Absolutely awful at interviews, need some tips.

warden1989

Hi guys, I desperately need some help. I'm utterly awful at interviews. I have no problem with getting them and I'm often told my applications stand out from the rest but I always muck it up. I've had three interviews in the past few months that I've bottled.

I've always been quite introverted and quiet and it really shows. I do all my preparation, look up the company, prepare some standard questions, do some breathing before I go in but when I sit down, it all falls apart and I forget everything.

I'm also not a very good improviser and in the last few interviews, the interviewer has asked me about something that wasn't in the job description (I think this is unfair, but what can you do?). I try to improvise an answer but I just stumble over my words and it sounds obvious that I have no clue.

Could really use some advice as it's starting to get me down and I worry that I'm never going to get a job again if I don't improve. I have one next Tuesday and I'm really worried.

Thanks.

AP007

If you are asked a question and want a few seconds staling time ask the interviewer to expand on the question a bit. They can ask you anything that's not even related to the job at all. Prepare to be taken by surprise!

Make sure you treat the interview just like a conversation and get the questions you want to ask whilst being told about the job relating what the interviewer is telling you along with what you have done in the past. Try not to have a list of things to ask at the end. Say if I think of anything else can I drop you an email or give you a call.

Think they as interviewers may be nervous too and not all interviewers are great at it.

Also if all goes wrong you will never see them again, so be confident you are what they are looking for.

hot.chick

This is a tricky one, practice would be a good idea.

You know your CV and you now your experience so this shouldn't be too much of a problem

do you have any friends/relatives that recruit staff? Maybe you could just do some practice interviews with them - I know it sounds silly and will feel VERY uncomfortable at the start - but it WILL defo help.

Advice is:

Be specific with your answers - remember examples of times when you did an actual thing, what did YOU do, what decisions you made and why...

Avoid saying we, the team, what we usually do is... say - I, ME, MY

Actual events actual show experience....

And don't be too afraid so say if something wasn't on the job spec and you haven't any exp in the subject - that your not an expert in that area but it sounds like something you would like to know more about... if it's not on the job spec it shouldn't be a show stopper...

National_Careers_Service

Hi warden1989,

Other people’s suggestions about practising being asked questions, possibly with someone else, could definitely be a good start. I agree it might just take some time and experience to get used to becoming more comfortable in interviews. If you feel your nerves or anxiety are getting in the way, have you looked into other methods which could help in addition to your breathing exercises?

I wonder what’s going on here though. Perhaps, in order to figure out a solution, you’ll first need to get to the bottom of what’s preventing you from doing well. You’ve obviously got the applications down to a tee, it’s now just a case of getting there with the interviews.

You’re definitely not alone here too. You’d be surprised at how many people crumble when it comes to even thinking about interviews. That said, it doesn’t mean you can’t work on this and become as confident in interviews as you are in your applications.

You might find it useful to share your thoughts on here or keep them to yourself. Either way, I think you need to get to the bottom of this to figure out what the solution is.

Looking back at your interviews, are you able to put your finger on what’s going on? When you say you bottled the interviews, do you mean you didn’t know what to say, for example? If so, were you fearful of saying the ‘wrong’ thing? What was going on in your head that was preventing you from the performance you’re capable of?

One thing that jumped out at me from your post was your mention of being asked questions which are not on the job description. What’s going on here, would you say? If you were asked the same question by a friend in a casual situation, would you be able to answer more confidently? Is it that you didn’t know the answers to these questions (if there were indeed correct ones?). Is it that you got caught up in thinking about the ‘correct’ answer but in fact there wasn’t a correct answer, the employer just wanted to know your thoughts about a certain subject etc?

Looking at the specific situation and what didn’t go the way you’d like it to is likely to really help.

Sometimes we can over-prepare for interviews. Maybe I should emphasise what I mean here. I don’t mean you can put in too much work. However, getting very caught up in trying to prepare the ‘correct’ answers can sometimes get in the way of you being yourself in the interview and speaking from the heart. Spending all your time preparing in this way can also floor you when asked something you haven’t ‘revised’ for. Perhaps you might also need to practice being yourself and being asked lots of different questions which aren’t on a job specification to help you get used to thinking on your feet and answering a bit more from the heart?

What are your thoughts? Could looking at your preparation in this way be worth trying out?

Loads of luck, I know you’ll get there by getting to the bottom of this and tailoring your interview prep to help you develop your interview weak spots.

Emma

marlot

I'll give the same advice I've given others in this situation - get yourself down to your local toastmasters branch - it is a very supportive environment and you'll get loads of tips on what you're doing well, and what to work on.

Like you, I'm an introvert who tends not to excel at interviews, but they've hugely helped me. The combination of practice and feedback works well. Ours (optionally) videos you too if you want them too.

And no, I'm not employed by them! Just a very grateful member. Indeed, the chair of my local branch runs a recruitment agency, and one of the other members is head of HR in a local firm - so they know what they're talking about.

WestonDave

May sound like strange advice but in your situation, I'd assume that the next 3 interviews aren't going to result in a job and that you are just going along to get more practice, get a few more awkward questions (so that in future you'll be prepared to answer them if they get repeated), and generally just become more familiar with that environment.

If you can do that and take the pressure off yourself by removing the fear of making an idiot of yourself, then the chances are you may end up starting to improve in that situation. Familiarity removes the stress so by the time you've done 3 interviews that you put a lot less pressure on yourself, your habit for the next one will be to relax in the same way. (Incidentally there is also a chance that if you act in this way one of the 3 might be successful anyway!).

Interviewing is very much a personal style thing - whatever happens at some point unless you are a complete turnoff, you'll find an employer that you click with and that will be your job. To some extent its better that way than being a professional interviewee that gets offered every job but then finds themselves stuck in a job with a boss they can't really get on with.

newbridge

Previous posters have given some very sound advice. Will tell you what I do during my job hunting times..

- After each interview, note down questions that were asked and what I answered, including which I thought were good and not so good.
- Think of some good answers for the ones I wasn't very good at, in interview. If I am unsure, ask my friends, family or online forums.

After few interviews, I have a long list of questions(related to my work domain & generic ones) with some sensible/decent answers to have a look through before I go for next interview.

This has helped me a lot getting the job ( including my current one )

sniggings

sounds as if you are just nervous, one thing that can really help with that is knowing what questions will come up, yes some ask stuff you are not ready for but mostly it's the same old stuff so if you practice loads and loads of times, where you don't even need to think of the answer, that will help.

also don't forget they are human too, saying sorry you are nervous if you trip up is fine.

[Deleted User]

Job interviews are a numbers game, over the last 2 weeks I've noticed them get 'clicky' more like it is some love match best be careful with Valentines coming up! hee hee! guess it has to be because so many people are looking for work, we're not all suited to everyone we must meet. Personally my best interviews are when 'it doesn't go to plan' as frustrating as that gets I think you can over worry. I stutter sometimes but confident that after attending x amount of interviews as have to play the game, I'll get the right one - good luck for today x

morganedge

I bet i'm worse at interviews than you, OP!
I'm a very anxious, nervous, introverted person in situations like job interviews. I feel paralysed. Mind goes completely blank. I even struggle to talk, lol.
I've had some of the most painful job interviews you're ever likely to see!
Even though it's my life that's being destroyed, I can still laugh at myself when I think of some of my interviews!

I've been lucky on a few occasions to get jobs that didn't actually require an 'interview', and also jobs with family/friends where no interview was required.

Unfortunately, I'm unemployed again now, and will have to go through the process again soon as I try to land some sort of job.

I have a friend who is the complete opposite. He's just so confident and so good at 'selling himself' and at 'blagging', that he's landed jobs that pay about 8 times as much as my last job even though he is quite under-qualified for it.
Unfortunately confidence is everything, and we don't all have it.

Good luck.

Getting_There_Slowly_2

About 8 years ago I was applying for jobs. I went to several interviews for jobs I really wanted and was turned down, nerves got the better of me and I blew it.
I had other interviews lined up but one was for a job I wasn't sure I wanted. I called the agency and asked them to cancel. They explained 1) that I should just go along for the practice, 2) I might change my mind, and 3) what did I have to lose?

Because I went in not too bothered about the job I was extremely relaxed, focused on learning a bit about the company and just trying to enjoy the process of meeting somebody new, the interviewer.

Sure enough I flew through the interview and I'm still there eight years later!

I know it's easier said than done, but follow some of the advice given by others, get as many interviews as possible and find a way of chilling out a bit!