Capture Real-World Career Insight & Advice That Will Prep You for The Big Time

Return of the Bad Interview

A recent Big Time post addressed the issue of strange interview questions are how to handle them. This week, we talk about the opposite - bad interview answers and embarrassing moments.

I came across a Fortune article that covers the subject of dumb job interview moves from candidates. Some of the examples of stupid interview moves include:

"The candidate got his companies confused and repeatedly mentioned the strengths of a competing firm, thinking that was who he was interviewing with."

"A guy called me by the wrong name during the entire interview."

"We're a retail company, and when we asked the candidate why she wanted to work for us, she replied that she didn't want to work in retail anymore."

"An interviewee took his bubble gum out of his mouth and held it in his hand. Then he forgot about it and shook hands with me."

Now, being nervous and giving answers that may not be the most compelling is one thing, but not paying attention and being completely checked out of your surroundings is quite different.

Some interview "errors" are unavoidable, such becoming ill or stumbling over your words. As a matter of fact, recovering from these blunders may actually work in your favor.

If you have made a mistake or blunder, try not to let it derail the rest of your interview. Hiring managers and interviewers are human, and will understand nerves or issues that cannot be avoided. So make up for it as best as possible.

There will be a chance the interview isn't salvageable. If this is the case just chalk it up to experience and move on. Don't beat yourself up over interview mistakes either. Learning from your blunders will help you better prepare for your next interview.