Question
I bombed an interview for an engineering job I know I’m qualified for. I was well-prepared but after the first few minutes it all went south. The hiring manager was asking questions he must have gotten from HR or something and they had nothing to do with the job or engineering. Then he talked about problems he is having finding qualified candidates. He’s the boss. Is there anything I could have done without seeming rude?
Nick’s Reply
You know you have a problem when an interview isn’t about the work. Instead, you and the manager are talking too much about peripheral things and very broad topics. Or, your skills are being discussed only in very general terms, instead of how they will specifically apply to the job at hand.
Poor interviewers & bombed interviews
The naïve candidate is often relieved when this happens, because the questions are easier to answer and you can more or less “fake it.” The experienced engineer realizes that an unfocused interview will lead to trouble because the manager is not getting the detailed information they need to make a hiring judgment.
In my experience, managers are typically not very good interviewers. They will stray into areas that don’t really help them evaluate a candidate’s ability to do the job. This gaffe may not be yours, but the manager’s. Still, it’s up to you to correct it if you believe you may have bombed an interview.
Turn the interview toward the work
Guide the interview in a way that reveals how you will actually do the work. Even a poor interviewer will start to “get it,” and the interview will turn into a working meeting. If you can pull that off, the manager will never forget you — you will truly stand out.
No matter what the manager and the candidate think at the time, an interview that isn’t focused on the actual work isn’t going well. Once the candidate is gone, the manager will not have enough information to make a hiring decision — and that’s to the candidate’s disadvantage. So, watch out for interviews that don’t focus on the work itself.
If you don’t like that answer, try this question
To paraphrase a famous Carl Sandburg poem, “Beware your answers: you can’t call them back.”
You can’t go back and “fix” an answer. But, if you flub an answer, you can guide the interview in a more positive direction. The point is not to distract the interviewer (though you may be tempted), but to focus them on something more important than the answer you flubbed.
Sometimes, the best answer is a new question.
How to Say It
For example:
“At some point during our interview, I’d like to show you how I’d do this job. Can you lay out a live problem you’re facing — something you’d want your new hire to handle — so I can show you how I’d tackle it?”
Now, this is a risky approach, because it requires that you really know your stuff. But, it’s also the most powerful thing you can do in an interview, especially right after you’ve bombed a question. (If you aren’t ready to tackle a live problem, what are you doing in the interview to begin with?) It gives the manager something to sink their teeth into, and it gives you a chance to do what you’re good at — engineering (as opposed to interviewing).
Have you ever bombed an interview? Was it your fault or the interviewer’s? Did it end there or did you try to fix it? How?
: :
The first was for not reading the companies brochure before the interview. After that I read them and they all seemed to be by the same author, most only difference was how far you had to drive to find over 12 lakes (half an hour to 6 hours). Two companies did brag; one that most people did not take all their vacation, they offered 1 week, every other company offered 2 weeks) and the other that they hired more engineers each year than any other company (100% turn over.)
I have a saying that fits in here “The best questions come to mind after the interview” & it applies to both sides of the table. That’s when you know you’ve (they’ve) blown it.
And you remember some of them forever. On the interviewer side, in my experience (in the hi-tech engineering space, not only are the managers poor interviewers…many don’t like to recruit and what comes with it. When you sit across from them you can easily sense, they’d rather be 10 other places.
I blew two when in those situations. in the 1st as noted above, on reflection I realized I should have tried to cut to the chase..and simply asked the Sr Manager, what he wanted to do his organization and get him talking about what counts. I’m sure I could have kept up with him on that level & show value add.
The 2nd was kind of weird. I was referred by a guy was a sr manager in the company, who knew the company well & the people in it. We’d done some work with each other prior, so he gave me a good referral & a great backgrounder. And I did my homework and researched the company But in talking with the hiring manager, it soon became very apparent I knew more about the organization (and pending changes) & the possible position, then he did. It went nowhere. I didn’t know what to do with that as my gut told it was a political minefield.
But I got what I wanted from the interviews..not a good fit, especially since relos would be part of them.
As the hiring manager & recruiter I set through a lot of interviews that went south for the candidate. I understand nervousness & can run that through a filter. But you blow it badly when it’s obvious you’re unprepared. My classic example is when a guy asked me (as an inhouse recruiter) “What do you guys do” or those that have zero questions about job and/or company.
As to the writer…what worked for me as the HM or recruiter was when a candidate followed up with a call or email me & ask to talk some more, simply noting you thought you blew it and would like to continue talking. I’m a big believer in follow ups. & I’d get back to them & talk some more. In one case, the candidate didn’t blow the interview, but blew the offer. He turned me down & later called saying he made a mistake. I hired him.
On re-directing the interview away from HR regimented detritus into core job related shop talk, look for an opening to insert a story that hits into the job and/or what the HM does for a living. Me, I loved real world job stories. The candidate’s on sure ground, I also learn something, and the story indirectly answers a lot of questions I’m interested in. And the candidate picks up a good sense of what’s it like to work with me and what it’s like working for the company in his space.
Crappy interviewers usually respond well to this, as you’ve moved the interview into one of those 10 places they’d rather be in and love to talk about
Oh yeah, I blew an interview very, very badly once.
The interviewer brought in one of the guys on the team and they put Nick’s advice right in my lap. The employee wanted to talk shop, laying out how one of their systems worked, and asking me how I would go about designing parts of it. I knew the components and subsystems used, but I just froze. The guy was very, very generous, trying to coach me along, but I just couldn’t come up with anything. I choked. When I got to my car, a hundred ideas popped into my mind about what I could have said.
This was maybe 12-15 years into my career, so I was still not on completely solid ground. Knowing what I do now, I would have contacted the firm the next day and asked (begged?) for a second chance. And been well-prepared if it was granted.
It didn’t ruin my career, but it’s something I’ve always regretted.
Nick, any thoughts on what you can do in an interview if you’re choking and know you can do better? Pretend a sudden stomach virus has hit you and run away?
@Larry: The reality is that in those circumstances it can be hard to remember your name much less successfully bounce back in the interview. Panic is hard to fight because it just generates more panic. Sometimes you just have to apologize, admit you’re having a bad day and not thinking straight. You can do this on the spot or soon after via e-mail or phone call. I think you have nothing to lose at that point, and demonstrating painful candor can actually score you points with an astute manager, who will probably recall being in your shoes at least once!
Look at what this gob-smacked candidate did and how it worked:
https://www.asktheheadhunter.com/17724/executive-interview
I’ve worked in Real Estate. I’ve had two interviews one in Biotechnology and one in Legal. An outside recruiter contacted me. Outside recruiter claimed I had what the company was looking for. The Legal office spent more time talking about how happy she was with a young employee she hired then the interview. I have sent many resumes out no interest. Need help.
Is there a lead in question at the end?
At my employer, I know we ask, “is there anything in your experience/background we didn’t cover?” We’ve had some good chats with people.