An Interviewing Mishap Turns into a Triumph
I practically groaned with frustration as my face grew hot with dreaded embarrassment. "What to do. What to do?" raced threw my mind. The consultant noticed my nervousness and asked if everything was alright. I couldn't look like an idiot in front of him. Maybe he'd report back to the company that I was inept and not worthy of their contract.
I pretended everything was fine and shut the back of my tape recorder. I placed it on the table as if it was working perfectly and pushed the record button. I prayed that he wouldn't notice that the tape wasn't running. Then, I grabbed my notebook and pen and steadied my nerves. It was going to be a long day.
I took pages and pages of notes, my hand racing across each page as I attempted to keep up with everything the consultant said. By the end of the day my hand was cramped but I think I got most of it. I'm not sure if the consultant noticed that after the first hour, I didn't change the tape. I had forgotten about the useless tape recorder until it was time to leave.
The next morning, I double checked my batteries, tested the tape recorder, made sure I had extra tapes, and headed off to my last day of interviews. The night before, I had spent a few extra hours going over my notes and preparing questions for anything I wasn't sure I had understood or may have missed while I was taking notes. I wasn't going to waste my last opportunity to capture the information I needed.
The second day of interviewing went much more smoothly. We went through several tapes worth of notes as well as reviewing the day before. I was lucky. I pulled through a near disaster.
From that day on, I have never experienced another interview like that. I am a near fanatic about keeping my equipment in good working order and always having extra batteries in my briefcase of the correct size and voltage.
I stayed calm and didn't let a stream of mishaps overwhelm me. If I had, the interview and the contract may have turned out differently. My best advice to you for your next interview is to stay calm, act natural, and be professional.
Remember the line from an old commercial? "Never let them see you sweat."
No matter what happens during the interview, stay focused. You
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