Why Bad Job Interviews Happen and How to Fix ItOriginal article by the authors of best-job-interview.com Summary 
First, be encouraged by the fact that you got the job interview in the first place. This means that your resume and letters of application are doing their job and creating the right impression. Focus on the interview itself and spend some time considering why it didn't go well. Here are some common reasons for bad job interviews: You did not make a good first impression. First impressions are critical in job interviews as they set the tone for the entire interview. These are some possible reasons for not making the right first impression:
You came across as unfocused and inattentive. Listening carefully to the interview questions you are asked and understanding what the interviewer is looking for in your answer is essential to responding with the right information in the interview. Clues that will tell you if you did this or not include:
You did not know enough about the company. Walking into an interview without having conducted solid research about the company will result in bad job interviews. Not having done your homework shows you up as uninterested and uncommitted. You stumbled over your interview answers. Not being ready for the interview questions results in tripping over your answers and focusing on irrelevant information. Almost every job interview will include common or standard job interview questions such as "What are your strengths and weaknesses?", "Why should we hire you?" and "What are your goals?". You can prepare your responses to typical interview questions and practice them. This way you will be able to answer fluently and concisely. You pushed too hard. Overselling yourself and coming across as desperate makes the interviewer uncomfortable. Think about how much of the talking you did and how much the interviewer did. If you dominated the interview this may be the reason for not getting past the initial interview. You were too nervous. Interviews can make you very anxious. One way to deal with this is to be well prepared beforehand. Use the pre-interview checklist to make sure you have everything covered. Good preparation increases confidence. Spend some time before the interview collecting your thoughts and practicing stress-reducing techniques. There was a lack of rapport with the interviewer. Bad job interviews happen when the interviewer feels little or no connection with the candidate. Failing to establish rapport soon in the interview creates an uncomfortable situation. To establish rapport you need to match your communication style to that of the interviewer. Was the interviewer formal and you tried to be less formal, cracking jokes and making small talk? If you conclude that the reason you were unsuccessful lies with one of these areas the good news is that it is entirely fixable! You can work on it and avoid bad job interviews happening again. 
If you don't think it was one of the above then you need to investigate further. One way to get real and valuable feedback on how you come across in an interview is to ask a friend to role-play an interview with you. Ask for honest feedback on how you come across. You can turn the negative interview into something more positive by contacting the interviewer to thank them for their time and ask them to keep you in mind for future openings. Or you can send an email or note thanking them for their time and for what you have learned about their company/industry etc. This is a positive step that helps to keep you motivated. Most important, don't give up. Learn from the experience of bad job interviews and use the knowledge to ace the next interview! Please Note - This article is owned by Best-job-interview.com and permission to republish it must be granted by the authors in writing. Go to Articles Homepage to view the latest articles covering job search tips and interviewing skills for success. Use the expert advice and information to help you get the job you want Return from Bad Job Interviews to Best Job Interview
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