Written by Vaclav Koranda

What to Do If Your Mind Goes Blank in a Job Interview

Mind-blanking is essentially a momentary loss of concentration or conscious awareness due to stress. I bet you’ve experienced this phenomenon at least once before—whether during a school exam, a work presentation, or, indeed, a job interview. You come fully prepared, feel confident, start well… and suddenly, you get a blackout. Your head feels empty, cold sweat breaks out on your forehead, and panic sets in.

Some interviewers will even try to derail you on purpose to see how you react under pressure, or simply because it amuses them. The majority, however, understand that candidates can be nervous and will be somewhat tolerant. Nevertheless, you need to pull yourself together and continue with the interview. Regardless of how empathetic the interviewer is, just sitting quietly and staring blankly won’t win you the job.

To make it easier for you, I’ve compiled a list of possible solutions you can apply in such situations:

  1. Remember to stay calm and avoid panicking. This will allow your mind to re-enter a state of cold cognition, enabling rational thinking.
  2. Take a deep breath. This will give you a moment to collect yourself, calm down, and relax. It will also bring more oxygen to your brain, supporting its functioning.
  3. Compliment the interviewer on the question—it will make them feel good and give you extra time to think.
  4. Politely ask the interviewer to repeat the question. This will also gain you extra time, and hearing the question again may help trigger your thinking process. (In an online interview, you can also blame it on a poor connection.)
  5. Repeat and rephrase the question back to the interviewer. This gives you a chance to hear the question again in your own voice and allows the interviewer to confirm that you heard it correctly.
  6. Sometimes, the reason you cannot answer the question right away is that the interviewer didn’t formulate it clearly, at least not for you. Don’t be afraid to ask for clarification, for example: “What do you mean by ‘biggest failure’?”
  7. Use gestures and other nonverbal signals (like saying “Umm…”, nodding, or changing your posture) to show that you are thinking about the question and trying to formulate the best answer. This can also help you retrieve key information from your memory.

Even if you apply the above tricks, you might still be unsure how to answer a particularly tough question. Fortunately, there is a sure-fire technique that always works. This technique is especially useful when you receive a question you haven’t prepared for, allowing you to answer virtually any question in a job interview. You can find it in my book, Get Your Dream Job.

Remember, no one is perfect and everyone makes mistakes; what counts is how you deal with them.

Good luck!

You may also like:

What would you like to hear about next? Tell me at vaclav@getyourdreamjob.co

Do you want to get new posts directly to your mailbox? Subscribe here.

3 Ways how I can help you further:

  1. Get my book – Learn all the job search insider tips and tricks and use them to your advantage.
  2. Get my online course – Get access to aids, guides, workbooks, checklists, cheat sheets, and other exclusive content to speed up your job search.
  3. Work with me 1:1 – Book one of my coaching packages and get my personal support.

Leave a comment