Insights

How To Turn Your Interview Around

What to do when you freeze in an interview

“Come in for an interview”, says the friendly voice on the other end of the phone. Feeling elated you agree. You got a call back! As soon as you hang up, you do a little happy dance. This is going to be awesome. With a tummy full of butterflies, you prepare for the interview. You’re feeling on-top-of-the-world.

Fast forward to the big day and everything has gone perfectly. You’re feeling confident about your chances of landing this job. But then it happens. The freeze-up.

We’ve all been there.

The interviewer asks you that one question that always trips you up or perhaps, one that you haven’t even prepared for. It throws you off your game and that deer-in-the-headlights look comes over your face. You don’t know what to do. So, you begin ‘’umming’’ and ‘’ahhing’’, desperate to fill the awkward silence that has crept into the room.

Contrary to your paranoid belief that you’ve completely ruined the interview, you can come back from this! Here’s a few tips to turn your interview around and get back on track.

Repeat the question

One of the simplest tactics you can use in this situation, is to repeat or rephrase the initial question aloud to yourself, followed by something like “let me see…”. This allows you some more thinking time while filling in any awkward silence.

Use humour

Everyone likes an employee with a good sense of humour and a positive attitude. A great way to build rapport with an interviewer and show that you’re an everyday person just like them, is to use humour in an interview. You don’t have to be super serious all the time! When you start to freeze up, admit it to the interviewer with a chuckle. Mention something about your nervousness, then pause and have a think about what to say.

Honesty

Like the old saying goes, ‘Honesty is the best policy’ and sometimes it’s best to just tell the truth. This is a last resort technique for when you’re sitting there paralysed with nerves. Explain the question has tripped you up and admit you need more time to think. Politely ask the interviewer if you can come back to it.

Take your time

A pause isn’t the worst thing in the world. Often, we forget that interviews are just conversations between people. In most spoken interaction between humans, there are times of silence and that’s normal! You don’t have to rush into an answer, if you need to pause tell the interviewer. A ‘’let me think about that” works perfectly in these instances. Take a few seconds to think and you will answer the question much more eloquently than if you had rushed into it.

And remember, even if in the heat of the moment you forget these handy interview techniques, there’s always a next time. Maybe, it just wasn’t meant to be and that’s ok. An unsuccessful interview is a chance for you to learn about the interview process and will better prepare for your next interview.