To wonder whether it’s just me who turns in to an absolute bumbling idiot when it comes to interviews?!

[BumblingidiotstrikesagainNC]

Had an interview today for a big opportunity in the city and I was cringing inside as I stumbled over my words and generally failed to effectively articulate my responses. I had a total mind blank following on from one of the questions and couldn’t provide an answer. Towards the end of the interview I really excelled myself by forgetting what the original question was half way through providing a response! All of this coupled with a terrible and very noticeable red blotchy rash I seem to end up with all over my chest because I’m so embarrassed by my inability to sell myself, ugh.

I have no excuse either; I work within a very niche specialism at a senior level. I’m highly qualified and have years of experience in the field. I have no trouble at all day to day at work, it’s just something about interviews that makes me fall apart. I know all of the answers except during the interview it’s like my brain has been emptied. Recruiters certainly don’t expect this type of interview from somebody at my level and I can almost hear them thinking “wtf ”as they interview me. I imagine from reading my very well written CV they must wonder if I’ve sent along a substitute! It’s only after the interview I think of all the errors and things I should have said at the time. I run over and over in my head the awkward responses in my mind, ugh it’s just terrible!

Has anyone got any tips on how to get over this? I feel like I’ve tried everything.

Oh, and if anyone is would like to share their similarly cringeworthy interview experiences, it might cheer me up just a little!

They've been my absolute bugbear for all of my working life. Forget the grammar school, forget the 2:1, forget the post-grad diploma, NONE OF IT MATTERS apparently if you find interviews difficult because that final hurdle is insurmountable. Yet, as this thread shows, many of us who are terrible at selling ourselves could actually do the job with eyes closed. There has to be a better way of assessing someone's suitability.

Lets hope so @BumblingidiotstrikesagainNC !

Another interview fail: I am very small boned but reasonably generous of boob. It is very common for tops to gape at the neck when I bend down and treat people to whole unobstructed torso views.

Today I wore a nice smart shirt dress. I also had to do a lot of activities which involved a lot of bending over. I was not prepared for activities. 😭

I was the booby bumbler

I am fucking awful at interviews. My solution has been to prepare like a bastard. Every possible question - I write down the answer and learn it by heart. Then at least my gob keeps talking while the rest of me is screaming wtf. Act like a politician and give the answers you want to - if you can't answer the question. I once tried beta blockers - they kind of worked on the nerves but made be a bit stupid with my answers. Now I might try codeine - as it can be soothing, or indeed, CBD oil.

I am usually an incredibly bumbling fool at interviews. For my last one I went to an interview coach and I think I got all my nerves out of the way for the practice interview and so I was fine on the day and got the job! Maybe worth thinking about.

I am terrible as well at them. I think I feel i need to think of a good reply to the questions but then I just end up with long pauses or talking rubbish or asking them to repeat the question.
I had an interview at the company I work for a different department years ago. I shouldn't have been too nervous as knew the background a bit and would have easily done the job but was terrible and so nervous. I didn't get the job! Then a while later we had a restructure and I ended up working for the guy that interviewed me. He said I was really good at my job and he was pleased I was in his team and if he knew I was good he would have given me the first job. He said my interview was bad.

I bet you are thinking about you not about them. Every time they ask you something, ask yourself what you think they are trying to find out. Drill down and quiz them to make sure you are answering their true question.

Get yourself a set of holding pattern phrases.

Like, if you are struggling then say something like "Hmm, interesting question, there are several ways to answer that, let me think what's the most relevant example."

"Hmm, having done this for so long it can be hard to think of exactly the right example. Do you have a particular type of example you'd be interested in?"

"What do you mean by ? In my experience different organisations mean slightly different things by "

"Interesting question. Do you have problems with that here?"

"What do you think the right candidate for you would be like in that scenario?"

Thanks everyone, you’ve cheered me up a bit

As I pointed out to my boss recently, interviews only demonstrate your competency at being interviewed. She interviewed me, knew I was the best candidate, but couldn't offer me the job because I sounded like an ineffectual idiot to the other interviewer.

Oh well, no extra money, but no extra responsibility either...

In my most recent interview I was so nervous, I tripped over a question and then swore. I said ‘bollocks’ or something similar.

I honestly wanted to cry then and there. What an idiot. I made such a fool of myself.

I am genuinely awful at interviews. Last year though, I excelled even myself by getting through to the second round of an interview, only to be told by a much younger candidate:”Did you know your blouse is inside out?” No, I didn’t know.

You sound exactly like me!!

I can't do interviews at all. I seem to leave my brain at the door. Although I'm consistently going "what the feck are you saying?" To myself as I answer the questions.. Oh and the red blotches jus add to it. I get it right up my face as well as the the chest area...

@ItsYouHenryBenry - that is brilliant! You've made me feel better about my gormless ramblings.

I managed to dress myself correctly...

for you all but I am a bit cheered to find I am not the only one.

I am pretty bad at interviews, although I have had a (very) few good ones.

The ones I struggle at are when they ask me something really simple. Eg "why do you want this job?" when they are holding my application, which they have just clearly been reading, which states why I want this job. I then think, they are asking "why do you want this job, apart from the reason I have just read, which isn't good enough," so I try to think of something else to say, and can't because I have written all the good stuff in the application. So I flounder. Afterwards I realise that repeating word for word what was written on the application form they were bloody holding would have been the correct answer.

On similar lines, I have had some terrible interviews for internal jobs. When they ask you "tell me an example of when you did x," when they know bloody well you do x, you do it every day, and for them. Again, I think I ought to provide a different example that they don't know about, and, surprise surprise, I flounder!

My best interview ever was for a PGCE when I was asked complicated questions about my degree, my experience with working with teenagers and how I would teach certain things. Yet I had failed an interview twice at another University which both times sat me down first to make me write out what made a good teacher, and then asked me it again in the interview and did the "why do you want to be a teacher" question also whilst holding my form which had that written on it (see above).

I think that's my trouble, I try to prepare for hard questions and then they ask me gobsmackingly simple ones and it completely throws me.

Yes me. I have failed so many interviews I was qualified for, at places I thought would be a good fit, and I'm sure its because I am totally pants at interviews.

Interviews can be a nightmare. My worst experiences were throwing up in the bin in the corner of the room halfway through an interview.

@BalloonSlayer I can only wish for the ‘why do you want this job’. They all do competencies for my role and I just fall to pieces. Why, I don’t know!

This is me to a T.
I am really good at my job. I've been doing it a long time, have done loads of training, loads of experience, basically really know my stuff!
Unfortunately have missed out on so many opportunities as I'm so terrible at interviews. My nerves get the better of me, I can't answer the questions, it's horrendous.

You aren’t alone OP, interviews are nerve wracking for most people and they seem to have changed in the last decade (that’s how long ago my previous job interview was and my experience then was it all being rather informal and jolly). I had an interview a few months ago and I really struggled, I also forgot what question I was answering midway through and had to ask them to repeat it. I stumbled and repeated myself, I had to make up an answer on the spot even though I had practiced so hard beforehand and made reams of notes - which I wasn’t allowed to take in with me.

I didn’t get the job but had lovely feedback.

The next interview, I knew I was going to be nervous as that’s just me. And I was physically shaking going in, but what helped me was remembering that I’m also interviewing them to see if I would want to work there, I literally reminded myself to breathe and drop my shoulders throughout. I paused for a breath before answering each question. I tried to relax as much as possible and mimic their body language and it all just seemed to flow much better. They asked me questions which caught me off guard but I think by making myself aware that I needed to relax my answers came much more easily and sounded natural. And happily, I was successful this time.

It’s all well and good (and necessary) to have your responses and examples memorised, but I do think the relaxation/mindfulness helped big time.

If you don’t get this one just chalk it up to experience and I do think that you can learn a lot from a failed interview to help you in the next.

I feel your pain OP, I am shit at interviews too - I always prepare so I know exactly how I going to answer any question they throw at me (civil service so all competency based questions) and I start off quite well and then literally half way through each and every interview my mind goes blank. Like, totally blank. The last interview I had I took so long thinking about what they had asked I saw tumbleweed blow across the desk.......

Needless to say I didnt get it - 25 years experience with jobs I could do with my eyes closed, and I can't answer basic bloody interview questions.

The more interviews you go to the better you get

What a depressing line - I only want one successful one, for a better job than I have currently!

@itsyouhenrybenry @Redcliff
I'm sorry you've missed out on jobs, I too turn into a bumbling wreck at interviews; but your stories have made me laugh out loud & really cheered me up! 😁😁😁

I was swinging my chair back and forth at the last interview. What a fucking knob. I also choked on nothing and had to be given water. Wtf is wrong with me.

I dont interview that bad, the one i hate is the online video assesments, cant stand them

The best interview I ever had was when I'd lost my voice and could barely even whisper

Unfortunately the job turned out to be a poisoned chalice and I hated it. The head was a bully and the whole school's culture was one of back stabbing and of blaming others. It was year's fixed-term contract and I was signed off sick with stress and anxiety for the last 6 weeks of it and my confidence has never fully recovered.

Almost time!