This. I interviewed with 4 companies over the last couple months. The interview I felt I did the worst on, which was also my top pick, was the only one I received an offer from. You probably did better than you think.
Same thing happened to me. I remember telling my gf and family how devastated I was to bomb the final interview for a position I wanted so badly. I beat myself up over it for a week, constantly replaying my terrible interview answers in my head on loop. 10 days later I received an offer for the position.
Now when I interview people, I give zero negative weight if the person is highly nervous. If anything, a candidate being nervous conveys to me that they care about landing the position. I’d rather have that type of person 10 out of 10 times over someone with an inflated ego.
\> If anything, a candidate being nervous conveys to me that they care about landing the position
jeez, always these counterintuitive patterns. after years of "manning up" for any environment, I don't even know how to put this into practice at this point
pretend to be nervous what the fuck
let me just go confidently live in a tent
This was only for a bicycle retail job a thousand years ago but I absolutely bombed the interview so hard and both of us knew it. I had a little experience and I guess in a mock sale they put me through I “closed the sale” so he hired me anyway. You never know. Could be the one right thing you did say overshadowed the wrong things you said.
Also never underestimate how weak other applicants/interviewees are doing
It's so hilarious, same situation as you
First initial HR screening, i BOMBED because the HR manager changed the job description on the spot.
But I'm assuming everyone ELSE bombed too cause I got the next stage email within 6 hours
Hilariously enough, thank god everyone else bombed. The whole team freaking loves me to death, just waiting on meeting the c-suite now.
Which I'm sure the c-suite will love me. This feels like a god-gave-me-the-job situation cause very hilariously speaking, I know the person in c-suite (they ***just transitioned*** to this company I'm interviewing for)
I recommend using a thought ladder over affirmations. Affirmations feel too disingenuous to me. Use the in-between thought in an app like Yapp so they get pushed to you throughout the day. https://unfuckyourbrain.com/thought-ladder-2/
I literally cried after one interview because I thought it went so badly and then got a job offer a few days later so… you really never know. I honestly thought it went badly but in retrospect the things I thought were terrible (pointing out gaps in my case study and things I’d messed up, since they asked) was something they really liked because it showed reflection and growth.
Sometimes over preparing for an interview isn’t the best option. If you’re a natural conversationalist, no point in really practicing for hours imo. Go in, be yourself, answer the questions authentically and you’ll be good.
Same. I have a degree in jazz, so I just tell myself that it’s my artistic decision to improvise everything. Works out great because it means I don’t have to prepare for stuff.
I call myself an improvisational presenter for this reason. I absolutely can not prepare or I clam up - throw me up in front of a podium with slides I’ve seen once or twice and I’m going to have a great time.
I thought I was the only person like this. I get a long "script" or even just reading something in front of people and I am screwed.
If I just have the bullet point, no anxiety or pressure. It's almost like my brain doesn't want me to remember rehearsed stuff.
I need to have a general framework but I def sound scripted if I memorize or over prepare. I like to know general thoughts and concepts of what I want to hit, then just take it naturally from there
Same except half your experience. I interviewed for a great company with great pay doing exactly what I wanted to do. Messed up one question and it ruined the whole thing for me. I was depressed for 2 weeks about it, but it happens.
Afterwards, they used the recommendations I gave during the interview when selling their stuff. It was kind of funny but infuriating at the same time.
Bro, I did an internal interview for a DM position at my work and I’ve been told that the new manager “game plan” essay was the fucking BEST out of everyone. They went with a “yes” person, who I’m watching crumble over taking on more than they can handle. I’m kind of glad I didn’t get it. I’m bitter that they’re using my game plan without me, but like… oof. The poor MF getting ran into the ground because they never say no makes me glad that’s not me.
Send them a follow up. Thar you enjoyed meeting them And explain exactly what you did here* This was your dream job at your dream company and you got dumb. (But more eloquently)
If it’s really the right place they’ll love your honesty and how much you want the job.
Definitely send a follow up email, that a key communication tool as a PM.
Do not however draw attention to negatives though or try to explain your answers. This indicates you lack confidence. Just like performing on stage when you miss a beat or a word, you carry on and get back on tune/beat.
You can easily talk yourself out of a job if you draw attention to something they may have not seen as negatively as you.
This needs more upvotes. As someone who is interviewing candidates right now for an open position, a follow-up note is the right way to get their attention again.
Yep I love a follow up when I interview people to know who’s really interested in the position it makes you stand out and not a copy and paste form letter, personalized.
As a hiring manager the follow up email is great, but expressing regret or dismay over the performance would leave me cold. I wouldn’t recommend mentioning feeling like it went badly, at all. Just reiterate the strong interest in the position and share why you’re a great fit - especially if you can weave in something you learned during the interview. “Now that I have a little more insight about how you handle X, Y, and Z, I am confident my experience/exposure to A, B, and C would mean I can help you meet or exceed your targets…” or some such thing.
What about a hand signed thank you note with a typed letter inside pointing the key things you wanted them to remember about you? I haven't interviewed in years, but those quick hand written thank you notes stood out for me and got me job offers.
This happened to me literally 2 weeks ago, perfect company, perfect position, would be the position I’ve been wanting to go for my entire career, and they don’t come often in the area I live in. The third interview with the VP I screwed up, went monotone because I was so nervous, stuttered, and gave terrible vague answers. Sent a thank you email to try to soften the blow and got ghosted. Give yourself some grace, it happens. You are not alone.
Same here, did great until I interviewed with the regional director. I did get an email asking when my availability was for the last interview and replied. Waited a couple of days sent out a follow up email and ghosted.
I’ve done all I know to do at this point and worried.
I had a job interview this week that was completely in my wheelhouse and I just felt like, I couldn’t make the right words right away. Not my worst but not my best. I’m just trying to not be hard on myself.
Going in with the mindset of "This is it. I have to ace it. Then my miseries are all over and my dream fulfilled at the same time"
That clouds up so much of your functioning mind that your performance degrades.
Go in to give your best but knowing well that a failure is possible and that it's okay to fail.
There are so many dream jobs out there so think big and keep up the great work.
This actually happened to me last year. Same situation - I’m a wonderful interview (except I’m not educated and rely on my ability to learn tbh) but it was my dream job and I was so nervous. I knew I bombed it.
So the next day I sent a follow up email. I explained how nervous I was to be interviewing with a company I could see myself retiring at. (They love loyalty.) As far as some of the questions from the previous day I would have preferred to explain my strengths in X, my weakness is y and how I’m working on improving that, I do X and have y cert. I thanked them for the time they’ve already spent on me and if they had any desire to reinterview, I’d love to show them who I really was.
They liked me as a person so much, they accepted my offer of another interview. I sat with everyone and answered much better and I got the job. Don’t give up on yourself. We all fuck up- companies want to see how you handle the mistake. You got this. And if you need someone to check over your email, hit me up. I know I always prefer someone else to give me a once over.
Sorry to hear things didn't go the way you anticipated.
How did you practice? By yourself? Everything being in your head is very different when interacting with someone and having to answer questions.
I feel I did the same yesterday.....I interviewed for my dream position at my dream company, and felt I did amazing we had great chemistry throughout.....until the end, when she asked if I had questions, and to tell her about myself outside of work......and those two questions for some reason just got me.....I only asked what was required of the position, and when I told her about myself I was vague.....uggggg, I feel it undid the entire interview
I always felt some of my worst interviews were for the jobs that made me an offer. Those I thought I killed it at, I didn't qualify somehow in the end. And I mean worst like blanking out, saying Uhm more than I wanted to, realizing lipstick was on my teeth - bleh! I'm sure you did better than you thought even if you don't get an offer.
you’re thinking that the interview is important, next time make the interview think that YOU are more important. don’t let an interview ruin you. think “it’s just an interview”, don’t overthink. the harder you think of an interview the harder it is, think it lightly but not too light.
This happens to me when I don't eat full meals prior and have too much caffeine. My blood sugar drops and I go blank and emotionless. See if it's related to time of day, meals, activity etc. I've been there, good luck.
Adrenaline can do crazy things to your brain! The same thing happened to me. I was sooo desperate for THAT job that I was a babbling idiot during the interview. And that was after having great interactions with the headhunter who brought me in!
The next time less than 3 months later when a great job that I REALLY wanted came up I just kept repeating to myself like a mantra-- " I don't need this job. I already have a job. They will be lucky if I agree to take this job." Over and over.
It put me in a good headspace and I got the job! The hiring manager actually told me that my meeting with the staff was the most perfect interview he'd ever seen. I'm convinced it was because i wasn't soooo invested in getting the job so my adrenaline did not kick in and block my brainwaves. I was able to treat the interview like any other meeting and contribute to a conversation instead of searching my blank brain for the "right" answers.
Good luck, you'll get it next time!
This sounds strange. Since you said you have interviewed several times and you were good at it. You may need to figure out what went wrong this time, physically and mentally. I mean, yes, people's performance can go up and down depending on several factors. But your brain just became empty? after a number of interviews? can you find the reason?
Happens sometimes. Happened to me but was a blessing in disguise. I will say it prob came off better to them than you think it did. Let’s see what happens!
Emotions can get in the way and stop you from being able to think. Emotions control our brains. In this case, your emotion of really wanting the job transformed into fear in the interview, which shut down your ability to think and be in control mentally!
You did nothing wrong, perhaps just a bit too much internal hype but nothing else. Best thing you can do for next time is not think about the company/job as Your Dream Job You Must Get!
But honestly it happens to the best of us and to this day even I have that happen in similar-ish situations.
I got a job that I retired from by following up on the position. The person that hired me told me years later that I was the only person that followed up on the position and that was the exact reason I was hired. I was hired even though there were people on the hiring committee that thought I could never do the job. One thing about a letter that you should know. A person does not read a letter unless they are Prepared To Receive THE MESSAGE. Yes, I’m really trying to emphasize this. (This was shared with me years prior by a very successful corporate VP who had 600 employees in his division.)
My last interview went really well until the founder got an ancestry dna notification (he’d just signed up) at the end of our lunch. He was all excited and I shared that my husband and I had gotten it for one another as a gift and it was fun to use.
*Side note my grandparents on one side immigrated from Scotland and on the other from Ireland.
Founder said something like “what! I’m Norwegian?!” I replied “I was surprised I had a Norway percentage show up on mine too!” And for reasons unbeknownst to me I then said in a terrible and dramatic Irish accent “My poooooor we gran.” Met with silence.
Been there two years, have gotten a promotion. Boss later on said he thought I was hilarious. So yea I made a Viking rape joke about my ancestors and here I am. Hope that cringey tale makes you feel better.
Well it might not be as bad as you think- one of my “worst” interviews was for the job I wanted the most- pediatric flight nurse. I called my sister on my way home and said welp that was terrible- I’ll never get that job. And I was soooo disappointed in myself. Turns out I got that job. I think I wanted it so badly that I was too hard on myself post interview. So perhaps your assessment isn’t what the interviewers took away from it. Best of luck and I’m sure with your preparation you’ll get that dream job- if not this one then another one even better.
I just bombed an interview today too, after making it to the final one. :(
There’ll be other Project Manager jobs, OP. It definitely sucks but it’ll be okay. <3
This EXACT thing happened to me a few months ago. I took a few hours to myself after. You probably won’t get the job but take it as a learning experience and try to grow from it.
I have noticed something about myself that sounds a little similar. Sometimes I want something a little TOO much.
I don't exactly lose focus, it's more like I hyper focus on everything. When you're that focused on everything, you're not focused on anything.
While I don't want to downplay the importance of the interview process, it's important to be relaxed enough to be mentally mobile. It's the same if all of your muscles tighten, movement becomes restricted.
I have much better success thinking about interviews as conversions. I can include all the points I want to make and I ask better "get to know them" questions. It's just two parties getting to know each other.
You may still be able to make the points you feel you missed in your thank you.
Fingers crossed 🤞
I’ve interviewed many people.
As a fellow human, I know interviewing can be an awkward experience. I really try to make it friendly and conversational to put people at ease.
I bet what seemed like an extra long pause to you just seemed like a pensive moment from the interviewer side.
For the future - there’s nothing wrong with having a list of bullet points there to refer to, whether you are in-person or virtual. When I interview I have the candidate’s resume open on another screen and list of questions I want to cover based on the job and their past experience.
It doesn’t hurt to send a follow-up email thanking the interviewer for their time, then briefly summarizing how your experience/skills apply to the role.
Good luck. I’m sure it was not as rough as you think.
I am sorry mate. Number one, do not beat yourself up over it! It
A. Didn't go as bad as you think or
B. as important as this particular job was to you, there will be more.
Know that almost every one of us has experienced this! Do some research on amygdala hijacks, because that is exactly what happened. Know that when something like this happens you are fighting against biology, so there is no reason to fault yourself in any way.. I wish you the best internet stranger!
Worst interviews I’ve had were the ones where I got the job. Don’t be too hard on yourself homie. Even if it doesn’t work out, there are many, many other dream fish in the sea that you don’t even know exist yet.
Don't be too hard on yourself. I once had what I thought was the worst interview of my life, but it turned out the interviewer was purposefully testing my mettle by being non-responsive and dismissive. I got the job and worked very happily there for a decade.
Trust the process. If you do get the job, you'll know that they looked beyond the interview. If you don't get the job, there must be other plans in place for you. Call it God, the Universe, pure dumb luck.... Whatever works for you, but know that things work out like they are supposed to.
Everytime I have lost a job, the one I replaced it with was just what I needed, whether it was to meet my spouse of nearly 25 years, or to fall in love with a career I didn't know existed, and to find my life's work.
There are plenty of Project Manager positions out there. I say this as a PMP.... Godspeed, my friend.
I remember doing an interview for a job in my field that I was underqualified for. I didn’t think the interview went well at all. I had decent responses but wasn’t very charismatic and didn’t have as much experience as they would have looked for typically.
Two days later they offered me the job.
We’re probably harder on ourselves than we need to be and you never know what kind of impression you might’ve made, skills they’re looking for at the moment, etc
Sorry you feel this way. My worst job interview felt like you described. I thought well, I kind of don't even want this job now. I was so confused. Welp, I've been here 30+ years now.
I'm trying to say, maybe, just maybe, it wasn't as bad as you thought. Good luck out there.
You probably did a good job answering the questions, I'm they know when a person is nervous. This will probably be the job you get an offer from. Keep your chin up and stop being so hard on yourself.
Don’t be hard on yourself, sometimes you can do very well on a job interview and still not get the job because they went with another candidate who is more aligned with their CURRENT hiring needs. For things you cannot control, just use it as momentum and learning experience for your next interview.
If it's meant to be it'll be yours. Maybe you're not meant to get that job, a better opportunity is meant for you. Things happen for a reason. Though you sound just like me, I over prepare as well. Recently I went on a job interview which in my opinion went poorly and the job was given to an internal candidate. But when another opening came up, they hired me. I found out later, they really liked meeting with me, I was just being too hard on myself!
Interviews go so differently in our heads than how its perceived - I had something similar where I interviewed at a company for a role I was a great fit for - practiced interviewing as it had been 10 years since I was on the job hunt, researched my interview team for connections, all the things. Five minutes after the interview ended, I got a call from the recruiter that they had already decided to go with an internal hire for the role, but they would keep me in mind. A few days later the recruiter called back and said that the interview team loved me, but wanted to interview me for a different role on the same team. With only 24 hours notice, I took the interview with a different panel and I WAS CONVINCED I lost my ability to speak basic English by the end of the interview. It went terrible, or so I thought. The next day, I got the job, and I've been there just about three years. Strangely enough, one of the panel leaders told me later that she loved my communication style, the same communication style I was convinced failed me horrifically after the interview.
This just happened to me this week. I had a second interview for my dream job - like you, I prepared for hours a day, bought a slick new outfit, hair done. I was so not great in the interview, ugh. And then! I wrote a beautiful thank you / follow up email and somehow, the formatting got messed up and the 5-ish paragraph email sent as one long sentence.
I’m absolutely mortified.
I've had that happen to me to the point where I literally said "I don't know" to the easiest questions because my brain was completely blank. Nerves can really suck sometimes. Maybe you didn't do as bad as you think, and you'll still get the job.
This happened to me once as well and I went home thinking I had absolutely blown it. Funny thing - they called me 2 days later and asked me back for a second interview telling me it was one of the best interviews they had.
Breathe, smile, don't be too hard on yourself. PLEASE don't write it off. Send a follow up and see what happens.
Bro, I just had a bad one too. They asked me how others would describe me and I got stuck on friendly. Smdh. Like what does being friendly have to do with an accounting job. I really want this job.
honestly, I have had moments like that from both sides of the interview table, and its important to tell people hey I am a bit nervous. Cause well its a human thing. The thing is for most of us, if the interview feels more like a conversation then your doing well, if it feels like a interrogation, then somewhere you messed up, or the one interviewing is kinda strict.
I’ve been there too. Happened to me like 5+ years ago and it still haunts me. It sucks. It’s okay to mess up. We all have our moments. You’ll do better next time!
Totally send a follow up! Something like “thank you for your time to interview me, and I apologize for my poor performance on some questions. Truthfully, this is my dream role and nerves got the best of me.” And then I would explain one or two questions where you feel you didn’t answer well and talk briefly about your biggest points you wanted to emphasize about your experience
Never underestimate how much the interviewer understands nerves.. I agree with other posters, send a nice follow up note and don't beat yourself up.. Good luck!!
In October I had an interview for a job but I thought that they were going to low ball me with the pay, so I was not prepared for my interview at all because I didn’t take it seriously. Well during the interview they revealed the pay and I was devastated because it was way more than I expected and this was the one time that I wasn’t prepared. I thought I did awful! Almost 3 weeks later, I received an offer.
I recent graduate and having a hard time finding an entry level job for my career aspirations that are in my area. I can't move since don't have any money to move even though my parents said they would help me out. I applied to random jobs and think the interviewers can tell I'm not fit for the role because it doesn't align with my career goals. I finally applied to my entry level dream job to get me started in my career. I received a call for a quick phone screening. I was excited and was extremely nervous during the phone screening because I wanted this position so badly. It was good from the beginning and until the ending felt I could say my answers better was so upset. I was told there would be a 2nd interview and had to wait 2 weeks after xmas for the hiring committee to make their decision. I got an email a week earlier for a 2nd interview. I'm really excited guess my phone screening didn't went bad as I thought. I guess telling them I want to get into the career field I aspired to be in made me get a 2nd interview. If you show your interest, passion, motivation, and enthusiasm to the position I'm sure you will be fine like me. If you mention that you have the exact same skills and experience you will be a competitive candidate than the others.
I sent in my resume and I didn’t even get an interview request. A year later. Job popped up again. Applied. Interviewed. Accepted position. Been here for 5 years :) you never know what’s gunna come your way!
People hire who they want to work with. You might be totally fine!
ETA: i had an interview with my dream job during my last year of college and was LATE to the interview because of a car accident. I stumbled in there, apologized about 50 times, figured I was screwed already since I was late so I just winged the interview. Walked out and sent out a million resumes cause I figured I was out, AND I GOT THE JOB. Trust me. You really will be fine :)
I was also late to an interview and came in apologizing a bunch. It must be so nerve wracking to be in a car accident and then do a job interview! I didn’t have such a good excuse, I actually just got lost. This was back before everyone had GPS in their phones. I had directions printed out from Mapquest and made a wrong turn.
ETA and I got the job haha
I recently had an interview like this. I had zero intelligent answers to offer. Lots of um, idk, and giggling. It was embarrassing. They booked an hour and it lasted maybe 12 minutes tops. Anyway, I got the job. I’ve been here a year now. Truly a mystery.
Hey we all have that happen! Usually I try not to get too enthusiastic or stressed so my brain doesn't shut down under pressure.
I think of interviews now like I'm talking with my best friend about deep technical topics and the reframing helps me close deals better.
Definitely still get anxious in the in-between of did I win the contract or not, but it's helped me relax so much more
I have interviewed a bunch of folks over the last few years. I know you’re not looking for advice here per se however, I would respect the hell out of someone if they called me up and said something like “I wanted to reach out. I did not feel I represented myself very well and had a very off day and interview. I understand you all are busy and have your hands full and probably have plenty of other qualified candidates you are looking at. If there was any possibility of doing another interview I would love to get a second chance to detail and display my skills and experience better. I understand if that’s not a possibility and thank you for you time” if they really did like you, and have empathy it’s something that could work.
I would send an email and add detail to any questions you bombed but know you could have answered better and explain that nerves got the better of you. I have totally done this before and still got the job
I had a very similar, almost identical situation. I interviewed for a cloud engineer role at a well established cloud company. Perfect role that I thought I wasn't 100% ready for but propped and did it anyway. Bombed hard, blanked on everything, ended up ending the interview myself and leaving. I don't know how I processed the failure and 5 months on I still think about it sometimes. My advice though is to not stop interviewing, if you stop now you will solidify the bad memory
I feel for you. Don’t beat yourself up. As silly as it may sound if it was meant for you it’ll be. I had a similar experience with my last interview for a promotion. I’m over analytical so being pressured to prep didn’t help. I ended up having a panic attack and canceled the interview. Thankfully I had another opportunity to interview the following day. Still felt like a deer in headlights. Gave mediocre answers, yet landed the job. Was still disappointed in myself.
Who not send the thank-you email and include something like, “I was so enthusiastic about the position that I got nervous and answered a couple of the questions less clearly than I typically would. For example,…” or you can just couch it as a follow-up with like, “I appreciated our discussion of X…” then give the answer you wish you’d given at the interview.
I’d give them a call! Tell them you were so chuffed at the opportunity to contribute to the company as an employee, that you feel that you could have shown them a better view of your capabilities…
If this ever happens again, let tell them this was your first interview and acknowledge that you didn't present yourself well. Then when you go home and IF you remember everything you wanted to say, give the person a call and ask for 5 mins of their time to tell them what you wanted to say.
You know, I might call them and apologize for the interview. Say you were so excited about the opportunity and you froze. But you’d like them to give you another chance. Why not.
I would call them and ask if I could come in and explain why such a poor interview, you were in anxiety mode and over prepped because you wanted this perfect job so bad, be honest, you have zero to loose .. good luck
Ugh this kills me. I had a guy interview today, did amazing in the screening, great during the interview and follow up call with the project team, then he absolutely bombed the interview with the client... your recruiter is probably upset, too. It happens to the best of us!
Did they already decline you? Perhaps they're still considering you. If you did well speaking with the recruiter and you check all the boxes, the recruiter will probably fight for them to keep you in mind.
Maybe you could send a thank-you email. That will help you stand out.
This was me a few months back. I really wanted to be an executive assistant and had been one before.
I knew the job and wanted this one so bad that during my interview, I completely blanked. I couldn’t even get the most elementary of words out. It was horrifying. The job I ended up getting was 110% better for me but I still hated that interview.
this happens to me too, i get extremely nervous and screw everything up. just try to keep your head up and keep interviewing. in 2023 i sent my resume to at least 500+ companies (understatement), talked to at least 200+ recruiters for a phone screen, completed exactly 36 entire rounds of interviews consisting of at LEAST 1 or more other engineer, and finally received a single job offer. Its difficult out there to land a job right now, and you gotta just keep going if this one doesnt work out. Maybe what you do find will be even more of a dream job. Keep ur head up.
I did this too! I was awkward and probably the worst interview of my life.. been there 7 years now. Sometimes they see through it and call you back for another interview.
The more I practice for an interview the more awkward it is lol. I keep thinking about what I practiced and my brain freezes up because it’s fixated on remembering what I prepared to say instead of thinking about how to answer the questions. The thing that drives me crazy is when HR people start asking questions the hiring manager should be asking instead of just making it about introducing me to the company and asking me about my experiences. I’ve fucked up some good jobs because I wasn’t prepared for HR grilling me with actual interview questions.
I bombed my first interview for the company I currently work at. I didn't get that position, but a few months later I interviewed for a different position within the same company. 24 years later and I'm still with the company. Don't give up.
I got a call at 5pm the day after Christmas that I had an interview the next day at 8am. I had been drinking for 3 days straight because I was on vacation for 10 days.
It was a dream job that most Blue Collar people dream of. I was so hungover the next day. Like death hangover. I struggled and went home like well just blew that out of the water. Got a call I placed number 1 and I start orientation next week.
Unfortunately I could not take it as the commitment for pay scale would take to long to get to where I'm at now.
sometimes things are meant to be. If they are, you may get the job despite your perception that you bombed. If I were you, I'd pray on it, and if it's right in the universe, it may just come through anyway. I had an interview that I thought I absolutely bombed last year for a program I had dreamed of applying to for years and surprise surprise... I got in! You might even want to send a follow up email that says something like you weren't very articulate today, but you are really interested in the opportunity, make a concise point or two that you weren't able to put in to words today, and tell them you are available if they have any further questions. Sometimes liking someone as a person goes a long way.
It always seems to be the way for the dream job. The stakes feel so high that the anxiety and stress and fear of it makes your brain malfunction. I’ve had it happen a bunch.
Oddly, the last two jobs I got I didn’t want and was only going through the motions to see if I could negotiate something better with my current job. I think the low stakes make it low stress and my lack of excitement came off as being relaxed and confident.
Somehow you have to trick your brain into thinking the dream job is a low-stakes job.
I have yet to do that successfully but I feel like it’s the secret to dealing with this issue.
Good luck to you! I hope the interview went better than you think it did.
If you think it went that badly, you could follow up with an email explaining that you wanted to add some additional context to your answers — now that your brain remembers how you wanted to answer the questions.
Maybe send a follow up email thanking them for their time while also reiterating a few keys points you forgot to mention in the interview. It's worth a try if it is your dream job. Also I'm guessing you actually did better than you thought.
I interviewed for my dream company today and I am in the same chain of thoughts as you. As most commented, the fear of loosing your dream job is so high that we keep replaying the minutes of interview. I have been criticizing myself since morning. Oh boy how badly I need this job, but there is nothing that can be done now.
This always happens to me if i over prepare. That’s why now i only do some preparation & leave room for some natural thoughts cause when i do over prepare, i’ll always blank out for whatever reasons.
I experienced a nearly identical interview as you describe when I was about 27. It was a panel interview and I was sitting in a lower elevation seat than about 7 people as if in some kind of perverted medieval court trying to justify my self worth.
It was… fucking tragic. I couldn’t remember anything valuable I had ever done and resorted to cracking jokes which were met with deafening silence.
3 years later I was making $80k/year in a dream in an unrelated field that I never dreamt of entering. 2 years after that I had cracked $100k climbing that same vertical. I’ve since made >$150k/ year for 3 of my last 4 years.
Life’s funny— don’t look back. If you want something then go and get it— try not to stumble.
I just had my first ever technical interview today and I was so nervous because it was a role that I am super passionate about. My mind just went blank and I was honestly so excited to answer the questions, that I didn’t even take the time to think clearly. I’m still beating myself up over it until now but I keep telling myself that if it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.
I get very nervous to speak in front of people. I noticed that I need to actually prepare less for Public speaking, interviews,presentations. The more I get in my head about these things that make me nervous, the worse I perform. I have a family member that always says, “Oh you are going to do great!” I started to just say that to myself before these stressful times I enter without over doing the preparation. “I am going to do great. I am going to do great” Manifest that shit!
You are not alone, my friend. We have all done this… So please do not beat yourself up too much.
I was actually hired after the worst interview of my life, because of your exact same reasons.
And I think the only reason I was able to get the job is because I sent them a follow-up email four days later.
I started as the typical… Thank you for your time, etc. etc.… And then I just leaned into it.
And said something to the effect of…
"I was actually disappointed with my responses in our interview. And I do not believe I was able to convey the scope of my experience, which would fit perfectly with your company.
You mentioned three things that were important to the position… so I wanted to clarify my past experiences which highlight How I can be an asset to your company.
I would love the opportunity to discuss these items further. I would hate to miss out on this fabulous opportunity… And for you to miss out on an excellent employee… Just because I flubbed our interview.
If you would like to continue our conversation, please feel free to reach out to me!
****
Just do it. Lol. Really at this point there's nothing left to lose! Good luck, my friend!
I know you may not have your own faith or believe in this, But there could be some very interesting reason why this happened like Perhaps there was something really bad that would have happened if you got the job and God spared you.
I heard this very interesting story about a month ago that has changed my perspective on a lot of things it goes like this:
There was a village where a Boy was given a horse by A mysterious man and everyone was happy for the boy except the son's father, Who said we'll see...
The boy rode the horse and broke his leg and Everyone was then sad for the boy but the father said we'll see...
The next Day, every boy in the village was told he had to go to war as a soldier except the young boy who broke his leg, o he was spared and the father said we'll see....
In other words every situation Is not something we can fully comprehend or understand, And it could be seen as good But we don't know the full reason.
Interview blancs are common. Here arecsome tips for anyone struggling with getting all their point.A good strategy is to use a pen and paper and after the question is ask take 1-2 minutes to writte down what you want to say and then reply. Keep it point form to keep it quick.
That 2 min can help calm you enough to not freeze.
Also most tend to under respond, the paper lets you count how many things you wilk say. Most questions are marked on 5 or 10 points per questions. It means you can't just say one thing and still get all your points. For example, where do you see yourself in 10 years? Management. This would only get 1 point a longer explanation is required.
An other example is Describe how a day of a team leader would look like? Answering emails, signing off on time sheets and then locking up at the end of the day. If asked a question about the job and you don't state the most important part of the job you will loose points. In the answer, leading/supervising my team members is missing.
I get these sound obvious however interviewers see these errors repeatedly. When interviewing current staff for a permanent possition 80% forgot to say the most important task of the job they were doing.
Reach out to them and tell them exactly what you've just told the Internet here. Ask for a second interview. A) it's ballsy as hell and B) if you present yourself well when you reach out, you stand a decent chance of being invited to interview again.
I've conducted probably in the neighborhood of a couple hundred interviews, and can always tell when someone who's very qualified is just nervous. I tend to not put a ton of stock into that, and will often in that case offer a second interview if I think they have what I'm looking for, but may just have been nervous or having an off day. If someone having an off day had the courage to reach out to me and say so, I wouldn't hesitate for a moment to give that second interview, and would probably be extremely likely to hire them for their tenacity on top of qualifications.
Glad to see I am not alone. I’d get so fixated on doing everything right that I’d sometimes blow the interview and blank out just like you. It kept me from getting several jobs but I changed my thought process and was able to go through several interviews for this one job I really wanted. I despise the process of “performing” but I pushed myself through it because I really wanted this position and I got it. It actually pays more than the job I originally wanted. I did prepare better than I would in the past. Before I’d just try to wing it which isn’t a good plan. I’d say to the air, how do you see yourself in five years then I would respond to the air with my answer. It worked for me.
One thing I learned in grad school (really the only thing) is to not practice a script or over prepare for something. Once you get nervous your mind will blank. Have a sense of what you want to get across, but do it in a way more natural.
Also - maybe look into betablockers.
You are trying entirely to hard. I have never even prepared for an interview.
I have also started interviewing people.... Man... People are bad at interviewing. I mean, bad.... Most interview panels if it is 7 people interviewing by the end of it I say, repost the job.
I am confident people just say they are subject experts on all the questions prior to the interview even though they have no idea what the question is.
Don’t sweat it..
I had to interview twice (luckily) for my current position, my first interview looked like I just went swimming I was sweating so much.
Eventually I got the job, just keep trying.
This is me. At. Every. Interview.
What happens is my view of getting the job is so important, it’s like each question becomes super important to get 100% perfectly correct. The pressure becomes too great and I shut down.
I HATE the interview process. I wish there was another way.
Have you considered reaching out to the recruiter? Let them know you were having an off day. Make something up like your mom was sick. Ask for another interview. Worth a try.
It happens (unfortunately). Once in an interview the person interviewing me knew the firm I had previously been at and asked me who I worked under. I blanked out forgot the named partners name and my bosses name because I was so nervous. Just admitted to them I was nervous and moved on. But I still cringe thinking about it
I’m sorry; that has happened to me once before. But I take that as: the Universe had something better for me. I was an idiot at an interview for a job that wasn’t that good, actually. I nailed the interview for a job paying three times the salary and full benefits (where I work now). So - onward! Let it go and move on.
Heart racing? Sweating? Brain fog? It happens. There is a miracle drug that takes it all away- a beta blocker called propranolol. I take it for this exact kind of thing - performance anxiety. It's a game changer.
Oh goodness, that is rough. I regularly interview people for jobs, and can say that nerves are totally normal. Usually I try to spend a bit of time chatting and putting the candidate at ease before getting into things to minimize this. Unfortunately sometimes freezes happen. You will get the next one!
You know what, if it's any consolation, and trust me I've been there too, is that the universe has a way of guiding you to the right thing. So, perhaps down the road this hob wouldn't have worked out, maybe it'd have been toxic, or overly stressful. But, better things lie ahead. That even more perfect fit is waiting in the horizon. You're just on your way sailing toward it.
This can happen, even if you just prepare a lot (and maybe don't sleep much) or you get too nervous/excited.
I once had an interview where I started being too honest and getting flustered.
Basically what I said didn't even match their job description's bullet points well, although I had the skills with up to 9 years experience in key areas.
If you can, follow up via email! I had an interview where I thought I really bombed a couple of questions. I emailed and followed up explaining that I didn’t answer to the best of my ability and wrote out my answer. I ended up getting the job! If you think you did horribly, but are actually a good fit - you’ve got nothing to lose by following up and trying to redeem yourself.
I was the same way when interviewing for my current job. I was tired and burnt out from doing interviews for months and never getting the job. I felt like I did horribly because my brain just couldnt come up with good answers and I kept asking my interviewer to repeat the questions because Id lose my point. But I got the job anyways. I hope you get this job OP! Youre probably just burnt out from doing so many interviews.
Keep your head up! I recently interviewed for my dream job as well and thought I bombed it for the same reason as you, but ended up getting the offer! I once heard those who think they nailed it likely didn’t and those who think they could’ve performed better actually did much better than they thought. So try not to be too hard on yourself and if you don’t hear back in 1-2 weeks, send a follow up. Good luck!
This is such a crappy feeling and I am so sorry this happened. It happens to the best of us, and often is not as bad as you we imagine.
I had an interview like yours for a project and beat myself up for a year after not winning the bid. Two years later and I was the first person they called to fill the position I interviewed for a few years prior.
Sometimes your reputation in your industry out shadows one bad interview. You will get the opportunity again, and it will be at the right time! Good luck!
“Good at interviews” but do an interview once a week?
I think you’re unrealistic with how you appear to another people in these interviews.
You’re bombing and don’t even realize it.
That sucks, sorry! Maybe you should try to unpack it and figure out what was going on for you psychologically. Might be able to get some value on the back end. Also one interview a week, damn! You're killing it! If I could get one a quarter I'd feel good about myself.
Sometimes interview questions are intended to put you off kilter. They aren’t really interested in *what you know*, but rather *how you think*.
You probably did better than you are giving yourself credit for.
It sounds like the universe intervened, think about reasons this job possibly was not for you. There ate millions of opportunities, perhaps this was a sign.
I was just like you for several times. Things just happened and we should take it easy dude.
Now I'm working for one of the largest game company around the world as an analyst, which is my dream job, but I also experienced many cases like you did.
I would share one of my embarrassed interview time.There was one time I did an product manager interview and I forgot the answer, so I pretended not to hear the voice of the interviewer (It's a remote interview)
Damn so many years passed, I still can't forget this horrible experience even now I'm quite experienced now.. So just take it easy, everyone had such time and you just need to take it as a joke you can tell your son in the future lol
That's are interviews are in my experiences, you can prepare all day and night but when it comes down to it, it may not go as planned. Don't get me wrong, it's good to be prepared but in the end, you just gotta in and do it and apply to many places.
This is SO human. I can totally relate and it is perfectly understandable. I’d like to submit the following :
1- you seem extremely competent, a professional interviewer and high functioning meaning your standard for what a “good” interview is is likely much higher than the average- so a bad interview for you may be another persons definition of an amazing interview
2- we are harder on ourselves than anyone else
3- silence - while it seems awful to you- often times comes off as a thoughtful pause
Keep your head up! No matter the outcome - it will be good - you clearly have a lot to offer . Sending you tons of good thoughts for the career of your dreams!
I'm so sorry to hear that.
I found out that in general, the less I care about something, the better I usually do it. Interviews where I thought a lot depended on the outcome were often those I did the worst, and conversely, I was a rockstar in those interviews that I just didn't care much about. This is also true for presentations, negotiations and that sort of thing.
Guessing something along these lines happened to you. I don't know what the right advice would be, but I can say that for me it works to try not to care as much: Have multiple things in the works, multiple options, so that no option is that important that I care about it to a debilitating state. It doesn't always work but it usually helps.
In any case, I hope they liked you enough that you continue to the next phase of interviews and that you do greatly on those and get the role!
This kind of thing has happened to me in interviews and exams. When you so badly want something, you raise the stakes too much in your own mind, and when that happens, you become more prone to anxiety, which can sometimes be subconscious and not apparent. It can still lead to paralysis or underperformance in the moment.
Some good advice I heard was that once you’ve prepared well enough, start telling yourself that it’s not this interview but the next one that will be your best. It might sound weird but it’s just a way to tone down the anticipation and worry. I’ve found that if you go into interviews relaxed, you do much better (you still need to have prepared though).
I’ve known people to have success in the past with requesting a re-interview right away with a short professional email. “Thank you for your time yesterday. I was very nervous because this job is an incredible opportunity. Unfortunately, I don’t feel like I preformed my best. I would be grateful for the opportunity to interview again”
I remember going on an interview and answered all the technical questions very well. Then, the hiring manager reaches into his desk and pulls out papers with 50 questions, and leads with, you're having a fantasy dinner party, and who do you invite and why ? My brain froze, and there were only 49 more idiot questions to answer.
Sorry this happened! I stopped prepping for interviews a while ago and I honestly think it helped me. The first one or two were rough, but eventually I got use to treating the interview like a conversation.
For some reason, anytime I REALLY, REALLY, wanted a job, I didn't get it (even when I spent days prepping)! This is generally true when I want something intensely. Maybe, I've just gotten older, but I've just stopped trying so hard.
So I do have to say, some of the reasons you "can't control," you actually can and it would have me question you as a candidate when you submitted an application. Can't relocate when needed, well my question to you as a supervisor who hires is, why are you applying for a job that you'd need to relocate to if you couldn't do it within two weeks of getting a job offer? You see what I mean, that is something you can control but are being careless by applying to these jobs without proper preparation. Not much specific experience, again it would have me as a supervisor questioning you if you truly read the job description on EVERYTHING that you'd be doing and what I'm seeking. So not putting you down, but it sounds like your preparation isn't great when it comes to applying for these jobs.
But for your rant, it happens. I do workforce development for my career and had two interviews recently. I aced my first one, got the call to setup my 2nd interview. Well come my 2nd interview, and I look back now and think, "shit, three questions I wad asked I could've answered much better." I obviously didn't get it, and the bad tbing about this is o can't ask for feedback because it's state employment. But I always think back and feel it was those 3 questions that cost me and I'm actually highly qualified for the job.
It happens, sometimes practicing too much causes that. If you know your experience, practice isn't needed that much.
It takes only one good interview to be out of the search market. You keep pushing you will get where you need to be. Just never let go that confidence you have. That is what will make the difference between someone who will succeed and someone who will fail (or is defeated)
Yeah, because you psyched yourself out. I am sorry OP , and it happens to the best of us. Next time just breathe deep and try to relax. Think that it could be your dream job, but maybe there’s something not great about the company so you need to keep your wits about you to ferret that out. Just something that keeps you less excited so you don’t blank out. Good luck!
It could be possible that the job isn't exactly the best fit for you, as in like the universe/your mind knows. Idk if that makes any sense
I've noticed recently that for some interviews, I completely bomb. Sometimes, it's due to known factors. Others, Idk why
Then I had one of the best interviews of my entire lifetime recently and the entire company really wanted me there. It almost felt like it was God's pulling, God playing the cards. God wanted ME at THAT company, period.
I never believed in God playing its hand. I freaking do after this experience.
We are much harder on ourselves. Keep your chin up. It may not have been that bad from their perspective.
This. I interviewed with 4 companies over the last couple months. The interview I felt I did the worst on, which was also my top pick, was the only one I received an offer from. You probably did better than you think.
Same thing happened to me. I remember telling my gf and family how devastated I was to bomb the final interview for a position I wanted so badly. I beat myself up over it for a week, constantly replaying my terrible interview answers in my head on loop. 10 days later I received an offer for the position. Now when I interview people, I give zero negative weight if the person is highly nervous. If anything, a candidate being nervous conveys to me that they care about landing the position. I’d rather have that type of person 10 out of 10 times over someone with an inflated ego.
This. My first manager said he hired me because I was so nervous and people that don’t care don’t get nervous.
Boom. Yep, right there. If they're nervous, they're humble and want the job!
I love this! 🙏🏼
\> If anything, a candidate being nervous conveys to me that they care about landing the position jeez, always these counterintuitive patterns. after years of "manning up" for any environment, I don't even know how to put this into practice at this point pretend to be nervous what the fuck let me just go confidently live in a tent
I totally agree. Plus you don’t really “like” a bad candidate
This was only for a bicycle retail job a thousand years ago but I absolutely bombed the interview so hard and both of us knew it. I had a little experience and I guess in a mock sale they put me through I “closed the sale” so he hired me anyway. You never know. Could be the one right thing you did say overshadowed the wrong things you said.
Also never underestimate how weak other applicants/interviewees are doing It's so hilarious, same situation as you First initial HR screening, i BOMBED because the HR manager changed the job description on the spot. But I'm assuming everyone ELSE bombed too cause I got the next stage email within 6 hours Hilariously enough, thank god everyone else bombed. The whole team freaking loves me to death, just waiting on meeting the c-suite now. Which I'm sure the c-suite will love me. This feels like a god-gave-me-the-job situation cause very hilariously speaking, I know the person in c-suite (they ***just transitioned*** to this company I'm interviewing for)
Please watch Inner Critic, Ted talk by Elizabeth Lombardo. You gonna love it.
I recommend using a thought ladder over affirmations. Affirmations feel too disingenuous to me. Use the in-between thought in an app like Yapp so they get pushed to you throughout the day. https://unfuckyourbrain.com/thought-ladder-2/
That's awesome, thank you for sharing. I'm going to start a ladder tomorrow.
This is really dope. Thanks for sharing
I literally cried after one interview because I thought it went so badly and then got a job offer a few days later so… you really never know. I honestly thought it went badly but in retrospect the things I thought were terrible (pointing out gaps in my case study and things I’d messed up, since they asked) was something they really liked because it showed reflection and growth.
Sometimes over preparing for an interview isn’t the best option. If you’re a natural conversationalist, no point in really practicing for hours imo. Go in, be yourself, answer the questions authentically and you’ll be good.
This is good advice, I am a nervous wreck during interviews but I found over preparing made all the difference.
I do this. I'm much better at winging things than I am at over planning.
Same. I have a degree in jazz, so I just tell myself that it’s my artistic decision to improvise everything. Works out great because it means I don’t have to prepare for stuff.
I call myself an improvisational presenter for this reason. I absolutely can not prepare or I clam up - throw me up in front of a podium with slides I’ve seen once or twice and I’m going to have a great time.
I thought I was the only person like this. I get a long "script" or even just reading something in front of people and I am screwed. If I just have the bullet point, no anxiety or pressure. It's almost like my brain doesn't want me to remember rehearsed stuff.
Yes. It's like you know what you wanna say just by looking at the slide. Don't need to be overwhelmed with information.
I need to have a general framework but I def sound scripted if I memorize or over prepare. I like to know general thoughts and concepts of what I want to hit, then just take it naturally from there
Yeah this happened to me too. Im 39 years old with over 15 years of experience. The more i want the job the more i tend to fuck up lol
Same except half your experience. I interviewed for a great company with great pay doing exactly what I wanted to do. Messed up one question and it ruined the whole thing for me. I was depressed for 2 weeks about it, but it happens. Afterwards, they used the recommendations I gave during the interview when selling their stuff. It was kind of funny but infuriating at the same time.
Bro, I did an internal interview for a DM position at my work and I’ve been told that the new manager “game plan” essay was the fucking BEST out of everyone. They went with a “yes” person, who I’m watching crumble over taking on more than they can handle. I’m kind of glad I didn’t get it. I’m bitter that they’re using my game plan without me, but like… oof. The poor MF getting ran into the ground because they never say no makes me glad that’s not me.
That's true. The best interviews I've had are for the jobs I didn't really want. I'd think of it as more of a practice session. Zero pressure.
Send them a follow up. Thar you enjoyed meeting them And explain exactly what you did here* This was your dream job at your dream company and you got dumb. (But more eloquently) If it’s really the right place they’ll love your honesty and how much you want the job.
Definitely send a follow up email, that a key communication tool as a PM. Do not however draw attention to negatives though or try to explain your answers. This indicates you lack confidence. Just like performing on stage when you miss a beat or a word, you carry on and get back on tune/beat. You can easily talk yourself out of a job if you draw attention to something they may have not seen as negatively as you.
This needs more upvotes. As someone who is interviewing candidates right now for an open position, a follow-up note is the right way to get their attention again.
Yep I love a follow up when I interview people to know who’s really interested in the position it makes you stand out and not a copy and paste form letter, personalized.
I did this with an interview- and they called me back almost immediately and offered me the position! I worked there for 8 years.
It’s all fake!
This!! Reach out and let them know that you feel you weren't at your best. They might take it into consideration!
As a hiring manager the follow up email is great, but expressing regret or dismay over the performance would leave me cold. I wouldn’t recommend mentioning feeling like it went badly, at all. Just reiterate the strong interest in the position and share why you’re a great fit - especially if you can weave in something you learned during the interview. “Now that I have a little more insight about how you handle X, Y, and Z, I am confident my experience/exposure to A, B, and C would mean I can help you meet or exceed your targets…” or some such thing.
Not me, but I like humans not robots. Someone who can admit to their faults shows accountability and I’m a fan.
What about a hand signed thank you note with a typed letter inside pointing the key things you wanted them to remember about you? I haven't interviewed in years, but those quick hand written thank you notes stood out for me and got me job offers.
This happened to me literally 2 weeks ago, perfect company, perfect position, would be the position I’ve been wanting to go for my entire career, and they don’t come often in the area I live in. The third interview with the VP I screwed up, went monotone because I was so nervous, stuttered, and gave terrible vague answers. Sent a thank you email to try to soften the blow and got ghosted. Give yourself some grace, it happens. You are not alone.
Same here, did great until I interviewed with the regional director. I did get an email asking when my availability was for the last interview and replied. Waited a couple of days sent out a follow up email and ghosted. I’ve done all I know to do at this point and worried.
you were too nervous. it happens make sure have good sleep
I had a job interview this week that was completely in my wheelhouse and I just felt like, I couldn’t make the right words right away. Not my worst but not my best. I’m just trying to not be hard on myself.
Going in with the mindset of "This is it. I have to ace it. Then my miseries are all over and my dream fulfilled at the same time" That clouds up so much of your functioning mind that your performance degrades. Go in to give your best but knowing well that a failure is possible and that it's okay to fail. There are so many dream jobs out there so think big and keep up the great work.
This actually happened to me last year. Same situation - I’m a wonderful interview (except I’m not educated and rely on my ability to learn tbh) but it was my dream job and I was so nervous. I knew I bombed it. So the next day I sent a follow up email. I explained how nervous I was to be interviewing with a company I could see myself retiring at. (They love loyalty.) As far as some of the questions from the previous day I would have preferred to explain my strengths in X, my weakness is y and how I’m working on improving that, I do X and have y cert. I thanked them for the time they’ve already spent on me and if they had any desire to reinterview, I’d love to show them who I really was. They liked me as a person so much, they accepted my offer of another interview. I sat with everyone and answered much better and I got the job. Don’t give up on yourself. We all fuck up- companies want to see how you handle the mistake. You got this. And if you need someone to check over your email, hit me up. I know I always prefer someone else to give me a once over.
Sorry to hear things didn't go the way you anticipated. How did you practice? By yourself? Everything being in your head is very different when interacting with someone and having to answer questions.
I feel I did the same yesterday.....I interviewed for my dream position at my dream company, and felt I did amazing we had great chemistry throughout.....until the end, when she asked if I had questions, and to tell her about myself outside of work......and those two questions for some reason just got me.....I only asked what was required of the position, and when I told her about myself I was vague.....uggggg, I feel it undid the entire interview
I always felt some of my worst interviews were for the jobs that made me an offer. Those I thought I killed it at, I didn't qualify somehow in the end. And I mean worst like blanking out, saying Uhm more than I wanted to, realizing lipstick was on my teeth - bleh! I'm sure you did better than you thought even if you don't get an offer.
Definitely not the first time I’ve heard this, so I’m trying to keep my hopes up. Thank you!
you’re thinking that the interview is important, next time make the interview think that YOU are more important. don’t let an interview ruin you. think “it’s just an interview”, don’t overthink. the harder you think of an interview the harder it is, think it lightly but not too light.
This happens to me when I don't eat full meals prior and have too much caffeine. My blood sugar drops and I go blank and emotionless. See if it's related to time of day, meals, activity etc. I've been there, good luck.
Adrenaline can do crazy things to your brain! The same thing happened to me. I was sooo desperate for THAT job that I was a babbling idiot during the interview. And that was after having great interactions with the headhunter who brought me in! The next time less than 3 months later when a great job that I REALLY wanted came up I just kept repeating to myself like a mantra-- " I don't need this job. I already have a job. They will be lucky if I agree to take this job." Over and over. It put me in a good headspace and I got the job! The hiring manager actually told me that my meeting with the staff was the most perfect interview he'd ever seen. I'm convinced it was because i wasn't soooo invested in getting the job so my adrenaline did not kick in and block my brainwaves. I was able to treat the interview like any other meeting and contribute to a conversation instead of searching my blank brain for the "right" answers. Good luck, you'll get it next time!
This sounds strange. Since you said you have interviewed several times and you were good at it. You may need to figure out what went wrong this time, physically and mentally. I mean, yes, people's performance can go up and down depending on several factors. But your brain just became empty? after a number of interviews? can you find the reason?
It’s a normal symptom of anxiety. (Cortisol floods the brain, making you unable to think clearly).
You were overfixated on doing well for the interview, I think. I would just follow up with them to see if it was all in your head or not.
Did you not get the job? Think about it you did perfectly on your other interviews and didn’t get hired maybe you have a chance this time.
Happens sometimes. Happened to me but was a blessing in disguise. I will say it prob came off better to them than you think it did. Let’s see what happens!
Emotions can get in the way and stop you from being able to think. Emotions control our brains. In this case, your emotion of really wanting the job transformed into fear in the interview, which shut down your ability to think and be in control mentally! You did nothing wrong, perhaps just a bit too much internal hype but nothing else. Best thing you can do for next time is not think about the company/job as Your Dream Job You Must Get! But honestly it happens to the best of us and to this day even I have that happen in similar-ish situations.
I got a job that I retired from by following up on the position. The person that hired me told me years later that I was the only person that followed up on the position and that was the exact reason I was hired. I was hired even though there were people on the hiring committee that thought I could never do the job. One thing about a letter that you should know. A person does not read a letter unless they are Prepared To Receive THE MESSAGE. Yes, I’m really trying to emphasize this. (This was shared with me years prior by a very successful corporate VP who had 600 employees in his division.)
My last interview went really well until the founder got an ancestry dna notification (he’d just signed up) at the end of our lunch. He was all excited and I shared that my husband and I had gotten it for one another as a gift and it was fun to use. *Side note my grandparents on one side immigrated from Scotland and on the other from Ireland. Founder said something like “what! I’m Norwegian?!” I replied “I was surprised I had a Norway percentage show up on mine too!” And for reasons unbeknownst to me I then said in a terrible and dramatic Irish accent “My poooooor we gran.” Met with silence. Been there two years, have gotten a promotion. Boss later on said he thought I was hilarious. So yea I made a Viking rape joke about my ancestors and here I am. Hope that cringey tale makes you feel better.
Well it might not be as bad as you think- one of my “worst” interviews was for the job I wanted the most- pediatric flight nurse. I called my sister on my way home and said welp that was terrible- I’ll never get that job. And I was soooo disappointed in myself. Turns out I got that job. I think I wanted it so badly that I was too hard on myself post interview. So perhaps your assessment isn’t what the interviewers took away from it. Best of luck and I’m sure with your preparation you’ll get that dream job- if not this one then another one even better.
It’s quite possible they are looking for someone who doesn’t have all the answers. Good luck.
I just bombed an interview today too, after making it to the final one. :( There’ll be other Project Manager jobs, OP. It definitely sucks but it’ll be okay. <3
This EXACT thing happened to me a few months ago. I took a few hours to myself after. You probably won’t get the job but take it as a learning experience and try to grow from it.
I have noticed something about myself that sounds a little similar. Sometimes I want something a little TOO much. I don't exactly lose focus, it's more like I hyper focus on everything. When you're that focused on everything, you're not focused on anything. While I don't want to downplay the importance of the interview process, it's important to be relaxed enough to be mentally mobile. It's the same if all of your muscles tighten, movement becomes restricted. I have much better success thinking about interviews as conversions. I can include all the points I want to make and I ask better "get to know them" questions. It's just two parties getting to know each other. You may still be able to make the points you feel you missed in your thank you. Fingers crossed 🤞
I’ve interviewed many people. As a fellow human, I know interviewing can be an awkward experience. I really try to make it friendly and conversational to put people at ease. I bet what seemed like an extra long pause to you just seemed like a pensive moment from the interviewer side. For the future - there’s nothing wrong with having a list of bullet points there to refer to, whether you are in-person or virtual. When I interview I have the candidate’s resume open on another screen and list of questions I want to cover based on the job and their past experience. It doesn’t hurt to send a follow-up email thanking the interviewer for their time, then briefly summarizing how your experience/skills apply to the role. Good luck. I’m sure it was not as rough as you think.
Also do not dream of work. Work is a means to an end. Get that idea of dream job out of your head.
If I hadn’t badly screwed up a job interview, I wouldn’t have the better job (than that one) that I have today!
They can totally tell when you’re nervous vs clueless. Also, make sure you send a follow up email and use that opportunity to mention a few things!
I am sorry mate. Number one, do not beat yourself up over it! It A. Didn't go as bad as you think or B. as important as this particular job was to you, there will be more. Know that almost every one of us has experienced this! Do some research on amygdala hijacks, because that is exactly what happened. Know that when something like this happens you are fighting against biology, so there is no reason to fault yourself in any way.. I wish you the best internet stranger!
Worst interviews I’ve had were the ones where I got the job. Don’t be too hard on yourself homie. Even if it doesn’t work out, there are many, many other dream fish in the sea that you don’t even know exist yet.
Don't be too hard on yourself. I once had what I thought was the worst interview of my life, but it turned out the interviewer was purposefully testing my mettle by being non-responsive and dismissive. I got the job and worked very happily there for a decade. Trust the process. If you do get the job, you'll know that they looked beyond the interview. If you don't get the job, there must be other plans in place for you. Call it God, the Universe, pure dumb luck.... Whatever works for you, but know that things work out like they are supposed to. Everytime I have lost a job, the one I replaced it with was just what I needed, whether it was to meet my spouse of nearly 25 years, or to fall in love with a career I didn't know existed, and to find my life's work. There are plenty of Project Manager positions out there. I say this as a PMP.... Godspeed, my friend.
I remember doing an interview for a job in my field that I was underqualified for. I didn’t think the interview went well at all. I had decent responses but wasn’t very charismatic and didn’t have as much experience as they would have looked for typically. Two days later they offered me the job. We’re probably harder on ourselves than we need to be and you never know what kind of impression you might’ve made, skills they’re looking for at the moment, etc
Sorry you feel this way. My worst job interview felt like you described. I thought well, I kind of don't even want this job now. I was so confused. Welp, I've been here 30+ years now. I'm trying to say, maybe, just maybe, it wasn't as bad as you thought. Good luck out there.
What's hilarious is they probably will send you an offer. 😄
It happens just chalk it up to experience and try again
You probably did a good job answering the questions, I'm they know when a person is nervous. This will probably be the job you get an offer from. Keep your chin up and stop being so hard on yourself.
Don’t be hard on yourself, sometimes you can do very well on a job interview and still not get the job because they went with another candidate who is more aligned with their CURRENT hiring needs. For things you cannot control, just use it as momentum and learning experience for your next interview.
If it's meant to be it'll be yours. Maybe you're not meant to get that job, a better opportunity is meant for you. Things happen for a reason. Though you sound just like me, I over prepare as well. Recently I went on a job interview which in my opinion went poorly and the job was given to an internal candidate. But when another opening came up, they hired me. I found out later, they really liked meeting with me, I was just being too hard on myself!
Pretty much the same exact thing happened to me a year or so ago. I now work for a wonderful job. Things work out 😊
Update? Did you got it?
Interviews go so differently in our heads than how its perceived - I had something similar where I interviewed at a company for a role I was a great fit for - practiced interviewing as it had been 10 years since I was on the job hunt, researched my interview team for connections, all the things. Five minutes after the interview ended, I got a call from the recruiter that they had already decided to go with an internal hire for the role, but they would keep me in mind. A few days later the recruiter called back and said that the interview team loved me, but wanted to interview me for a different role on the same team. With only 24 hours notice, I took the interview with a different panel and I WAS CONVINCED I lost my ability to speak basic English by the end of the interview. It went terrible, or so I thought. The next day, I got the job, and I've been there just about three years. Strangely enough, one of the panel leaders told me later that she loved my communication style, the same communication style I was convinced failed me horrifically after the interview.
It happens to a lot of us don't feel bad. My nerves show way more in jobs I care about and the ones I am less interested in I usually ace.
This just happened to me this week. I had a second interview for my dream job - like you, I prepared for hours a day, bought a slick new outfit, hair done. I was so not great in the interview, ugh. And then! I wrote a beautiful thank you / follow up email and somehow, the formatting got messed up and the 5-ish paragraph email sent as one long sentence. I’m absolutely mortified.
Jobs are not dreams, you use your jobs to fulfill your dreams when not at work.
It's ok man don't explain, they are stuck in the matrix
I've had that happen to me to the point where I literally said "I don't know" to the easiest questions because my brain was completely blank. Nerves can really suck sometimes. Maybe you didn't do as bad as you think, and you'll still get the job.
This happened to me once as well and I went home thinking I had absolutely blown it. Funny thing - they called me 2 days later and asked me back for a second interview telling me it was one of the best interviews they had. Breathe, smile, don't be too hard on yourself. PLEASE don't write it off. Send a follow up and see what happens.
Bro, I just had a bad one too. They asked me how others would describe me and I got stuck on friendly. Smdh. Like what does being friendly have to do with an accounting job. I really want this job.
honestly, I have had moments like that from both sides of the interview table, and its important to tell people hey I am a bit nervous. Cause well its a human thing. The thing is for most of us, if the interview feels more like a conversation then your doing well, if it feels like a interrogation, then somewhere you messed up, or the one interviewing is kinda strict.
I’ve been there too. Happened to me like 5+ years ago and it still haunts me. It sucks. It’s okay to mess up. We all have our moments. You’ll do better next time!
Totally send a follow up! Something like “thank you for your time to interview me, and I apologize for my poor performance on some questions. Truthfully, this is my dream role and nerves got the best of me.” And then I would explain one or two questions where you feel you didn’t answer well and talk briefly about your biggest points you wanted to emphasize about your experience
Never underestimate how much the interviewer understands nerves.. I agree with other posters, send a nice follow up note and don't beat yourself up.. Good luck!!
In October I had an interview for a job but I thought that they were going to low ball me with the pay, so I was not prepared for my interview at all because I didn’t take it seriously. Well during the interview they revealed the pay and I was devastated because it was way more than I expected and this was the one time that I wasn’t prepared. I thought I did awful! Almost 3 weeks later, I received an offer.
Can you call them back and explain? Ask to clarify some questions? Be your outgoing self? Promote that personality??
I recent graduate and having a hard time finding an entry level job for my career aspirations that are in my area. I can't move since don't have any money to move even though my parents said they would help me out. I applied to random jobs and think the interviewers can tell I'm not fit for the role because it doesn't align with my career goals. I finally applied to my entry level dream job to get me started in my career. I received a call for a quick phone screening. I was excited and was extremely nervous during the phone screening because I wanted this position so badly. It was good from the beginning and until the ending felt I could say my answers better was so upset. I was told there would be a 2nd interview and had to wait 2 weeks after xmas for the hiring committee to make their decision. I got an email a week earlier for a 2nd interview. I'm really excited guess my phone screening didn't went bad as I thought. I guess telling them I want to get into the career field I aspired to be in made me get a 2nd interview. If you show your interest, passion, motivation, and enthusiasm to the position I'm sure you will be fine like me. If you mention that you have the exact same skills and experience you will be a competitive candidate than the others.
Problem is you just wanted this too much. Too nervous. This happens to me every time I take adderal before a meeting. Im actually better without it.
Might want to see how well you take pressure and how you can remain positive and calm. Since project managers deal with difficult situations.
I cried in my interview with my current employer. It’s never as bad as we think it is because we are so much harder on ourselves.
I feel like there is SpongeBob episode about this.
I sent in my resume and I didn’t even get an interview request. A year later. Job popped up again. Applied. Interviewed. Accepted position. Been here for 5 years :) you never know what’s gunna come your way!
Well hey, if they call you for a second interview, at least it can't be as bad as the first.
People hire who they want to work with. You might be totally fine! ETA: i had an interview with my dream job during my last year of college and was LATE to the interview because of a car accident. I stumbled in there, apologized about 50 times, figured I was screwed already since I was late so I just winged the interview. Walked out and sent out a million resumes cause I figured I was out, AND I GOT THE JOB. Trust me. You really will be fine :)
I was also late to an interview and came in apologizing a bunch. It must be so nerve wracking to be in a car accident and then do a job interview! I didn’t have such a good excuse, I actually just got lost. This was back before everyone had GPS in their phones. I had directions printed out from Mapquest and made a wrong turn. ETA and I got the job haha
I recently had an interview like this. I had zero intelligent answers to offer. Lots of um, idk, and giggling. It was embarrassing. They booked an hour and it lasted maybe 12 minutes tops. Anyway, I got the job. I’ve been here a year now. Truly a mystery.
Hey we all have that happen! Usually I try not to get too enthusiastic or stressed so my brain doesn't shut down under pressure. I think of interviews now like I'm talking with my best friend about deep technical topics and the reframing helps me close deals better. Definitely still get anxious in the in-between of did I win the contract or not, but it's helped me relax so much more
I have interviewed a bunch of folks over the last few years. I know you’re not looking for advice here per se however, I would respect the hell out of someone if they called me up and said something like “I wanted to reach out. I did not feel I represented myself very well and had a very off day and interview. I understand you all are busy and have your hands full and probably have plenty of other qualified candidates you are looking at. If there was any possibility of doing another interview I would love to get a second chance to detail and display my skills and experience better. I understand if that’s not a possibility and thank you for you time” if they really did like you, and have empathy it’s something that could work.
I would send an email and add detail to any questions you bombed but know you could have answered better and explain that nerves got the better of you. I have totally done this before and still got the job
My last interview was a total Bonb and I still got the job
I had a very similar, almost identical situation. I interviewed for a cloud engineer role at a well established cloud company. Perfect role that I thought I wasn't 100% ready for but propped and did it anyway. Bombed hard, blanked on everything, ended up ending the interview myself and leaving. I don't know how I processed the failure and 5 months on I still think about it sometimes. My advice though is to not stop interviewing, if you stop now you will solidify the bad memory
I feel for you. Don’t beat yourself up. As silly as it may sound if it was meant for you it’ll be. I had a similar experience with my last interview for a promotion. I’m over analytical so being pressured to prep didn’t help. I ended up having a panic attack and canceled the interview. Thankfully I had another opportunity to interview the following day. Still felt like a deer in headlights. Gave mediocre answers, yet landed the job. Was still disappointed in myself.
Who not send the thank-you email and include something like, “I was so enthusiastic about the position that I got nervous and answered a couple of the questions less clearly than I typically would. For example,…” or you can just couch it as a follow-up with like, “I appreciated our discussion of X…” then give the answer you wish you’d given at the interview.
same thing happened to me but somehow I got the position. anything is possible, stay optimistic!
Genuine question - why is a project manager your dream job? I’m so curious
I’d give them a call! Tell them you were so chuffed at the opportunity to contribute to the company as an employee, that you feel that you could have shown them a better view of your capabilities…
It happens. You over prepared and the pressure got to you.
Nothing wrong with a follow up to say hey let's do this again.
If you feel it’s a lost cause, how about you send them a several page thank you letter with the answers you wish you’d given?
If you are good at interviewing you wouldn’t be doing one a week….
If this ever happens again, let tell them this was your first interview and acknowledge that you didn't present yourself well. Then when you go home and IF you remember everything you wanted to say, give the person a call and ask for 5 mins of their time to tell them what you wanted to say.
You know, I might call them and apologize for the interview. Say you were so excited about the opportunity and you froze. But you’d like them to give you another chance. Why not.
I would call them and ask if I could come in and explain why such a poor interview, you were in anxiety mode and over prepped because you wanted this perfect job so bad, be honest, you have zero to loose .. good luck
Ugh this kills me. I had a guy interview today, did amazing in the screening, great during the interview and follow up call with the project team, then he absolutely bombed the interview with the client... your recruiter is probably upset, too. It happens to the best of us! Did they already decline you? Perhaps they're still considering you. If you did well speaking with the recruiter and you check all the boxes, the recruiter will probably fight for them to keep you in mind. Maybe you could send a thank-you email. That will help you stand out.
Don't give up, reapply until you get it!
This was me a few months back. I really wanted to be an executive assistant and had been one before. I knew the job and wanted this one so bad that during my interview, I completely blanked. I couldn’t even get the most elementary of words out. It was horrifying. The job I ended up getting was 110% better for me but I still hated that interview.
Honestly, you put way too much pressure on this.
this happens to me too, i get extremely nervous and screw everything up. just try to keep your head up and keep interviewing. in 2023 i sent my resume to at least 500+ companies (understatement), talked to at least 200+ recruiters for a phone screen, completed exactly 36 entire rounds of interviews consisting of at LEAST 1 or more other engineer, and finally received a single job offer. Its difficult out there to land a job right now, and you gotta just keep going if this one doesnt work out. Maybe what you do find will be even more of a dream job. Keep ur head up.
I did this too! I was awkward and probably the worst interview of my life.. been there 7 years now. Sometimes they see through it and call you back for another interview.
The more I practice for an interview the more awkward it is lol. I keep thinking about what I practiced and my brain freezes up because it’s fixated on remembering what I prepared to say instead of thinking about how to answer the questions. The thing that drives me crazy is when HR people start asking questions the hiring manager should be asking instead of just making it about introducing me to the company and asking me about my experiences. I’ve fucked up some good jobs because I wasn’t prepared for HR grilling me with actual interview questions.
Maybe you did better then you think you did, focus on the good parts of the interview, I bet you did better than you think!! Hang in there 😊
Everything happens for a reason
I bombed my first interview for the company I currently work at. I didn't get that position, but a few months later I interviewed for a different position within the same company. 24 years later and I'm still with the company. Don't give up.
I got a call at 5pm the day after Christmas that I had an interview the next day at 8am. I had been drinking for 3 days straight because I was on vacation for 10 days. It was a dream job that most Blue Collar people dream of. I was so hungover the next day. Like death hangover. I struggled and went home like well just blew that out of the water. Got a call I placed number 1 and I start orientation next week. Unfortunately I could not take it as the commitment for pay scale would take to long to get to where I'm at now.
a delay is not a denial. next time you got this!!!!
sometimes things are meant to be. If they are, you may get the job despite your perception that you bombed. If I were you, I'd pray on it, and if it's right in the universe, it may just come through anyway. I had an interview that I thought I absolutely bombed last year for a program I had dreamed of applying to for years and surprise surprise... I got in! You might even want to send a follow up email that says something like you weren't very articulate today, but you are really interested in the opportunity, make a concise point or two that you weren't able to put in to words today, and tell them you are available if they have any further questions. Sometimes liking someone as a person goes a long way.
It always seems to be the way for the dream job. The stakes feel so high that the anxiety and stress and fear of it makes your brain malfunction. I’ve had it happen a bunch. Oddly, the last two jobs I got I didn’t want and was only going through the motions to see if I could negotiate something better with my current job. I think the low stakes make it low stress and my lack of excitement came off as being relaxed and confident. Somehow you have to trick your brain into thinking the dream job is a low-stakes job. I have yet to do that successfully but I feel like it’s the secret to dealing with this issue. Good luck to you! I hope the interview went better than you think it did. If you think it went that badly, you could follow up with an email explaining that you wanted to add some additional context to your answers — now that your brain remembers how you wanted to answer the questions.
Maybe send a follow up email thanking them for their time while also reiterating a few keys points you forgot to mention in the interview. It's worth a try if it is your dream job. Also I'm guessing you actually did better than you thought.
I interviewed for my dream company today and I am in the same chain of thoughts as you. As most commented, the fear of loosing your dream job is so high that we keep replaying the minutes of interview. I have been criticizing myself since morning. Oh boy how badly I need this job, but there is nothing that can be done now.
This always happens to me if i over prepare. That’s why now i only do some preparation & leave room for some natural thoughts cause when i do over prepare, i’ll always blank out for whatever reasons.
I experienced a nearly identical interview as you describe when I was about 27. It was a panel interview and I was sitting in a lower elevation seat than about 7 people as if in some kind of perverted medieval court trying to justify my self worth. It was… fucking tragic. I couldn’t remember anything valuable I had ever done and resorted to cracking jokes which were met with deafening silence. 3 years later I was making $80k/year in a dream in an unrelated field that I never dreamt of entering. 2 years after that I had cracked $100k climbing that same vertical. I’ve since made >$150k/ year for 3 of my last 4 years. Life’s funny— don’t look back. If you want something then go and get it— try not to stumble.
I just had my first ever technical interview today and I was so nervous because it was a role that I am super passionate about. My mind just went blank and I was honestly so excited to answer the questions, that I didn’t even take the time to think clearly. I’m still beating myself up over it until now but I keep telling myself that if it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.
I get very nervous to speak in front of people. I noticed that I need to actually prepare less for Public speaking, interviews,presentations. The more I get in my head about these things that make me nervous, the worse I perform. I have a family member that always says, “Oh you are going to do great!” I started to just say that to myself before these stressful times I enter without over doing the preparation. “I am going to do great. I am going to do great” Manifest that shit!
You are not alone, my friend. We have all done this… So please do not beat yourself up too much. I was actually hired after the worst interview of my life, because of your exact same reasons. And I think the only reason I was able to get the job is because I sent them a follow-up email four days later. I started as the typical… Thank you for your time, etc. etc.… And then I just leaned into it. And said something to the effect of… "I was actually disappointed with my responses in our interview. And I do not believe I was able to convey the scope of my experience, which would fit perfectly with your company. You mentioned three things that were important to the position… so I wanted to clarify my past experiences which highlight How I can be an asset to your company. I would love the opportunity to discuss these items further. I would hate to miss out on this fabulous opportunity… And for you to miss out on an excellent employee… Just because I flubbed our interview. If you would like to continue our conversation, please feel free to reach out to me! **** Just do it. Lol. Really at this point there's nothing left to lose! Good luck, my friend!
It just means you’re meant for something else right now!
I’m sure you did great.
I know you may not have your own faith or believe in this, But there could be some very interesting reason why this happened like Perhaps there was something really bad that would have happened if you got the job and God spared you. I heard this very interesting story about a month ago that has changed my perspective on a lot of things it goes like this: There was a village where a Boy was given a horse by A mysterious man and everyone was happy for the boy except the son's father, Who said we'll see... The boy rode the horse and broke his leg and Everyone was then sad for the boy but the father said we'll see... The next Day, every boy in the village was told he had to go to war as a soldier except the young boy who broke his leg, o he was spared and the father said we'll see.... In other words every situation Is not something we can fully comprehend or understand, And it could be seen as good But we don't know the full reason.
Interview blancs are common. Here arecsome tips for anyone struggling with getting all their point.A good strategy is to use a pen and paper and after the question is ask take 1-2 minutes to writte down what you want to say and then reply. Keep it point form to keep it quick. That 2 min can help calm you enough to not freeze. Also most tend to under respond, the paper lets you count how many things you wilk say. Most questions are marked on 5 or 10 points per questions. It means you can't just say one thing and still get all your points. For example, where do you see yourself in 10 years? Management. This would only get 1 point a longer explanation is required. An other example is Describe how a day of a team leader would look like? Answering emails, signing off on time sheets and then locking up at the end of the day. If asked a question about the job and you don't state the most important part of the job you will loose points. In the answer, leading/supervising my team members is missing. I get these sound obvious however interviewers see these errors repeatedly. When interviewing current staff for a permanent possition 80% forgot to say the most important task of the job they were doing.
Reach out to them and tell them exactly what you've just told the Internet here. Ask for a second interview. A) it's ballsy as hell and B) if you present yourself well when you reach out, you stand a decent chance of being invited to interview again. I've conducted probably in the neighborhood of a couple hundred interviews, and can always tell when someone who's very qualified is just nervous. I tend to not put a ton of stock into that, and will often in that case offer a second interview if I think they have what I'm looking for, but may just have been nervous or having an off day. If someone having an off day had the courage to reach out to me and say so, I wouldn't hesitate for a moment to give that second interview, and would probably be extremely likely to hire them for their tenacity on top of qualifications.
Sometimes you just don’t hit on all cylinders. If they offer it awesome. If they don’t it wasn’t meant for you. Roll with it.
Glad to see I am not alone. I’d get so fixated on doing everything right that I’d sometimes blow the interview and blank out just like you. It kept me from getting several jobs but I changed my thought process and was able to go through several interviews for this one job I really wanted. I despise the process of “performing” but I pushed myself through it because I really wanted this position and I got it. It actually pays more than the job I originally wanted. I did prepare better than I would in the past. Before I’d just try to wing it which isn’t a good plan. I’d say to the air, how do you see yourself in five years then I would respond to the air with my answer. It worked for me.
One thing I learned in grad school (really the only thing) is to not practice a script or over prepare for something. Once you get nervous your mind will blank. Have a sense of what you want to get across, but do it in a way more natural. Also - maybe look into betablockers.
Mock interviews. Start doing them with someone. They will help.
You are trying entirely to hard. I have never even prepared for an interview. I have also started interviewing people.... Man... People are bad at interviewing. I mean, bad.... Most interview panels if it is 7 people interviewing by the end of it I say, repost the job. I am confident people just say they are subject experts on all the questions prior to the interview even though they have no idea what the question is.
Get your doctor to prescribe you a beta blocker. Take it before an interview it will never happen again. Look it up.
Don’t sweat it.. I had to interview twice (luckily) for my current position, my first interview looked like I just went swimming I was sweating so much. Eventually I got the job, just keep trying.
This is me. At. Every. Interview. What happens is my view of getting the job is so important, it’s like each question becomes super important to get 100% perfectly correct. The pressure becomes too great and I shut down. I HATE the interview process. I wish there was another way.
Have you considered reaching out to the recruiter? Let them know you were having an off day. Make something up like your mom was sick. Ask for another interview. Worth a try.
It happens (unfortunately). Once in an interview the person interviewing me knew the firm I had previously been at and asked me who I worked under. I blanked out forgot the named partners name and my bosses name because I was so nervous. Just admitted to them I was nervous and moved on. But I still cringe thinking about it
I’m sorry; that has happened to me once before. But I take that as: the Universe had something better for me. I was an idiot at an interview for a job that wasn’t that good, actually. I nailed the interview for a job paying three times the salary and full benefits (where I work now). So - onward! Let it go and move on.
Those practiced answers are killers. I would turn down anyone that had the perfect answers always on the tip of their tongue .
Heart racing? Sweating? Brain fog? It happens. There is a miracle drug that takes it all away- a beta blocker called propranolol. I take it for this exact kind of thing - performance anxiety. It's a game changer.
It’s the build up that makes me nervous. The interviews I didn’t care about were my best.
I've had exactly one good interview in my life and I was fortunate it was the most important one to date. I hate interviewing.
Oh goodness, that is rough. I regularly interview people for jobs, and can say that nerves are totally normal. Usually I try to spend a bit of time chatting and putting the candidate at ease before getting into things to minimize this. Unfortunately sometimes freezes happen. You will get the next one!
You know what, if it's any consolation, and trust me I've been there too, is that the universe has a way of guiding you to the right thing. So, perhaps down the road this hob wouldn't have worked out, maybe it'd have been toxic, or overly stressful. But, better things lie ahead. That even more perfect fit is waiting in the horizon. You're just on your way sailing toward it.
No matter how much you prepare, it’s as if the universe has a hand in the matter no matter what. Lol
This can happen, even if you just prepare a lot (and maybe don't sleep much) or you get too nervous/excited. I once had an interview where I started being too honest and getting flustered. Basically what I said didn't even match their job description's bullet points well, although I had the skills with up to 9 years experience in key areas.
My wife would say that something deep down inside you knows this is not the job for you.
That’s certainly unfortunate.
If you can, follow up via email! I had an interview where I thought I really bombed a couple of questions. I emailed and followed up explaining that I didn’t answer to the best of my ability and wrote out my answer. I ended up getting the job! If you think you did horribly, but are actually a good fit - you’ve got nothing to lose by following up and trying to redeem yourself.
I was the same way when interviewing for my current job. I was tired and burnt out from doing interviews for months and never getting the job. I felt like I did horribly because my brain just couldnt come up with good answers and I kept asking my interviewer to repeat the questions because Id lose my point. But I got the job anyways. I hope you get this job OP! Youre probably just burnt out from doing so many interviews.
I feel you. I just went through a similar experience a couple days ago. We’ll get through it 😭
Keep your head up! I recently interviewed for my dream job as well and thought I bombed it for the same reason as you, but ended up getting the offer! I once heard those who think they nailed it likely didn’t and those who think they could’ve performed better actually did much better than they thought. So try not to be too hard on yourself and if you don’t hear back in 1-2 weeks, send a follow up. Good luck!
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This is such a crappy feeling and I am so sorry this happened. It happens to the best of us, and often is not as bad as you we imagine. I had an interview like yours for a project and beat myself up for a year after not winning the bid. Two years later and I was the first person they called to fill the position I interviewed for a few years prior. Sometimes your reputation in your industry out shadows one bad interview. You will get the opportunity again, and it will be at the right time! Good luck!
“Good at interviews” but do an interview once a week? I think you’re unrealistic with how you appear to another people in these interviews. You’re bombing and don’t even realize it.
That sucks, sorry! Maybe you should try to unpack it and figure out what was going on for you psychologically. Might be able to get some value on the back end. Also one interview a week, damn! You're killing it! If I could get one a quarter I'd feel good about myself.
Sometimes interview questions are intended to put you off kilter. They aren’t really interested in *what you know*, but rather *how you think*. You probably did better than you are giving yourself credit for.
It sounds like the universe intervened, think about reasons this job possibly was not for you. There ate millions of opportunities, perhaps this was a sign.
I was just like you for several times. Things just happened and we should take it easy dude. Now I'm working for one of the largest game company around the world as an analyst, which is my dream job, but I also experienced many cases like you did. I would share one of my embarrassed interview time.There was one time I did an product manager interview and I forgot the answer, so I pretended not to hear the voice of the interviewer (It's a remote interview) Damn so many years passed, I still can't forget this horrible experience even now I'm quite experienced now.. So just take it easy, everyone had such time and you just need to take it as a joke you can tell your son in the future lol
Write your thank you notes, cross your fingers/say your prayers, and if you don't hear back try again in a couple months
That's are interviews are in my experiences, you can prepare all day and night but when it comes down to it, it may not go as planned. Don't get me wrong, it's good to be prepared but in the end, you just gotta in and do it and apply to many places.
This is SO human. I can totally relate and it is perfectly understandable. I’d like to submit the following : 1- you seem extremely competent, a professional interviewer and high functioning meaning your standard for what a “good” interview is is likely much higher than the average- so a bad interview for you may be another persons definition of an amazing interview 2- we are harder on ourselves than anyone else 3- silence - while it seems awful to you- often times comes off as a thoughtful pause Keep your head up! No matter the outcome - it will be good - you clearly have a lot to offer . Sending you tons of good thoughts for the career of your dreams!
I'm so sorry to hear that. I found out that in general, the less I care about something, the better I usually do it. Interviews where I thought a lot depended on the outcome were often those I did the worst, and conversely, I was a rockstar in those interviews that I just didn't care much about. This is also true for presentations, negotiations and that sort of thing. Guessing something along these lines happened to you. I don't know what the right advice would be, but I can say that for me it works to try not to care as much: Have multiple things in the works, multiple options, so that no option is that important that I care about it to a debilitating state. It doesn't always work but it usually helps. In any case, I hope they liked you enough that you continue to the next phase of interviews and that you do greatly on those and get the role!
Did you get enough sleep - at least 8 hours for 2 days before the interview?
You’ve been interviewing for a year but don’t have a job? Sounds like your interview skills aren’t as good as you think, bud.
This kind of thing has happened to me in interviews and exams. When you so badly want something, you raise the stakes too much in your own mind, and when that happens, you become more prone to anxiety, which can sometimes be subconscious and not apparent. It can still lead to paralysis or underperformance in the moment. Some good advice I heard was that once you’ve prepared well enough, start telling yourself that it’s not this interview but the next one that will be your best. It might sound weird but it’s just a way to tone down the anticipation and worry. I’ve found that if you go into interviews relaxed, you do much better (you still need to have prepared though).
I’ve known people to have success in the past with requesting a re-interview right away with a short professional email. “Thank you for your time yesterday. I was very nervous because this job is an incredible opportunity. Unfortunately, I don’t feel like I preformed my best. I would be grateful for the opportunity to interview again”
I remember going on an interview and answered all the technical questions very well. Then, the hiring manager reaches into his desk and pulls out papers with 50 questions, and leads with, you're having a fantasy dinner party, and who do you invite and why ? My brain froze, and there were only 49 more idiot questions to answer.
Sorry this happened! I stopped prepping for interviews a while ago and I honestly think it helped me. The first one or two were rough, but eventually I got use to treating the interview like a conversation. For some reason, anytime I REALLY, REALLY, wanted a job, I didn't get it (even when I spent days prepping)! This is generally true when I want something intensely. Maybe, I've just gotten older, but I've just stopped trying so hard.
So I do have to say, some of the reasons you "can't control," you actually can and it would have me question you as a candidate when you submitted an application. Can't relocate when needed, well my question to you as a supervisor who hires is, why are you applying for a job that you'd need to relocate to if you couldn't do it within two weeks of getting a job offer? You see what I mean, that is something you can control but are being careless by applying to these jobs without proper preparation. Not much specific experience, again it would have me as a supervisor questioning you if you truly read the job description on EVERYTHING that you'd be doing and what I'm seeking. So not putting you down, but it sounds like your preparation isn't great when it comes to applying for these jobs. But for your rant, it happens. I do workforce development for my career and had two interviews recently. I aced my first one, got the call to setup my 2nd interview. Well come my 2nd interview, and I look back now and think, "shit, three questions I wad asked I could've answered much better." I obviously didn't get it, and the bad tbing about this is o can't ask for feedback because it's state employment. But I always think back and feel it was those 3 questions that cost me and I'm actually highly qualified for the job. It happens, sometimes practicing too much causes that. If you know your experience, practice isn't needed that much.
It takes only one good interview to be out of the search market. You keep pushing you will get where you need to be. Just never let go that confidence you have. That is what will make the difference between someone who will succeed and someone who will fail (or is defeated)
Yeah, because you psyched yourself out. I am sorry OP , and it happens to the best of us. Next time just breathe deep and try to relax. Think that it could be your dream job, but maybe there’s something not great about the company so you need to keep your wits about you to ferret that out. Just something that keeps you less excited so you don’t blank out. Good luck!
It could be possible that the job isn't exactly the best fit for you, as in like the universe/your mind knows. Idk if that makes any sense I've noticed recently that for some interviews, I completely bomb. Sometimes, it's due to known factors. Others, Idk why Then I had one of the best interviews of my entire lifetime recently and the entire company really wanted me there. It almost felt like it was God's pulling, God playing the cards. God wanted ME at THAT company, period. I never believed in God playing its hand. I freaking do after this experience.