How can one recover after misspeaking in an interview?

manpreet Best Answer 3 years ago

I recently had a phone interview and it went so-so. I think I asked a couple of good questions, but I also think I asked at least one bad one.

This is how to conversation went...

• Me: "What do your developers complain to you the most about on a daily basis?"
• Manager: "They usually complain about other developers not doing their job well because they are not qualified."
• Me: "Why are there so many unqualified developers in the team? Is it due to interviewing practices?"

Note... the wording might not have been exactly the same as above. I am also not a native English speaker (not like that would be an excuse)

I think my last question was out of line. I did not mean to suggest that they are not conducting a good interview. It was just pure curiosity but thinking back it is definitely a black mark on my record.

Is there a good way to recover from this after the fact? If I realized my stupidity then, I would have said something, I would have admitted it was a bad question. But what can I do now? Hours, possibly days after the interview?

In general, what can one do to recover from situations like this?

manpreet 3 years ago

It is Time Dependent.

1. If you realize it on the spot, "as you are saying it", give a quick chuckle and "of course, I don't mean you" to disarm them with a little humor. Don't go overboard though, no hysterical laughing or being too loud in comments.

2. If you realize with 5 minutes say "by the way, just now, when I said about poor interviewing, I just meant generally not you or recently"

3. By the end of the interview - bring it up during the "questions" period if it bothers you.

4. After you've left / when you get home / the next day / week / month, forget it. Reaching out at that point would be seen as peculiar.