When You Know You’re Bombing an Interview



Have you ever been in an interview when you knew you were progressing down the path of bombing it? I can think back to when I had interviewed for a coveted summer internship with Merck and I knew I had bombed the interview while I was still interviewing. A handful of interns were to be chosen nationally for a internship that included many benefits, including an opportunity to work on a special project at Merck, meeting the CEO, a summer in a different part of the country with flights, rental car, and hotel paid for, etc.

I had wanted the internship so badly. But the way the interview was going, I could feel myself kissing goodbye to the opportunity. It was as if I were a Stepford wife at times.  Other times, I drew blank stares when asked some simple questions. I had also had 2 other interviews with two other Merck employees that went well, but this one was just plain embarrassing.

So what do you do when you’re in a similar situation? What do you do when you’re in a pharmacist job interview and you say something you knew you shouldn’t have said (or you wish you said it differently)?

Here is a simple solution to save the interview:

Shift your mindset right away:  “Unclutch” from your mind starting to give yourself a hard time about why you’re bombing the interview.  Observe your thoughts coming up and then let it go (“unclutch” from them).  Otherwise, you may find yourself getting distracted from the rest of the interview questions.  This can take you away from being completely focused and acing the rest of the interview.  You are perfectly capable of saving the rest of the interview.  The truth is

What to say to save that part of the interview:  Bring up what you answered (the part you bombed) and clarify what your answer was.  Elaborate on anything you meant to say but didn’t; explain what you said which you didn’t mean to say.that most interviewers know that people get nervous.  As long as you regroup your thoughts, you can save the interview.

What if you are answering questions and can just tell that the interviewer isn’t impressed with your answers?

Acknowledge the interviewer’s reaction artfully.  Depending on whether it’s appropriate in that moment or at the end of the interview, ask your interviewer “are there any concerns you have about me XXX [insert the topic during which you noticed the interviewer wasn’t impressed] or doing the job well?”  Depending on what the interviewer says, then bring up examples that may help dissolve their concerns.

Stay tuned for a future article that will give you the answers to a few other interview questions I’m frequently asked (including “Should you acknowledge that you are messing up the interviewer?”).  I will also share with you what happened with my bombed interview at Merck & whether I got the job there that summer, if you’re curious.

In the meantime, if you are looking for a job right now and don’t want to make easily preventable mistakes that make you lose out on a job you really want, here is my gift to you…Access your free gift:  the 5 Biggest Mistakes Pharmacists Make in a Job Search.  Put your name & email in the box after you click on the link above, and you will get valuable free tips that can help you stand out from everyone else.  Good luck with your upcoming interviews and use the resources on this website to help you beat your competition.

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About Chen Yen, PharmD

Comments

One Response to “When You Know You’re Bombing an Interview”
  1. when you are going to attend interview try to give answers spontaneously. And be truthful you have to give true information about you to interviewer.