There’s nothing worse than preparing for a job interview and then botching it. Maybe you flubbed a question or all of them. How can you move forward after that? Try not to worry, you can learn from the experience. Here's how.

• Debrief with yourself. After the interview, write down as many questions, and your answers, as you can remember. When were you most comfortable? Where exactly did you trip up? Reach out to friends and mentors in the industry to ask how they might’ve answered the harder questions.

• Use your thank-you note to demonstrate self-awareness. You don’t need to apologize but take the opportunity to clarify a confusing answer to an important question. And express your continued interest at the end of the note. Remember: You have nothing to lose.

• Don’t assume it’s a done deal. Silence after the interview doesn’t mean you didn’t get the job — it could mean people are on vacation, other candidates are in play, or the business needs to be changed after the interview.

• Focus on the next interview. Every interview is an opportunity to prepare for the next one. Continue your job search and use your reflections to diligently prepare.

Every imperfect interview allows you to get ready for the next job opening and the next round of interviews. Use your reflections to prepare not only for the questions you couldn’t answer the first time but also for new questions. While it’s always best to answer a question directly, if you truly can’t answer it, it’s okay to say you don’t know, but always follow up by talking about how you’ve succeeded in jobs where you had to figure out something you had never done before. Authenticity and passion will always triumph over exact experience, especially if you can demonstrate a skill set that will allow you to bring even more value or fit into the culture easily.

How do you prepare for a job interview?

What do you do, if there is a question, you don’t have the answer to?

Lyons, M. (2021, December). So You Botched a Job Interview. What’s Next?. Harvard Business Review.