One of the worst feelings you could have is walking out of an important job interview with the sense that things didn\u2019t go quite according to plan. You may not have anticipated certain questions, or perhaps you may have felt that you never connected well with your interviewer. Each job interview is a learning experience, a building block on which to create a solid foundation for another job interview. If you feel as if the interview started going downhill quickly, keep in mind that it may have been designed to do that and that you may have fared better than you thought. Here are a few tips on how to recover from an uncomfortable interview and how to prepare for the next one.<\/p>\n
All Is Not Lost<\/strong> Be Prepared<\/strong> Be Tough on Yourself<\/strong> Read the Tea Leaves<\/strong> Expect the Unexpected<\/strong> Be Honest<\/strong> No one expects interviews to be easy. If you feel the interview went poorly, take comfort in the fact that the job or the people working there may not have been the best fit for you. Somewhere, someone is looking for the exact talents that you possess. If you follow these tips, you will be able to quickly dust yourself off and be prepared for the next challenge that awaits. Interviewing is a seldom practiced skill, so think of each interview as an invaluable learning experience, no matter what the outcome!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" One of the worst feelings you could have<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4441,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,119,125],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4440","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-career","category-interview","category-interview-preparation"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.careerone.com.au\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4440","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.careerone.com.au\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.careerone.com.au\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.careerone.com.au\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.careerone.com.au\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4440"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.careerone.com.au\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4440\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4442,"href":"https:\/\/www.careerone.com.au\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4440\/revisions\/4442"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.careerone.com.au\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4441"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.careerone.com.au\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4440"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.careerone.com.au\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4440"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.careerone.com.au\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4440"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nFirst and foremost, every job interview is a learning experience, including the ones that didn\u2019t go according to plan. You can use the experience to boost your interviewing skills by taking a step back and critically analyzing the events that transpired. Keep a positive mindset, as everything happens for a reason. New opportunities are waiting for you, something even better than you anticipated. Since job seekers tend to go long periods of time in between interviews, think of your last interview as a stepping stone to something greater.<\/p>\n
\nIn today\u2019s world, job seekers have access to incredible amounts of information. A great first step to take is to research the company you have your next interview with and find out how they operate. Do they work locally, nationally or globally? If you have been given the name of the interviewer, check if they have a LinkedIn profile to see how they describe the work they perform. Knowing as much as you can before your next interview will make you feel confident and knowledgeable.<\/p>\n
\nThis doesn\u2019t mean you should beat yourself up over a poor performance. Instead, try to think of weaknesses that an interviewer might ask you about. It\u2019s very easy to highlight your accomplishments, but job seekers are often put into an awkward position when they are asked about their weaknesses. By thinking of two or three things that you could personally improve on, you will be prepared to answer these difficult questions. This will allow the interviewer to see that you are introspective – a highly desirable quality of any good candidate.<\/p>\n
\nYour interviewer might have a certain kind of energy. Were they rapid-fire and straight to the point? Or were they more relaxed and casual? Being able to match the style of your next interviewer is a great way to make an instant connection. Establishing rapport early in the interview goes a long way making you an attractive candidate. Don\u2019t be afraid to ask questions about them or the job itself.<\/p>\n
\nIf you came out of your last interview with the expectation that it would have been conducted in a certain way, you unknowingly put yourself at a disadvantage. The best mindset to have on your next interview is to understand that anything could happen. Let\u2019s suppose you have an interview scheduled with someone, but when you arrive you are greeted by multiple people that will take turns asking questions. If you weren\u2019t expecting this, you may have gotten nervous. Try to think of unusual scenarios so that you won\u2019t be surprised if you encounter them.<\/p>\n
\nIt\u2019s okay if you don\u2019t know the answer to every question. Ask the interview to repeat something you didn\u2019t understand, or that you need more time to think of the answer. They\u2019ll appreciate the honesty.<\/p>\n