What to Do If You Cant Answer an Interview Question

What to Do If You Cant Answer an bewerbungsgesprch QuestionYoure in the interview. Things are going well. Youre almost to the promised land. And then it happens. You get the question you cant answer. A total stumper. What to do? googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.display(div-gpt-ad-1467144145037-0) ) Luckily, you can rely on the following super useful strategies to pull yourself out of this dreaded situation and exit the interview with your pride and job prospects in tact.Take a MomentYou may fear nothing more than the sound of silence in an interview situation, but sometimes that silence is your friend. Try a simple, Thats an excellent question let me think about that one for a second. Then compose yourself, dig deep, and try to come up with something good to say. No one will fault you for taking a minute to compose yourself.Think Out LoudHalf the time, your interviewer asks tough questions because theyre curious to see your problem-solving skills in action. You want to spit o ut a perfectly worded answer every time, but in these cases it might even be to your advantage to let them see your math, so to speak. Talk through the question as you would the problem. Most times youll arrive at the answer and the interviewer will have had the chance to see your mind in actionPivotTheres no rule that says you cant just redirect the question. If youre asked about a skill you dont have, try to steer the topic onto a skill or skills you do have, and discuss how, when put together, they put you in a prime position to solve the problems the company needs solved. Tell them what you do know as a way of distracting them from what you dont.Have a Few Sound BytesSay you get asked to define or discuss an industry term you just dont know. Dont panic. Turn this moment into an advantage. Simply say Thats not a concept Im completely familiar with yet, but Im very excited about (field) and have been actively learning more and more about it. Then pivot to something youve just lear ned thats relevant to their concerns.Buy TimeTry rephrasing the question or clarifying that you understand it before answering. That will give you enough time to departure thinking through your answer on the sly. It could also be that the question wasnt clear,. i.e. you know the answer, but you just didnt quite understand the drift of the question itself. If not, it should go without saying that you shouldnt lie. Fess up. But dont say I dont know until you absolutely have to.Answer in the Follow-UpIf you really fluff it, or simply have to admit you just dont have an answer at the moment, you can always answer it in greater depth when you follow up. A simple I wanted to clarify my answer to your question will suffice, and could just dig you out.Emphasize Your Learning CurveWhat you dont know, you can learn Tell your interviewer how you would go about figuring out the answer, and how you would equip yourself to be prepared to solve it by the time your start date rolled around. Emphasi ze your eagerness to know all there is to know about this company or field.Dont PanicPerhaps the most important bit of advice stay calm. Falling apart is not an option. Being surly or upset isnt either. Stay cool and rely on the tools above.