How To Recover From A Bad Interview (With Examples)

Interviews are stressful situations, and no one completes every single one perfectly. If you have a bad interview, don’t let it get you down — it happens to everyone and will only help you become a better interviewee moving forward.

Keep reading to find out what to do when (not if) you have an interview that doesn’t go as smoothly as you’d like, as well as tips on how to prepare for the next one.

Key Takeaways

• Take time to calm down and then pinpoint what went wrong in the interview.

• Use your references and your thank you note to clarify your answers or fill in information you left out.

• Think through ways to avoid making the same mistake again.

• Prepare for your next interview by practicing, doing your research, and coming up with a plan to calm your nerves.

Give Yourself Time After the Interview

You walk out of your interview feeling like it couldn’t possibly have gone worse. Your mind’s going a million miles a minute as you replay every moment.

Stop.

Take a breath, and give yourself a little bit of time. It is so easy to overanalyze the situation and focus on minute details the interviewer probably didn’t even notice. But it doesn’t do you any good.

No one gives a perfect interview. There will always be a blunder or two committed. Don’t dwell on every little mistake — or perceived mistake — as you walk out and head home.

Take however much time you need to get your head on straight. For some, that may be as little as five minutes. For others, it may be an hour or two. Take what you need, then move on to the next steps.

Reflect on the Experience

Once you’ve taken the time to calm down, you can more accurately reflect on your interview. Now, write it all down.

Taking the time to put it all down on paper can help you put your perceived mistakes into perspective.

We are often our own worst critics. Your perceived mistake may not have been obvious to the interviewer or even all that problematic. Something that may have seemed detrimental may not be such a big deal in reality.

Sure there will be some obvious issues. If you showed up late, were clearly unprepared, weren’t properly dressed, spilled something during the interview, etc. — but many of your mistakes won’t be so apparent.

Once you have it all down on paper, you can start going through it. Assess your performance from an outside perspective. Share your notes with someone you trust if it helps you. Then, determine if there really is a reason to worry.

Are you being too hard on yourself or does this truly warrant some damage control? If you did, in fact, make a mistake, you may still be able to recover.

Pinpoint the problem:

• Did you say something you shouldn’t have?

• Did you struggle to find the right words?

• Did you show up late or woefully unprepared?

• Was there a specific question that threw you off?

• Did you mess up a response or leave out impertinent information?

Understanding where you went wrong can determine how you can fix it. Or, if you can fix it. There won’t always be something you can do, but if there is, you need to figure out how to proceed.

Earning a Second Chance

There aren’t second chances at first impressions. But you are human. So are the interviewers. They know that sometimes things happen, sometimes we have off days.

If you have the opportunity to recover from the situation, be smart about it.

1. You can lean on your references to help you recover. Your references should already be aware of this job opportunity. If you made a blunder or two during your interview, let your references know what happened.

   If they know what went wrong, they can be ready to talk you up in that specific area when speaking to your potential employer.

2. Utilize your thank you note. Regardless of how you feel the interview went, you should send a thank-you email within 24 hours. You can use your thank-you note to help you recover after a bad interview.

   First, be absolutely sure that your mistake was noticeable and could have an impact on your hireability. Second, never apologize or make excuses for any mistakes you made — but you should acknowledge them.

   Your thank-you note should not be long and drawn out. Keep that in mind as you determine how to address your mistakes.

   If you feel you missed a question or left out some information, you can use your thank-you email to elaborate, provide some additional context, or sneak in some additional information.

   You can choose to highlight some of your most impressive and relevant skills and experience to remind them that you are a good candidate for the position.

   It is unlikely you will be given a second chance interview. But it never hurts to put it out there if you feel like you could use a do-over. Include a little note: “I would love the opportunity to speak with you again”.

   Use this example thank-you email to get you started:

   Subject Line: Thank you – Sam Sterling, Marketing Coordinator

   Dear Mr. Woodstock,

   Thank you again for taking the time to speak with me about your open Marketing Coordinator position. I was excited to learn more about LXZ’s marketing team and the upcoming marketing projects this role will play a part in.

   We spoke today about the role SEO plays in content marketing and the challenges LXZ has faced in growing its organic reach. The question lingered with me. I believe that you can quickly move up in organic searches if you utilize your customer personas to better research keywords and coordinate a solid link-building strategy.

   I know that your time is valuable, but I would love to discuss this opportunity further. I am happy to answer any additional questions you may have during the next steps. Thank you for considering me for this role.

   Best,
   Sam Sterling
   samsterling@email.com
   555-123-456

Learn From Your Mistakes

You’ve already identified the mistakes you made during your interview, now it’s time to put them to use. If you take the time to analyze your mistakes and learn from them, you can use this negative experience to improve your interview skills.

The mistakes you made can help you to determine the underlying problem and address it. If you:

1. Struggle with your nerves. You aren’t alone. Interviews are stressful, but you can’t let your nerves get the best of you. Practice techniques to help you curb your anxiety and remain calm for your next interview.

   Preparing yourself ahead of time for the questions that may be asked can also help you to calm your nerves. Knowing some of what to expect and how you can respond will help take some of the stress out of the situation.

2. Got stuck on a certain question. Some questions are difficult to answer, others just catch us off guard. Getting stuck on some questions can point to a lack of preparation. If you didn’t familiarize yourself with common interview questions, it can leave you floundering in the moment.

3. Showed up late. Some circumstances are beyond our control. But you want to do everything you can to ensure that you show up early to your interviews. Account for traffic, trouble finding parking, security measures, and making your way to the office when you’re calculating your commute.

It is never easy to leave an interview feeling like you didn’t give your best. It is frustrating and discouraging and it can lead to a lack of confidence going into future interviews. Don’t let this happen to you.

You will recover from this and you can use the mistakes you made this time to prepare for next time…and the time after that if need be.

Preparing for Your Next Interview

You’ve analyzed your last interview, determined your mistakes, and learned from them. Now, it’s time to prepare for your next interview.

You want to make a good impression. Especially after your last one didn’t go so well. There are some steps you can take to make sure you’re ready this time.

1. Familiarize yourself with common interview questions. There are questions common to interviews in general as well as job-specific interview questions you can prepare yourself for ahead of time.

   Take the time to go over them and prepare your responses prior to your interview. It will not only help to reduce the stress of the situation, but it will also allow you to better respond during the actual interview. In other words, you’ll be a more impressive candidate.

2. Do mock interviews. Once you’ve familiarized yourself with common questions and determined how you plan to answer them, it’s time to practice. Having someone help you do some mock interviews can make a big difference. Especially if your nerves are part of your problem.

3. Come prepared. Beyond the common interview questions, there is information you should know about the company and the position you are interviewing for. Do your homework well ahead of time — before your mock interviews even.

4. Have a plan to calm your nerves. Even if your nerves aren’t typically your issue, you should have a plan to keep yourself calm and collected. There are simple breathing techniques, quick meditative options, and other practices that can help you stay calm before and during your interview. Learn what works for you and use it to your advantage.

5. Dress appropriately. This may go without saying, but we’re saying it anyway. Dress appropriately for the company you’re interviewing for.

   Know what you’re going to wear well ahead of time and make sure that it is clean and wrinkle-free. If you have animals, be sure to have a lint roller available upon arrival. Give yourself time to go to the bathroom and make any adjustments prior to your interview as well.

6. Arrive early. Not so early that you make as bad an impression as someone who arrives later, though. Give yourself plenty of time to get to the interview and calm your nerves. You want to arrive about five minutes prior to your interview time. If you arrive with too much time, use the extra time to prepare some more.

7. Be friendly and positive. Again, this goes without saying. But it can be difficult to seem friendly and positive when you’re nervous. Be aware of your body language and facial expressions. You don’t want to give the interviewer the wrong impression.

8. Put the phone away. Silence your phone. And do not have it out during your interview.

Tips on Recovering Mid-Interview

If you get to your next interview and feel yourself rambling, struggling to come up with an answer, or getting flustered, there are a few things you can do.

• Ask them a question. Sometimes having someone else talk for a minute can help you calm down and organize your thoughts.

  If you find yourself talking in circles, wrap up your answer and ask something simple like, “How would you describe the company’s culture?” or “What does a regular day look like for someone in this position?”

• Return to your overarching message. If in doubt, go back to the things you do best again and again. This can help you focus and wrap up your answers.

• Take a breath. It’s perfectly acceptable to take a second before you answer a question to take a deep breath and think through what you’re going to say. You can even repeat the question back or ask for clarification if you feel like you need it.

• Apologize for mistakes and then let them go. If something truly embarrassing happens like spilling your coffee or showing up late, acknowledge it, apologize for it, and if you can fix it (like helping wipe up the coffee), do. After that, let it go and refocus on the rest of the interview.

  You can apologize again as you’re saying goodbye, but don’t keep focusing on your blunder throughout the rest of your meeting — it not only makes people uncomfortable, but it will also keep the hiring managers from seeing what you have to offer as a candidate.

Final Thoughts

So, you made a bad impression.

It happens. Everyone has an off day here and there. It is, of course, never fun when that off day coincides with your important job interview.

Interviews are stressful and high-stress environments don’t always cultivate good results. Sure, it’s frustrating, but don’t let it discourage you. Instead, use the experience to become stronger and more confident in your future interviews.

Author

Samantha Goddiess

Samantha is a lifelong writer who has been writing professionally for the last six years. After graduating with honors from Greensboro College with a degree in English & Communications, she went on to find work as an in-house copywriter for several companies including Costume Supercenter, and Blueprint Education.