How to Overcome Interview Disruptions and Stand Out to Employers

Job interviews are stressful enough, but when unexpected events occur, they can really throw you off your game. That’s right, even when you’ve memorized your resume from front to back and practiced dozens of behavioral interview questions, it’s still possible to be caught off guard by challenging obstacles you couldn’t anticipate. Fortunately, there are ways to take these obstacles and use them to showcase your professional skills and abilities. Here’s how to deal with unexpected events during a job interview.

Arriving Late Due to an Accident

Arriving late to an interview is never ideal, but if you’re delayed due to traffic caused by a car accident, it’s important to handle the situation with transparency and professionalism. First, inform the interviewer as soon as you realize you’ll be late. A quick phone call, text message or email shows responsibility and respect for their time.

Once you arrive, apologize sincerely but avoid over-explaining or dwelling on the issue. Instead, focus on the interview and demonstrate resilience by quickly moving forward. This situation can reveal your ability to handle stress and remain professional in difficult circumstances—qualities that all employers love. You might even use this experience to highlight your time management skills, explaining how you normally build extra time into your schedule to avoid such delays.

Connection Problems During a Virtual Interview

With hybrid and remote roles becoming more common, virtual interviews are now the norm in many industries; however, connection issues can disrupt an otherwise smooth interview. If your video or audio fails, stay calm and address the situation immediately. Politely inform the interviewer about the problem, and if possible, offer solutions such as switching to a phone call or using a different platform.

How you respond to technical difficulties showcases your ability to adapt to unexpected challenges and think quickly under pressure. Being calm, proactive, and focused on resolving the issue highlights your problem-solving skills and your ability to work well in dynamic environments—traits that are especially important in remote roles.

Fire Alarm

Few things are as disruptive as a fire alarm, but an incident like this can serve as an opportunity to demonstrate your composure and flexibility. If a fire alarm interrupts your interview, don’t immediately grab your belongings and rush for the door. Instead, stay calm, smile, and wait for direction from the interviewer. They will likely suggest pausing the interview (hopefully!), at which point you can use the opportunity to show empathy for the situation, such as acknowledging how disruptive it must be for everyone in the building.

Once the alarm subsides, you can smoothly transition back into the conversation without missing a beat. By remaining calm and adjusting to the situation, you’re highlighting your flexibility and resilience, which are key attributes in fast-paced or high-pressure environments. Additionally, the shared experience between yourself and the interviewer will make you far more memorable when it comes to deciding on who to hire!

The Interviewer is Suddenly Interrupted

Whether the interviewer gets a phone call or someone unexpectedly enters the room, interruptions are a common part of any workday. If this happens during your interview, your response can reflect your professionalism and understanding of workplace dynamics. Simply smile and wait for the interviewer to regain their focus, maintaining your composure throughout the interruption.

By staying calm and patient, you’ll demonstrate emotional intelligence; specifically, an understanding that people often need to juggle multiple priorities. You’ll also be showcasing your ability to handle workplace interruptions without getting flustered. This is a skill that’s valuable in just about any role, especially those that require multitasking or speaking with clients.

Forgetting Information About Your Resume

Forgetting important information during an interview can be embarrassing, and it can happen to anyone. Here, it’s important to stay composed. If you suddenly blank on a key point about your resume, such as the details of a specific project, take a deep breath and acknowledge it. You might say something along the lines of, “I’m drawing a blank on specifics at the moment, but I’d be happy to send more details after the interview.”

By handling things this way, you’ll show humility, self-awareness, and the ability to navigate high-pressure situations with grace. Rather than trying to bluff your way through, which could backfire spectacularly, you’re demonstrating honesty and problem-solving by offering to follow up with more information. Employers appreciate candidates who handle mistakes maturely and maintain professionalism despite sudden setbacks.

Not Knowing an Industry Current Event

In some interviews, you may be asked about a recent industry event or trend that you’re not familiar with. Instead of guessing or giving a vague response, it’s better to be honest about your knowledge gap while demonstrating your commitment to staying informed. For example, you could say, “I’m not familiar with that specific event, but I make it a priority to stay up to date with industry trends. I’d love to learn more about it after our conversation.”

This response shows intellectual curiosity and a willingness to learn, both of which are highly valued in today’s fast-changing work environments. You can further showcase your proactive nature by asking the interviewer to share their insights on the topic, turning a potentially negative moment into a learning opportunity that demonstrates your engagement and openness.

Of course, there are plenty of other unforeseen obstacles that can occur; however, if you’re able to change your perspective and see such obstacles as opportunities, you’ll demonstrate your ability to adapt to changing circumstances, your resilience, and your problem-solving skills. Keeping your cool during some of the situations we mentioned will also impress the interviewer, making you a far more memorable candidate.