To be totally embarrassed at doing a crap interview

@WhydoImessupinterviews Well done for getting a second interview! That shows your first interview was good and you were probably being way too hard on yourself! 9 people on a panel is insanity! Well done for just surviving that!

I hope it didn't go as badly as you think. I'm the same and, as someone who has been on panels many times, I really think the whole interview process doesn't work very well. I have interviewed many people who were fantastic on the day and said all the right things and seemed to be oozing with confidence and then, when actually in the role, it was a different story. Obviously, there's no way of telling whether those who don't interview well would be better in the roles but it makes me wonder.

Thank you @MarkingBad that’s super kind of you!

I’ve decided to get back in the saddle by doing a new job app and also chasing up some freelance stuff so feel a bit better!

I must escape!

@Catkincat

So sorry to hear that, you are never too broken but it sounds like you need help after having your confidence smashed. You are good at your job, it's the other one who is crap

I hope you get away from them soon so you can rebuild your self esteem. You can definitely do it

We always provide questions in advance. We find it makes for a much interview on both sides.

I totally sympathise OP I had a DREADFUL interview this week. Good cop bad cop vibes in the interview and bad cop did zero masking when I didn’t give a great answer to a question… After that I fell apart and two fairly simple questions that I should have nailed I just gabbled on!

I woke up this morning after a bad work dream and literally had the phrase ‘I am a failure’ in my head. 😢

I have a horrible boss who has really shattered my confidence over the past few years and I’m wondering if I’m just a bit too broken by that and so go to pieces as soon as I get the vibe someone doesn’t think I’m right for the job/capable?

My only solace is that I can see where I could have answered better so hopefully in the future I can at least nail the basics.

I feel really down as I’m desperate to escape my job but haven’t done an interview in years and I know they would have sent the ‘next step’ stuff by now.

I hope you’re feeling a bit better. At least this thread shows that a lot of good at their job people can be not great in interviews.

I failed my headteacher qualification at interview level (after having achieved everything else required during the 10 month training)
When I did it second time I interviewed in the style of my super confident head teacher friend - pretty much delivered the same answers but with her panache and confidence and passed.

its hard tho - I hate being interviewed and I hate interviewing people!

I’ve had people burst out crying at interview and someone faint from the stress. I didn’t feel anything but a bit sad that they had found it so very stressful

Personally I'm really good at interviews, I can spout all the bollocks, I did lots of recruitment interviews which helps

But I've had some stinkers...one for an internal role was a presentation then interview. Smashed the presentation, knew I had it in the bag and just stumbled like a pillock..I went back the next day and apologised and said I knew I wasn't getting the job so don't worry about letting me know!

It happens. Practice interviews, try to find out what type of questions they ask, definitely know something about the company and even the people if possible.

I'm reasonably confident and articulate in real life, but not great with a quick come back. In interviews, I've often have to ask for the question to be repeated and go off on a waffle. I also used to interview candidates, and not sure I'd hire myself 😬

If it helps OP, here are some funny examples I recall:
-1 place had high security checks. When they photocopied the candidates passport, a little bag of drugs fell out.
-1 candidate answered a few questions, but kept looking at notes infront of him. I asked another question, he shuffled the paperwork and he said he didn't know, because he hadn't printed that answer off! I re worded it several times, asked for an example outside of work, and he still couldn't reply.
-1 woman, as we were walking to the interview room, informed me that she had taken the last company to a tribunal because she wasn't hired and believed it was discrimination. She threatened that if she didn't get our job, she planned to do the same!

This one was me! It was an online interview during covid. I'm not the most tech savvy and my regular job didn't require online skills. I checked that teams was working etc beforehand, but on the day, I couldn't get the camera to work. During the last question, I did manage to get it on- but without a filter blocking the background. I realised that the mirror behind me was reflecting my indoor laundry drying. So in full view as a background were various pieces of my underwear, along with a pair of DH's old pants that he refused to throw, despite the elastic being almost gone and several holes in them! 😳

OP, you likely aren't as bad as you think. I agree with filming yourself and getting a friend/family member to ask questions. Ask for feedback from the companies too.

Please don’t feel bad. I am awful at interviews to the point I think I need some sort of counselling/therapy to address it. When I’m in post I win awards for best employee etc so I am a great employee. However my particular low was bursting into tears in the middle of the interview and having to cut it short because I’d got so worked up. Doesn’t get more embarrassing than that!!!! 😳🙈

Firstly, don’t feel bad, we have all been there! Secondly, have some public speaking coaching. I did and whilst it was utterly excruciating (they recorded me. I was flapping around and laughing like some kind of Butlins Red Coat, when in fact I was a senior director at a multi national 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️) it really helped. They suggested I “channel my inner Celeopatra” and, whilst I thought it sounded like bullshit, I tried it and it did work. They recorded me 3 months later and I was like a different person. That was many years ago but I still use it now.

My worst interview ever was an internal with people I knew, which made it so much worse. I'd manage to totally misunderstand the role, I think I thought it was much closer to my existing one than it was (it was less about editing stuff and more about research administration) and the guy interviewing me was trying to gently steer me in the right direction so I didn't embarass myself too much. 😶

Same age as you OP. I fucked up an internal interview a couple of years ago even though there were FOUR positions (14 interviewees). I'm fairly confident, good at my job, strategic, good soft skills, and had just won a fairly big award after being nominated by colleagues. I just go to pieces in interviews. Can't get my words out, mind goes blank, can't think of examples to demonstrate the point I'm trying to make even though I've prepared them all in advance and practised saying them out loud. Where I work it's all competency-based interviews where you have to give examples based on STAR, and you're scored on these answers only, with nothing else (experience, personality, aptitude etc) allowed to be considered. So if you fluff this, you're buggered. I'm already at quite a high grade but the next grade up is a big jump and when a role does come up they are hugely competitive. There will be another opportunity this year, and I'll go for it again, but already dreading it. Not giving up though - might try and get some coaching as another pp said - you shouldn't give up either. I bet you're brilliant!

Have you done practice interviews with a friend? I've always found them to be very helpful, especially if I record them so I can watch them later and actually see my performance. I've also found it helpful to prepare written responses to possible interview questions. I practice those over and over until I can give my little speeches smoothly and seemingly naturally, making sure to work in all of the little bits and pieces that I want to make sure to mention, even if the interviewer doesn't ask those questions.

The best person I've ever employed did a pretty terrible interview. He was incredibly nervous and just couldn't get his words out and stumbled along with long blank periods where he couldn't think what to say. His CV was great and I knew he could do the job and could see it was all nerves and he's been absolutely fantastic. It may not have been as bad as you think.

This really shouldn’t be so mysterious for you. Your company should be more transparent about what the questions will look like and what good answers look like.

Have you prepared examples from the new job description? You can use the star method to communicate them.

best of luck

I’m sure you didn’t gabble. He last two senior people whose tears I mopped up after they totally flunked an interview ended up getting the roles 🤣🤣🤣
I’m just saying you aren’t the best person to judge how it went so pour a gin and wait to be told!

We all have bad interviews. If it makes you feel better a few months ago someone asked me a question and I said “welll Peter….”
his name was Matt. In my rush to answer I had inadvertently read the name logged into the teams call rather say the name of the person on the panel. CRINGE.

i have a tendency to ramble and I genuinely think a high level of preparation is key- for this type of question I structure it into 5 sections of response THEN I SHUT UP. I have to massively resist the urge to fill the silence

in person, drinking or pouring water helps to give you an excuse to pause.

I’m a director in a plc and that said, the best roles I’ve had are ones where me and the interviewer have bounced off each other with energetic conversation. I don’t work massively well with faceless corporate types, although of course it’s hard to avoid them