Be honest, accept your mistake and do not knit a whole story about it, is the most important advice. “The person you are talking to would have some understanding, they are just people”, explains recruiter Ellen Leeuw. “Tell them that you are nervous, it makes perfect sense”.
Try not to prevent errors due to tension, recommends Ramon de Meijer from the Recruiter. “You want to show something of yourself and that goes better when you are relaxed. If something goes wrong, be honest about it”.
Repairing Mistakes Testifies to Having Guts
This is echoed by Leeuw,“If you take the initiative to repair a mistake, it shows courage”. An extra bonus according to her,“You will in any case probably get feedback and learn from it”.
The mention of the name of a competitor is indeed not so convenient, because in addition to being painful, it raises the question as to whether the applicant has prepared. “But if someone gracefully apologizes, there would be no reason not to let someone go on to the next round”, added Leo.
Show Initiative
And if you fail fixing a mistake during the interview, do not despair. As long as you take an initiative, your future boss will forgive you: “I once interviewed a candidate who said something that I thought, oh, that's extraordinary”, says De Meijer. “He called two hours later to set the record straight. It was a small thing, but it made him eventually a stronger candidate”.
Leeuw also thinks a phone call to correct an error cannot hurt. “It is significant if a candidate admits his mistake. We are all human and all make mistakes”, said Leo. She recommends calling and asking for feedback, because an e-mail is impersonal. “Then you show that you want to learn from your mistakes and not lay blame outside yourself”, says De Meijer.
But calling after an interview brings some risks. If the interview went bad, calling will be just a waste of time of the interviewer. If it went really good, then you might look insecure in the eyes of the interviewer. Absolute “not to” according to De Meijer is calling after you were rejected: “Then you show yourself as a bad loser”.
Source: http://www.rtlnieuws.nl
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