Tips for Handling Unexpected Interview Questions

You’ve rehearsed your answers to common interview questions a million times. But, during your job interview, your interviewer asks a question you didn’t anticipate. Don’t panic. Take a breath, and apply these tips to make it through that interview and land the job.

Ask Questions

If you’re stumped, ask your interviewer a clarifying question. While buying you time and helping you get clues about what interviewers want to hear, asking questions will help show your interviewers that you’re an analytical thinker, someone who doesn’t rush into situations but, instead, seeks information to problem-solve.

What to say:

• I want to make sure I understand the question correctly. What did you mean by ___?
• That’s an interesting question. To make sure I understood it correctly, did you mean ___?

Make Connections

An interviewer might test their candidate with a situational interview question. For example, the interviewer might ask you to describe a time you planned an event. That’s a tricky question for someone who hasn’t done any event planning.

If you’re struggling with a situational question, draw from a similar experience and use it as a springboard for your answer.

What to say:

• While I don’t have formal experience with ____, I have done ____, which is similar to what we’re discussing because ____.

Be Honest

If you don’t know how to answer the question, don’t be ashamed to say so—but that doesn’t mean you should stop there. Explain what you have already thought about and what has you stumped. Consider it as getting partial credit on a test answer.

Your interviewer might even offer you some help. If that’s not the case, then ask your interviewer if you can return to the question later.

What to say:

• That’s a difficult question. I understand ___, but I have difficulty with ___. Do you mind if I circle back to the question later?

A Final Thought

If you think you’ve just bombed an interview question, don’t let it bring you down. Not only will it distract you during the rest of the interview, but you might simply be over-worrying.

Try your best, and don’t worry if you can’t answer everything perfectly. Even if your response doesn’t hit the mark, your interviewer will appreciate how you thought through the problem.