Mistakes happen to everyone. When they happen in a job interview, it can feel like all your hard work went to waste – but this isn’t the case.

When you make a mistake in a job interview, you can redeem yourself and demonstrate your ability to get back on track quickly by stepping up to correct the mistake. Here are four ways to recover if you make a mistake during a job interview.

  1. During the interview, you may catch yourself making a mistake, like becoming overly critical of a past boss. If this happens, stop yourself, apologize, and either return to the topic of the question or ask to move on. Keep your apology brief – “I’m sorry, I’m becoming too critical” – and then return to the interview topic.
  2. Explain yourself if needed. If you find yourself rambling, or if you’ve clearly missed the point of a question, don’t hesitate to say, “I’m sorry; I think I misunderstood the question. May I explain?” Then, answer the question as you intended to answer it, addressing the point of the question and emphasizing how you bring value to the company.
  3. Correct your mistake as soon as possible. If you make a mistake in your application materials, such as sending the wrong resume, fix it the moment you realize you messed up. Like the interview apology, there’s no reason to dwell on the problem – simply say “the resume I submitted was not the most relevant one for this position,” and attach the correct resume. At the interview, bring hard copies of the correct resume, but don’t mention your mistake. Instead, say “I brought you a hard copy of my most up-to-date resume.”
  4. Send a sincere thank you. After every interview, send a sincere thank-you note or email as soon as you can. Thank the interviewer for his or her time, restate your enthusiastic interest in the position, and don’t mention your mistake.

At KTE Services, our experienced recruiters can help you prepare for interviews with great companies – and “bounce back” quickly if you stumble. If you are looking for a great anesthesiologist, CRNA, or pain management job opportunity, contact our recruiting team today to find the perfect position for you.