I bombed the interview. What now?
No matter how much you prepare for a job interview, things can go sideways and throw you off your A game. I’ve been there many times myself.
First, take many deep breaths. Rather than beat yourself up endlessly, give yourself time and space to process, learn and recover:
- Was it *truly* about performing poorly, or other underlying causes?
- If you were feeling particularly stressed, what was triggering this?
- What was challenging about this interview?
Most importantly, did you really *want* the job?
Does this role truly align with your strengths and aspirations, or are you simply going through the motions? What’s underneath that?
It’s helpful to reflect on your experience, but not for too long – get off the rumination train before your thoughts snowball and make things seem worse than they actually are.
If you felt less than confident during the interview, a few other tips:
When asked to “Tell Me About Yourself”, did you find yourself rambling or walking through your resume? Often interviewers are curious to learn what’s unique about you, and how you would fit into the role.
This is your chance to engage the listener and share your WHY: How did you develop an interest in robotics? What’s driving your aspirations for a career in environmental and social impact?
If you felt scattered or unprepared for behavioral interview questions, the STAR (Situation-Task-Action-Results) method provides a good framework for handling these situations:
- Determine what the top 5 most desired skills and requirements are for the role and write down 2-3 situational examples for EACH qualification.
- In 1-2 minutes for each example, practice describing what the situation was, the actions you took to resolve/address it.
If it helps, video or audio record yourself and take notes on your body language and voice. Are you speaking too fast or too slow? Do you come across as confident? Or unsure? Are you speaking with just the right amount of energy?Bring your energy, enthusiasm and excitement for the role!
Practice with a friend or colleague, and be open to feedback.
What did you learn? What will you do differently next time?
Related Resources:
So You Botched A Job Interview. What’s Next? (Harvard Business Review)
How to Recover – and Follow Up – After You Bomb an Interview (The Muse)
8 Reasons You’re Bombing All Your Job Interviews – And What To Do Instead (Ladders)
