to ask if if you had an interview candidate who said something incredibly stupid

[saltedhotchoc]

would it negate the rest of the interview?

Totally frazzled. Had important interview, was supposed to be in person but am COVID+ (symptomless) so we had to do online. DD9 not ill, but very worried about being ill as she also tested positive so being very clingy. Had a million one tech issues including my laptop going stone cold dead whilst I was introducing myself and I had to run and get my husbands iPad.

Interview went perfectly, everyone nodding happily as I answer, until we get to one question where I give the wrong answer. Interview asks me again, as he clearly wants to give me a chance to get it right. I get it wrong. We move onto further questions, and a different panel member butts in a asks me again, saying just want to give you a chance to redeem yourself (in friendly way), I give the wrong answer Every question after that went well, but I felt like I was on autopilot.

It is something very very basic, they had praised my skills in this area based on my existing work, but it was like my brain was broken, I knew the answer but was saying it wrong. I am mortified. I feel not only have I wrecked my chances, but made a total idiot out of myself in front five very important people in my field.

AGH. I keep muttering IDIOT to myself which I know isn't helpful but I cannot believe my brain.

The worst thing is I think the panel genuinely wanted to hire me and I've made it impossible to do that, and it's going to so embarassing explaining to people why.

@neverbeenskiing

I agree with PP you have nothing to lose by emailing them.

If it makes you feel any better, OP I once interviewed a woman who thought it was appropriate to get her phone out and show us a picture of her cats midway through the interview.

See id have hired her!

Email them with a short explanation of why you got it wrong. It depends on the main hiring manager, but unless it was a real health and safety issue or something they made you unsuitable personality wise, I'd consider you still. I may want another conversation with you, but it depends on the company in question - smaller companies have more flexibility. Team fit is also really important when hiring, so they might swing things in your favour.

I once had someone reference strippers or topless dancers TWICE in the same interview. I actually can't remember the context, but it was really random! It was in an interview with me, a department head, and the CEO. Turns out they were on post operative painkillers, but that showed really poor decision making not to ask for the interview to be rescheduled or to even accept an interview the day after. I realise rescheduling wouldn't be possible in all companies, but we set ours to be mutually convenient for ourselves and the candidates.

I once interviewed a woman who told a long and rambling story about getting locked in a portacabin whilst looking forward a cat. I kept trying to get her to move on, but it was bizarre. She isn’t kept prattling on. Myself and the other panel members really had to stop ourselves laughing. It was utterly bizarre.

I also once interviewed a Frenchman who began talking about the coconut of diplomacy. I wondered if it was a French thing, but it was just weird!

So, as long as it was neither of those things, I’d follow up with an email. Best of luck to you.

I have interviewed many candidates. Mostly recent grads wanting to come in on our graduate scheme. Some have been appalling. I've had technically incorrect answers, weak examples and sometimes examples that are clearly completely fictitious.

We make a decision on the day based on what was said. We wouldn't change our mind if someone emailed in with anything extra post that.

I’ve had people say odd things and I just put it down to nerves, if it’s a one off I let it go.

@MyBoysHaveDogsNames

I once interviewed someone who started speaking with a Jamaican accent. She wasn't Jamaican That was weird.

Now I'm curious Did she change accent part way through? And how did you know she wasn't Jamaican?

In your situation I would definitely email and apologise and explain. Best of luck.

@HaveringWavering

On the one hand you say your Covid is symptomless, but now you are blaming Covid fog brain? I had a false sense of security when I first tested positive, but it hit me about 24 hours later. Perhaps you could explain that when you agreed to the interview you thought you were OK but with hindsight you were not. However whether you get the job or not will depend on how the other candidates were I suppose. Good luck.

To be clear other posters are (very kindly) putting forward the idea that COVID affected my performance, I'm fairly confident I was just being stupid

I'll be doing something like washing up and then just mutter FUCKING IDIOT under my breath.

I have another interview today and my confidence is shot to pieces, the one yesterday was supposed to be a fairly safe bet, today is far more out of my comfort zone and I was really suprised and pleased to be offered an interview

AGH.

Try not to let the previous experience cloud your current interview. At least you've had time to think of a good answer if they ask you the same question!

TBH it's difficult to know whether what you said would have put them off. You can have a perfect interview and still not get the job. You could think you had a shocker and still be the best candidate.

I've had a few idiotic comments from candidates I've interviewed. One who admitted he didn't get on with his colleagues at his last job, one who opened with "I want more money and less hours" and one who argued with me for my direction being wrong (which they weren't, they were convinced a street was one-way, which it wasn't). All of them were immediately crossed off my list.

Generally I'd be more favourable with people who forgot something or stumbled over an answer or made a silly mistake because in interviews you expect the candidate to be nervous. One guy I hired told me he was convinced he'd messed up the interview because he said the company name wrong (similar to BWM instead of BMW). To me that wasn't really a problem, he was clearly nervous and it was just a slip of the tongue.

The interview process is just there to give the hirer an idea of who the best candidate is. Some have a points system, others go with their instincts. But the thing to remember is, no matter how well or badly you think your interview went, you have no control over how the other candidates fare.

i feel your pain OP. Interviews are so nerve-wracking. I interviewed a woman before who was already working for our company, she was wanting a change to a differant department. She knew nothing about the company (even though she worked for us already) and when i asked her about the usual policies/values etc. she couldn't answer anything about them. I asked her about dealing with emergency situations at work,(social care sector)she said she would ask the onsite senior staff for assistance..... had to remind her that the post she was interviewing was for the onsite senior staff...I was dying inside for her!! I thought it was nerves and we gave her ample opportunity to recover, but in the end, she put her hands up and said, she didn't know the answers.
I heard through the grapevine after this that she was not happy about not getting the job and blasted the company for not allowing career development or progression into other departments. Think she just thought she was an automatic shoe-in for the job as she already worked for us. We ended up hiring someone that had done their research and actually read the job description

Email them. You've nothing to lose. Just say you've had time to reflect on this point and what you really think is xxx. Keep it very polite and to the point.

I interviewed someone who thought it would be a good idea to show us her wedding photos in the interview.

So, at least you didn't do that! I and the other interviewer sat afterwards just going WTF just happened? On paper she'd been the best candidate as well.

Personally I've managed not to be appointed out of a field of one So it happens to us all. Fingers crossed for you.

@FedUpOfLighteningCrotch

I had an interview where the company director asked “if I offered you the job today would you take it?”

My brains said “don’t act too keen” (wtf?!)

So I said “hmmm.. well I guess so”

He was quite taken aback and said “you don’t seem so sure, why the hesitation?”

I apologised and told them exactly that, my brain told me to act cool 🤣

I got the job.

I actually got a snot bubble laughing at this!

Re:- accents, I grew up in an inner city where everyone spoke a certain way (jafaican). When I moved people kept asking me about my accent. What accent, I said, completely obliviously. So the lady with that accent may not have realised she was doing it 😁

My biggest cringe is oversharing, knowing that nobody cares or wants to hear about the minutiae of my life, somehow my brain still blurts it out anyway. I’ve have to put a “no personal info” filter on my brain now.

Hope today's interview went well OP. If it makes you feel any better, I once interviewed after coming back from holiday. I'd caught the sun a bit and unfortunately my skin was a bit flaky and dry as a result.

We interviewed one woman, who did ok during the interview. We ask stood up at the end to shake hands. The interviewee learnt guests and peeled a flake of skin off my nose.

My boss was all for giving her the job anyway but I soon disavowed him of that idea

Sorry - pressed posted rather than preview! Here it is sans typos:

Hope today's interview went well OP. If it makes you feel any better, I once interviewed after coming back from holiday. I'd caught the sun a bit and unfortunately my skin was a bit flaky and dry as a result.

We interviewed one woman, who did ok during the interview. We all stood up at the end to shake hands. The interviewee leant forward and peeled a flake of skin off my nose.

My boss was all for giving her the job anyway but I soon disavowed him of that idea

i was part of an interview panel interviewing candidates for a head teacher position.

As part of the interview they had to do various exercises, assembly, teaching, that kind of thing, and obviously had breaks between sections when they had a room available to them where they could get tea and coffee etc. I was in the room with one of the other members of the panel and we were talking about areas in the town, which were the nice areas around where the school was etc, when the candidate who was with us at the time said: “ah, but is all very well, but they’ve put a load of housing association in there and well, you wouldn’t want some of the types of parents who go to the school where I teach being moved in next door if you lived there.”

It wasn’t officially part of the interview process, but she didn’t get the job.

One question wouldn't determine the outcome of the interview.
I had a candidate who totally blundered the technical interview questions once but I knew they were the right person for the job. 3 years later they are doing the job perfectly.
Chances are the interviewers had made up their mind before they even asked that question ....

WELL I am pootling back onto the thread to say I was offered the job

The managing director emailed to ask if I wanted to negotiate regarding the salary! So I am meeting him tomorrow and not sure if that's an appropriate time to address the elephant in the room of my stupid brain, or if I should just pretend it never happend

Huge thanks to everyone who shared anecdotes of candidates far worse than me, it did really help with my immense feelings of idiocy!

Huge congratulations!

You could always add in something along the lines of "I thought I'd blown it when I gave the silly answer of X for the third time - i so badly wanted to correct my answer but was worried the wrong one would slip out again if I brought it up! Interview nerves are the worst!"

Yay, congratulations 🎉
Agree with @Rodion I would address the incorrect answer in a informal kind of way.

Well done, that's such good news. And at least you didn't peel anyone's nose

Brilliant news, congratulations!

Congratulations, SO happy for you as I recognised myself in this thread. I am shit at interviews thanks to congenital brain freeze - it's incredible I have ever found anyone to employ me at all, but somehow am in permanent employment most of the time. High five!

I interviewed someone who told me he had targets but didn't take any notice of them!
Another who said proudly he hadn't had a fight in his latest job.