Techniques for turning around a failing interview
It happens. Sometimes interviews do not go well. Sometimes, you fail to establish a chumsome rapport with your interviewer and don't demonstrate your tight grasp of technical issues.
In such cases, it can be tempting to give up. Don't. It's not easy, but interviews can be turned around.
Here's how we suggest you do so.
1) Stop talking and ask for feedback
There is nothing necessarily wrong with (gently) asking for a small steer on how well you're doing (or not).
Lilly Zhu, a former Morgan Stanley vice president of investment banking who currently runs Kuaguoren, a career coaching business aimed at Chinese professionals suggests you proceed as follows: "Pause and say, 'I just wanted to check and see if I'm headed in the right direction,'" Zhu says. "I've seen this done by very thoughtful interviewees when I was recruiting. It made me think, 'Maybe I can help this person give more meaningful answers.'"
2) Articulate the problem
If you've given a series of slightly erroneous or vaguely incomplete answers to technical questions, all may seem lost.
However, it can be possible to defuse this by referring directly to your mistake(s).
"If you think you've given incorrect technical answers, you need to take time out and say, "Look, I don't think I gave you what you were looking for back there, so I'd like to correct myself ...," advises independent career coach Michael Moran.
2) Go for the emotional, empathetic connection
You will also be able to turn an interview around if you can somehow persuade your interviewer to like you as a person.
"You need to build an emotional rapport with your interviewer," says Moran. "Look for areas of common ground."
One way of doing this is to put yourself in the interviewer's shoes. You can do this as described above - by pointing out that you're aware that your answers may not have exactly been everything he/she had hoped for.
One head of recruitment tells us he recently came across a candidate who did this to great effect and got the job.
"We asked some technical questions, where she didn't come across very well, but ultimately we were won over by her enthusiasm and personality," he says. "She turned the interview around by saying, "Look, it's quite evident that I don't have the technical skills you're looking for, but these are the other skills I have, this is what I can see your issues are, and this is how I can add value.
"It was evident that there would be a need for some training and support, but we were ok with that given her passion and desire for the role," he tells us.
3) Use a prop
If the atmosphere in an interview has take a turn for the worse and you are in danger of talking too much in an effort to make amends, reach for your CV or supporting materials.
"When the verbal exchange becomes stiffened, you can use something non-verbal to regain traction," says Zhu.
4) Send a follow-up email
If the interview has been disastrous, it probably won't make a great deal of difference if you follow up with a missive thanking your interviewer. However, it also won't do any harm - especially if the interview wasn't terminally catastrophic.
"Not that many candidates write thank-you notes," says interview coach Margaret Buj. "They are very much appreciated by interviewers.
It shows that the candidate is interested in the job and is thoughtful. I'd reconsider a particular candidate if they sent me a quick and professional note shortly after the interview."
