Three Ways To Do Damage Control After Job Interview Gone Wrong

First off, take a deep breath. The worst part is over, you finished the job interview, and that in itself is both an accomplishment and a display of courage. In fact, according to an HR forum on Quora, international recruiter Stefan Lilienkamp shared that on average, approximately 50% of beginner (or those with no work experience) jobseekers are unreachable by mobile phone once contacted by shortlisting and 5 to 10% of experienced jobseekers simply do not show up for their scheduled interviews. 

In the age of the pandemic, video and phone interviews trump the face-to-face ones in favour of being contactless. Some jobseekers may have found it more convenient; others prefer the traditional way. But regardless, video conferencing comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages, and you may find yourself on either the good or the short end of the stick. It just so happened that you were on the latter side, hence the reason why you chanced upon this. 

At the back of your mind, you know you said something wrong or failed to share details that would have been essential to your personality boost. It might have been as minor as wrongly pronouncing the name of your future superior, name-dropping the wrong position, or as major as forgetting to research about the company prior to your interview. Even then, there is always a chance to turn such situations around. Feeling doubtful? Here are three ways to convince you.

Do not overthink it

So you made a mistake. Everyone does. Even if your mind wishes to replay you failing to answer a tough question, you have to accept your fate. Take even more deep breaths after that last one. To help get your mind off things, think of the positive side of your interview and focus on that. This is especially helpful for those who made slight boo-boos or mispronunciations during the interview period. 

It helps to remember that human memory is unreliable and you may be magnifying the technicalities of your interview, but let that go and focus on the next instead, especially if you have a ray of hope to save yourself. 

Write your post-interview note

Yes, post-interview letters still apply even for contactless methods. Write a thank-you note to your potential employer and thank them for the time they took out of their schedule. Follow it through gracefully by rewriting your mistake in a more positive light. If it was a minor mistake, there is no need to state it in the letter. After all, your focus here is gratitude and a last shot of gumption. Follow-through is key, so make sure you utilise this chance well. 

If you felt like your personality did not shine through, you can offer to explain in the letter that you were a bit nervous, and if you have a little charm to add, you can even say, “I know my passion did not translate the first time, but know that the nerves will not win the next time we interact with each other,” or something to that effect. Do not assimilate desperation into your letter, because employers can sense it. 

Move on and do better

After you have collected yourself and written that note, it is time to say sorry today then move on. The great part about interviews is that each one provides a learning experience you can carry on to your next one. In fact, your mistakes today could even help you be a better interviewer once your time comes to hire your own team members. 

What matters most is that you learned from your mistakes and how these can aid you in preparing better for your next interview. 

BONUS TIP! APPLICABLE TO VIDEO INTERVIEWS ONLY: Use disconnection to your advantage.

While we could endlessly curse the network gods for this, think of this as a blessing in disguise, especially if you are still in the middle of the interview and the mistake slipped out before you get logged off. While you wait for your internet to boot up again, use this time to run through your notes (if you have any) and make sure you can casually slip it in when you reconnect with your recruiter. 

This is a method that is based purely on luck, so when you have this chance, make sure you use this wisely. 

Recovering from a “bad” interview may dampen your spirits at first but know that the errors of today may be the stepping stones to your dream job tomorrow. It is all about turning these missteps into opportunities for learning. So move forward with ease and do not let these flaws discourage you. Remember that every experience matters in your career journey.

(Also read: 5 Reasons to Keep Your Hopes up After a Job Interview)

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