Yahoo Finance What to do if you can't answer a job interview question – and how to recover
You’re smashing a job interview, feeling confident and you’re nearly at the end. But then, disaster happens – the interviewer asks you where you see yourself in five years and your mind goes blank.
Some questions are easier to answer than others. While you might be able to rattle off your skills, achievements and experience without breaking a sweat, it’s often more difficult to talk about your weaknesses or times you’ve overcome obstacles in your career.
However, hitting a stumbling block doesn’t have to mean an interview is a disaster. So what do you do if you can’t answer a question – and how can you recover if your interview isn’t going as planned?
Notoriously difficult questions
Two of the most difficult questions to answer are behavioural and hypothetical questions, says career coach Victoria McLean, founder and CEO of the career consultancy City CV.
Behavioural questions might require talking about how you respond to criticism or cope with stress. Meanwhile, hypothetical questions can require talking about imaginary scenarios, such as dealing with a rogue client or managing an ethical problem.
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“In both instances the difficulty normally lies in having to think on your feet when you might be feeling nervous or anxious,” says McLean. “You can prepare for behavioural questions by thinking back through your career prior to the interview and cross-checking your experiences with questions that are likely to come up about the role you're interviewing for.”
It's a little more difficult to prepare for hypothetical questions, but it can help to write down a few difficult situations that you’ve experienced and overcome. For example, providing negative feedback or handling a mistake.
“Again if you've really given some thought to your previous experience, you should be able to draw on that. Interview coaching is a really good way to prepare for scenarios like this,” says McLean.
What to do if you can’t answer an interview question?
Take a breath
Firstly, it’s important not to panic – or to try not to panic too much. If you’ve got a glass of water, take a sip to give you a few moments to calm down and think about what to do next. It can help to ask the interviewer to repeat the question, too.
“You can definitely pull an interview back and the key is to remain calm and try not to get flustered,” says Emily Button-Lynham, a career and leadership coach. “It is ok to ask for more time in answering questions or to start answering a question again if you feel you haven't answered a question correctly. Having the question written down in front of you will again help with this.”
Be honest
If you just can’t formulate an answer, it’s better to be honest because interviews can usually tell if you’re not, says McLean.
“You could use this as a way to demonstrate your enthusiasm for the role by saying something along the lines of ‘I don't have the answer to that question specifically, but I am keen to learn more about…’,” she advises.
“You could also try and reframe your answer so that you talk about how you might approach the situation or problem. You might also be able to talk about a similar situation you've experienced,” adds McLean.
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Ask the interviewer to clarify the question
It’s also helpful to think about why you’re struggling to answer the question. For example, the question might be too broad.
“The key here is to stay calm and clarify the question – this can help give you some pointers or explain it in a way you understand,” says Button-Lynham. “If you are still struggling then relate it to something you can answer and give your context for doing so.”
It might not be as bad as you think
Interviewers generally understand that being interviewed is stressful. They should be using the time to find out more about you and your experience, not trying to catch you out.
“It's important to stay positive – after all, you might think the interview is going badly, but this might not be your interviewer's experience,” says McLean.
And if you’re getting bad vibes, ask yourself if this is somewhere you really want to work. Red flags in an interview may be a warning sign about the company’s culture.
Remember it’s not the end of the world
“When going into an interview my advice is always 'you can only do your best' – it sounds cliche but it's true,” says Button-Lynham.
“You don't know the experience of the other candidates they are interviewing or the exact interview format – there are so many unknowns. If an interview doesn't land you the job then ask for open and honest feedback and take the morning with you to the next opportunity.”
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