# I just bombed my first interview



## theinsomniac (Jan 17, 2015)

That was just godawful and embarrassing...and ugh I just want to crawl into my blankets and stay there forever. I'm just so bad at interviews..I just dont come across very likable or sure of myself and I just sound stupid. Am I ever going to get a job???? How do you guys deal with this? I thought I was going to have a heart attack in the moments leading up to the interview..and this was just a phone interview!!


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## vsaxena (Apr 17, 2015)

Hopefully, you did better than you think. But anyway, I once learned a technique to help with interviews and other such endeavors. I learned to calm down and speak more slowly. Oftentimes when speaking with others, I RUSH through my words, as if afraid of speaking too long. It turns out, however, that people are more receptive to what we say when we speak more slowly. So the next time you have an interview, remind yourself to slow down and take your time speaking. It'll make it easier for the other person to understand you -- and it'll also give you more room to articulate yourself better.


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## theinsomniac (Jan 17, 2015)

That's some good advice. I rushed through my answers too thinking I had to be concise and I was super nervous and just rattling off stuff at the top of my head.


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## scarpia (Nov 23, 2009)

Do you have anyone you can practice interviewing with?


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## hevydevy (Oct 27, 2015)

If it makes you feel better, I was interviewed at a Sonic yesterday and put I could work until "close." Forgot Sonic was open 24 hours... Really sucked but the manager told me I was the best candidate they've had in a long time so that made me feel better.


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## Xenagos (Mar 27, 2013)

Don't worry about it. I failed my first one all because I didn't know it was going to be a phone interview. So I spent the majority of it stuttering. Nowadays, if it's a phone interview I research the questions most likely asked and keep the answers in front of me. For an in-person interview I just go over all the questions numerous times throughout the week in preparation. Good luck and don't take job rejections to heart.


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## facelessvoid (Mar 17, 2015)

I have a job interview in a few hours myself, after a few years in school and being unemployed. I'm nervous but at the same time I will use it as a learning opportunity to get better at interviews.


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## huesos (Feb 16, 2016)

I'm the absolute worst at job interviews. In the past couple of months, I've had 6-7 of them, and was rejected from every single one.


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## MCHB (Jan 1, 2013)

I still don't know how I made it through any job interviews, I think as long as you can maintain a calm demeanor on the outside, you're golden. That being said, I've certainly bombed my fair share! Hopefully you get a callback, but being that it was your first interview, don't look at it as a failure. You went to a job interview! That in itself is a success! Now that you have an idea of what's involved, the next one will be that much easier.


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## soulstorm (Jan 5, 2012)

If you are feeling very nervous try this: Before you speak, take a deep breath and then let half of the air out of your lungs. Then start talking. This makes that initial sentence easier to spit out without sounding so nervous.


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## Haunty (Oct 24, 2008)

I hate interviews. I did 3 internship interviews when I was in college, for pretty big companies. I mainly just did them for practice because I didn't expect to get any of them (and I didn't). But it was helpful to just go through them to get more comfortable with interviews.


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## BAH (Feb 12, 2012)

Were there any survivors?


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## TruthAndOtherDisasters (Dec 17, 2013)

theinsomniac said:


> That was just godawful and embarrassing...and ugh I just want to crawl into my blankets and stay there forever. I'm just so bad at interviews..I just dont come across very likable or sure of myself and I just sound stupid. Am I ever going to get a job???? How do you guys deal with this? I thought I was going to have a heart attack in the moments leading up to the interview..and this was just a phone interview!!


For a lot of people first interviews are horrible. It's an experience thing- you expect that just because of who you are the interview should go well, but it's a thing of it's own and you have to know how to navigate through it.

For me after a BAD interview, here is what follows:
- wallow/vent- take a break- a day if you can. vent out how you feel, do something to get your mind off it, that will make you feel better
-practice- practice interviews with someone, or just go on more interviews without necessarily thinking about the outcome, just do it to "get your feet wet" and get used to the way interviews are conducted. find possible questions asked on interviews on google, and try to think of what your answers would be(helps with anxiety- I screwed up some interviews because I was asked something surprising and I don't think quick on my feet when I'm nervous). Make sure you have good interview outfits and you look the best you can look, knowing you look your best helps somewhat
-and last but not least- analyze the interview. what went wrong? was it a question you weren't prepared to answer? Do you lack certain skill or experience or quality? If you do, can you work on it?

Hope that helps in some way.


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## theinsomniac (Jan 17, 2015)

So guys to follow up. I got referred to another department and I was scheduled for a skype interview today. It didnt start out well because I might've given them the wrong skype name on accident because the lady was trying to reach me but i wasnt picking up so she finally had to call my phone. We were 15 mins behind schedule. I was so nervous again that I just didnt say all the things I shouldve said that I was spending hours researching the night before and I came off looking totally unknowledgeable about the fields required for the job  I was also given a case study right then and there and I think I only got half right. She said she'll get back to me tomorrow. Which is scary because usually companies take some time to consider you if theyre serious about you. It seems like she might've already made up her mind about me which is why she's replying tomorrow. Sigh....so I failed it.


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## misanthrope2 (Feb 18, 2013)

I have an interview tomorrow and I'm so not looking forward to it. I have no idea how to prepare. I keep reading stuff for it but I don't know if I should try to memorize answers or what. I suck so bad at behavioral questions because I get so nervous in interviews that I can't think on my feet. I really need a job. I wish this wasn't an issue. Makes me want to die.


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## Ominous Indeed (Sep 6, 2015)

theinsomniac said:


> That's some good advice. I rushed through my answers too thinking I had to be concise and I was super nervous and just rattling off stuff at the top of my head.


My first and only interview I got so nervous I couldn't answer his question and he ended the interview :grin2:

In the end it was good I didn't get the job. I was a mess.


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## huh (Mar 19, 2007)

theinsomniac said:


> That was just godawful and embarrassing...and ugh I just want to crawl into my blankets and stay there forever. I'm just so bad at interviews..I just dont come across very likable or sure of myself and I just sound stupid. Am I ever going to get a job???? How do you guys deal with this? I thought I was going to have a heart attack in the moments leading up to the interview..and this was just a phone interview!!


I actually hate phone interviews far more than actual in-person interviews. But kudos to sticking with it and doing it even if it was painful. It usually helps if you go over every possible question you think they might ask before hand and write down how you would answer or some quick notes on paper. That way when/if they do ask you are more likely to have an answer instead of fumbling.


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## unpossible (Aug 7, 2015)

first of many interviews 

I've screwed up 30+ interviews and counting in past 3 years alone (yup 30 and counting)
it bothered me A LOT at first, made me depressed and wanted to punch myself. afterwards, i got a notebook and tried to recall the questions i stumbled on and made a script. guess what? that made it WORSE. that's right, having a script or memorizing answers is a terrible way to prepare for interview. You just need to be yourself (don't be too blunt) and know your experiences and do research on the company itself. People can pinpoint BS immediately, unless your a master con artist or super witty don't BS. 

the worse questions are the ones that probe your personality, "what do you do to unwind", "what are your hobbies", "what's your favorite _______" 
At one high tech firm, i made it to the third and final interview and was asked these questions, i got rekt. it caught me off guard because i'm not a bubbly, outgoing person. They said I was not a good fit, I did not fit their culture. I just laughed, fuk it. Life goes on.


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## Malek (Oct 4, 2012)

Don't give up, ever, learn from experience. Apply anywhere and everywhere you think might be worth your time, you feel proud that you did.


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