6 awkward job interview scenarios and how to recover from them

No matterhow many times you've gone through the job interview process, experience doesn't necessarily make it easier. The human element keeps it unpredictable. How an interview goes is highly dependent on the chemistry between the interviewer and candidate. In short, you're bound to mess up even the most common interview questions at one point or another.

While you can do your utmost to prepare for the interview and anticipate the questions you'll get, you are still a human being prone to making mistakes and errors in judgment. However embarrassing it might be to make a blunder in an interview, what's worse is to make matters worse by not handling the situation the right way.

Here are six awkward, but common, job interview scenarios and how to make a graceful recovery from them:

Mispronouncing or forgetting the interviewer's name

Not all of us are good with names. It's embarrassing enough to have a momentary memory lapse and fail to recall someone's name in a social situation, but an interview is one of the last places you'll want to be in at that moment.

If that does happen to you,apologiseimmediately and move on. Don't make a big deal out of it. Change the subject so the awkwardness passes as quickly as it happened.

You're caught off-guard by an awkward question

Maybe you got asked an interview question you weren't expecting. It could be a personal question that you're not comfortable answering, or a potentially sensitive topic you'd rather not discuss. First, take a breath and give yourself time tocollect your thoughts. Repeat the question to buy yourself time so there's no awkward silence.

In an ideal world, you would come up with a neutral response to the question. If that's not possible, simply smile and deflect by asking a question to change the subject. You could also make a light-hearted comment along the lines of, ‘We'll need to be onfirst-name basis to discuss such matters!'

You accidentally make a negative remark about a previous employer

It happens. What started out as an attempt to sell your skills and strengths might inadvertently paint your previous employer in a negative light. Don't panic. As long as you catch it immediately and rephrase orapologisefor the unprofessional remark, it shows theinterviewerthat you're aware of the faux pas and you're quick enough on your feet to remedy the situation.

Your phone rings

Itshouldn't have happened, but sometimes we forget these things. Simplyapologise, turn off your phone, and put it away. What's worse is for you to leave it ringing.

You accidentally blurt out a swear word

Maybe you got carried away and forgot for a moment that you're in a job interview. That's okay.Apologiseand carry on, making sure to turn on your mental filter to avoid a repeat performance. However easygoing the interviewer might seem to be, it's imperative that you maintain a professional image throughout the interview. First impressions are hard to shake off.

You crack a joke that doesn't elicit the intended response

Maybe the interviewer didn't get the joke, or didn't see the funny side of it. If that happens, quickly steer the conversationaway from that awkward moment by changing the subject and talking about something else. Just don't harp on it or you might make the situation worse.

What's key is to maintain your confidence and composure at all times, even when you slip up and say something inappropriate. Don't keepapologisingeither. That just reminds the interviewer of that embarrassing thing you did. Say you're sorry once and move on, and it will be history.



Follow our Facebook page for more insightful perspectives on job hunting and the latest employment trends.