Why do I completely freeze during interviews?
My job fair interview was an absolute disaster. This was one of those interviews where you think “I’ll just improvise, I only need to go over my resume anyway.”
I didn’t even have an introduction prepared. I started by saying: “I’m looking for a position in the graphic industry.”
She asks: “What?” “THE GRAPHIC INDUSTRY.” “The what??” “THE GRAPHIC INDUSTRY. Am I speaking badly?” And she replies: “Oh, sorry, I can’t hear well because of the noise.” So I answer: “Oh right, I’m not speaking loudly enough.”
And then the interview became horrible.
She happened to know the company I had worked for 10 years earlier. When I mentioned the name and how long I stayed there, she grimaced. She told me she knew them because they were clients, and immediately I started wondering whether that was a good or a bad thing. But from her expression, it clearly didn’t feel like a good thing at all.
I tried to continue, but I felt like a rabbit frozen in headlights. No improvisation, just total paralysis. After an awkward silence, I added that there had been a lot of turnover there and that I had managed to stick it out. She still looked embarrassed.
What strikes me is that it’s not even that I was too shy to ask: “Is there a problem?” The thought genuinely didn’t even occur to me.
Instead, I just froze and waited for the next signal from her so I could decide what to say or do next.
Beyond how awkward and terrible this interview was, why do I become incapable of improvising or finding better words in situations like this? Why does it feel like I’m not even trying or thinking properly during the interaction itself?
Any ideas?