes you probably make. By the way, if you need to fix your resume, you can use our resume fixing service. What to do if you are sure you have “stumbled” at the interview? First of all, pull yourself up, collect your faculties and try to save the situation if yiu are really interested in the vacancy.

Help yourself during the interview

In the process of situation saving the most important thing is to show persistence and to be able to fix the errors you make at once. This is the main recipe for success of a failing interview. Our resume service presents you 4 methods of worthy ways out of the incorrect situation right on the spot.

1. Apologize for the situation, if you are wrong and even if you are right

For example, you were late for the interview for an hour, because someone gave you the wrong company address instead of the right one. When you arrived you were told again not the exact address, that is why you reached your destination point so late. It was obviously the mistake of the company. However, if you without excess words and unnecessary explanations take the blame and apologize, you will increase trustiness to yourself at once. If you are late and it is your worn fault, it is bad, but not critical situation. Just tell the real reason and apologize sincerely.

2. Correct yourself

The last thing you should do is to create an impression of a man, who does not know what he is saying. Let’s imagine that you answered the question wrong consciously. Correct yourself, even if you realized this fact 15 minutes later: “You know, I have just realized that my answer was not correct when you asked me about… What I supposed to say was…”.

Such a behaviour shows that you are responsible for what you say and you know what you talk about, even if it happens with a slight delay. You can correct yourself even after the interview by e-mail, the most important is to admit and try to fix.

3. Laugh at yourself

If you have just done something wrong, not as you suppose to do it, laugh at yourself and make a joke about what just has happened. In such a way many mistakes can be turned into witty jokes.

For example, you called the wrong name of the recruiter. Say: “Oh, I am terribly sorry, I have problems with names. Since the time I was a student and worked at McDonalds, where everyone used to wear name tags, it is difficult to me to say the names correctly. Fortunately, accounting requires skilful work with numbers, not names”.

If you are able to laugh at your own mistakes, you show your poignant wit and an ability to be flexible. And just when the things go wrong, you at least can tell a good story, and this good story is worth something.

4. Be confident and calm

Never give up even if you are more than sure that you have failed your interview. Keep your head up and do not panic. Take a deep breath and a long exhalation, drink some water and continue answering the questions. Sometimes we criticize ourselves too strictly and we can be wrong in such a strict self-criticality. It happens sometimes that what we might consider failed is exactly what a recruiter is looking for.

If you do not know the results of the interview at once (but you understand that the signs of a failed interview are obvious), you may ask when you can learn the results and start preparing to save the rest of your interview.

Save yourself after the interview

The only way to try to save the situation after the interview is to contact the recruiter, who has interviewed you.

Thankful letter or a phone call

Do not think that a call after the interview is the sign of importunity. Feedback of a jobseeker is as much valuable as of a recruiter. Unfortunately, not all the recruiters give this feedback, and the jobseekers even more seldom make this step to stand out and be remembered. Such a simple thing as a letter or a call may give you the job, which you think you have already lost.

In a letter or during a phone call, except your gratitude, also mention:

• obvious errors you have made during the interview;
• concrete important facts, which you forgot to tell during the interview, or which you presented wrong or incorrectly. The tone and the style of such a message should be obligatory positive with an emphasis on what you can give to the company;
• thank for the conducted interview, the time spent on you, understanding and future feedback.

It is better to send a letter to a personal e-mail of a worker if you know it, or to e-mails if you were interviewed by several men. However, if you do not know the e-mail address, no problem, do not hesitate and send your letter to the general address of the company addressing it to your personal interviewer.

If you are going to make a call, we advise you to write a plan of conversation, or even write certain phrases that you may use. Careful preparation is very important, because you will have just a few minutes not only to get information, but also to fix the situation. Also it is very possible that a person who has interviewed you will call you first. That is why it is better to make the preparation in the same day.

The faster you react (send a letter or make a call), the better. The best time for letter sending is about 2-3 hours after the interview. And even belated thank is better than its absolute absence.

Learn the reason of refusal

And finally if all the attempts to fix the situation have failed, just wonder why you have not got the position. This information will help you in future, and this action will demonstrate that you are serious about job search.

Use the failures as valuable experience to move forward. Even if you did not get the desired work, do not give up and try to keep up your spirits. The most constructive thing you can do in this situation is to analyze the reasons of the failure, make conclusions and prepare for the next interview that definitely will be successful!

So we hope that this save failing interview post was useful for you and you got really helpful tips. Anyway, if you still face any difficulties, our service is available for you all the time. Get support from our professionals and you will definitely succeed.