I completely blanked during a panel interview for a warehouse manager job

It was last Tuesday in a small, hot conference room with three people staring at me. They asked about a time I handled a conflict between two team members, and my mind just went totally empty for a solid 30 seconds (I know because I watched the clock). I finally just said, 'Honestly, I'm drawing a blank right now, but I can email you a detailed example later.' I sent that example two hours after I left, and they actually called me back for a second interview. Has anyone else just admitted they didn't have an answer ready in the moment?

3 comments

3 Comments

brooke_taylor3d ago

Honestly, that's not even a big deal... they probably liked that you were honest and followed up. People freeze up in interviews all the time, it's normal. Getting a second interview proves it didn't really hurt you.

skyler_robinson23d ago

Yeah exactly what @brooke_taylor said, being honest is key. I totally blanked on a basic question once and just said "wow my mind went totally empty, can we come back to that?" They laughed and said sure. Got the job. Showing you can handle a stumble calmly matters way more than having a perfect answer for everything.

mary_hernandez3d ago

Totally agree about handling the stumble calmly! I did something like that in my last interview, I just smiled and said "Hang on, my brain's buffering for a second." It made the whole room relax. @brooke_taylor is right, it shows you're a real person who can deal with a little pressure. They ended up telling me later that was a plus. It's way better than trying to fake your way through a bad answer.