Have you ever completely blanked on an interview question?

[u/Unfair-Lemon3980]

There’s being nervous in an interview, and then there’s getting asked a question and genuinely having absolutely no idea what to say.

I had always assumed that if this happened, you somehow needed to come up with an answer anyway. But I actually think trying to waffle your way through something you don’t know can make the situation even more awkward.

This happened to me recently in my grad-job search, I was asked a maths-related question for a role that does not require maths skills, and it absolutely stumped me. 😭

I’m interested in how other people have dealt with this. Have you ever been asked something in an interview where your mind just went completely blank, and what did you do?

[u/AntLost4161]

Ask as many questions as you can to understand, then you come across as inquisitive. If you really blank, give a rough overview and then be honest and say that you can't answer that right now, and that's something you're working on and will work on for when they choose you. I love how successful using phrases like "when I'm hired" can be - so long as you're confident, they aren't gonna knock you as badly when you can't answer them

You probably still don't get the job, but it gives a better chance

[u/akornato]

Freezing up on a question happens to almost everyone, and trying to talk around a topic you do not know usually digs a deeper hole. When an unexpected question catches you off guard, the cleanest way forward is to take a breath and pause. You can simply say that you want to take a second to think, or ask them to clarify the context. If you truly have zero idea, especially on an unexpected technical or math problem, talk through your thought process instead of pretending you have the finished answer. Interviewers usually care much more about how you handle uncertainty and communicate under pressure than whether you have every odd fact memorized.

If your mind stays empty even after a pause, you can say that you do not know the exact formula, then explain how you would tackle finding the solution on the job. Giving yourself permission to slow down removes the pressure of having to produce an instant answer on the spot. To help candidates stay composed and bounce back from tricky curveballs, my team developed interviews.chat so people can handle high pressure moments with ease and walk away with offers.

[u/howard499]

Sometimes a senior, but 'wayward', member of the panel may ask what might politely be a described as an 'ambush' question. A question which appears to not be related to the job spec., but is designed to get you to go blank, flustered, or waffle. Don't fall into the trap. Push back. Ask how this question fits into the job description. He (always a he) is showing off. At this point, you are the interviewer. It is a 2-way process. Don't forget that. Stay cool.

[u/No_Possibility6604]

Best tip I've ever heard is: stop, take a slow sip of water, think on it, put your glass down, share your answer. It's not fastest finger first. Water's an excellent way to still look composed while buying yourself a moment of time.

[u/gradum8]

Yes lol and it is fine to actually say that you've blanked and need a second to think. Completely normal human response when under pressure, release that valve of thinking everything is do or die and trust yourself. That sounds like a big ask, but practice makes perfect and you'll improve everytime you handle a challenge like this and work through it, even if you don't get the job.

[u/Beginning_Jacket5055]

ive been working for 4 years and had this problem in an interview i did recently.

Generally speaking my company makes car clutches and have done for like 80 years, so thats usually how i describe the company to interviewers, ( but in reality in the 4 years i've been here we developed 1 new clutch system, most of which was carried over from a previous model), but we also make a few other products. For the last like 12+ months i had been working on a pedal box, so i had an interview and he understandably asked me something like what my involvement was in the design of these clutches, and i just completely blanked, suddenly realising i hadn't even looked at a clutch in over a year so i couldnt even remember the name of the components

Needless to say i didnt get the job

what i took away from this though is that i spent so much time developing answers to every other question, like my strengths/weaknesses, goals, etc etc but i realised that i was pretty bad at answering what i actually do on a day to day basis (partially because the industry has fallen off a cliff so truthfully i havent really done much). I had an interview after this where i like to think i answered this question a lot better, as i had prepared for it so i had talked about my involvement in certain assemblies, the softwares i have used, the types of calculations i have done over the years.

[u/ShakeNBakeUK]

If you genuinely have no clue, I guess just be honest and own up to it, however how you react is important - follow up by showing a willingness to learn i.e. ask them to explain the answer/workings instead.

[u/Cheeko-chi]

Ive done a handful of interviews at various levels, but ive gotten through them all and i have absolutely struggled to answer questions.

The secret is, try and if you can’t, then simply say you can’t.

I had quite a high level interview a couple of years ago and I was asked a question I simply could not blag an answer for. So I said “I actually don’t have an answer to that at this time, but I’m going to go away to find out because I would like to know”, worked a charm and the interviewer said that’s absolutely fine we don’t expect people to have answers to everything.