How I Messed Up An Interview...But Got It Anyway!

Your Reputation Precedes You…NetClarify Can Help!

Last summer, I was fortunate enough to have met the CFO of an excellent marketing agency in New York City. We met informally at my university, and he passed along my resume to his colleagues, landing me an interview.

Being that this is the 21^st Century and all, my interview took place in my oh-so-professional sweatshirt (sweatpants optional) in the luxury of my own home. When I got on the phone, the line was blurry and when the two men introduced themselves I could only hear the first man’s name – John Tyler. So, like I was supposed to do, I explained the line wasn’t clear and asked the second gentleman to repeat his name. I still couldn’t hear. This time however, I just chose to move on. 

It ended up being a really great phone call. I really enjoyed my conversation with the two men; it was natural, interesting, and I really fell in love with the idea of the company.

The next day, I sent the standard appreciative e-mail to the CFO who got me the interview. “It was such a great opportunity… I am so glad I met you” – the works. He responded that he was glad the interview went well and asked me who I spoke with.

What A Pickle

I never asked for the second guy’s name after not hearing it, so what was I to do? Should I only say the first guy’s name? Or, should I tell him I didn’t hear the second name? It was a clear choice – just say the first guy’s name, he’d never know. “I interviewed with a man named John Tyler.”

His response? “Sage, the person’s name is John Seiler.” Well, that couldn’t have been more awkward (at least I hadn’t sent out my standard thank you e-mail to the infamous John Tyler who never existed).

The #1 Rule in Interviews – KNOW THE PERSON’S NAME

Well, there was no way around this one; I had to respond to the message. At this point, I had already embarrassed myself, so I figured I might as well just be honest considering I probably wasn’t getting the job anyway.

I wrote, “I am so sorry! It was hard to hear their names over the phone. I also spoke to another man – there were two on the line – but I didn’t catch the first one’s name and did not want to mess it up. Apparently my plan backfired, as I messed up a name anyway! Sorry for the confusion. –Sage.”

A couple weeks later, I received a phone call saying that I got the job. Turns out, my HUGE rule breaking mistake wasn’t so much of a deal breaker after all. This experience taught me that as important as it may be to be professional, it’s just as important to be personable and show some character. There are many rules in the job searching process – an important one being to know the names of the people you are interviewing with. However, my honest and (what I thought to be) humorous e-mail back to the CFO made me stand out as respectable and resilient person. Let’s just say after my e-mail he definitely knew MY name.

In conclusion, definitely follow all the to-dos your advisors and career resource coaches give you. Keep working on those perfect resumes, and listen up for your interviewer’s name. But if you do make a mistake and call a “Mrs.” a “Mr.” or completely blank out on the answer to a question, just go with it, and always be yourself.

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