Interview Question: What To Do When You Can’t Answer

By Selipha Kihagi

Ever been in a situation where you’ve been asked an interview question but don’t really know how to answer because you are not sure you understand? You get torn trying to figure out what answer you should give? More often than not, you can identify with this situation. So, what do you do and you are in a job interview?

Recruiters are different in nature, and so are employers. Some will appreciate when you politely ask them to clarify but some will take it as a downfall on your part, especially when you do it a couple of times. Also, some interviewers will ask a general question on purpose so they can assess how well or bad you handle it. For this reason, it is important that you are well prepared.

4 Ways To Handle An Interview Question You Don’t Understand

1. Don’t rush into giving the first answer that comes to mind

A recruiter may ask a general question to either assess your response or expecting you to provide a specific answer. Unless you are sure of what the question is about, don’t proceed to give an answer if you are doubtful. You may end up giving an answer that is far from what the interviewer is looking for and not all recruiters will point that out.

Most will be sure to assume that you are either very anxious or are not sure what you are talking about. Both of which will end up ruining your chances for the job.

2. Ask a clarifying question

Once you realize that you did not fully understand the question and answering might ruin all that, then it is time to ask a question that is geared towards clarifying what the interviewer wants to know. When asking, you must remember to be polite. Don’t be quick to say, “Sorry, I don’t understand the question” or “can you repeat that?” Some recruiters may take this the wrong way.

Instead, here is a way you can ask the interviewer to clarify a question. If the interviewer asks, “Tell me when you did something wrong in your job,” and you are not sure if it’s a project or general, you can say, “Before I give an answer that is unrelated, would you like me to hear about a general time that things didn’t go so well at work or about a specific project that didn’t go well?”

3. Never blame the interviewer

Most times when things don’t go the way we hope, we are quick to lay the blame on other people. In a job interview, it is important that you do not in any way blame the interviewer or recruiter. Avoid saying something like this; “Sorry but you are speaking too fast, can you repeat that?” or “That’s a general question, could you be more specific?” (Most times the general question is on purpose)

These responses may not sound offensive until you actually say them to a recruiter who has a problem being told exactly that. Taking the blame for a question you do not understand will be appreciated.

4. Avoid asking too many clarifications

If you do not understand one or two interview questions, that is alright. When the questions you do not understand start being many, then you will be giving your interviewer a reason to bypass you for the job at hand. Make sure your listening skills during the job interview are top notch and that you have done your research well. This way you do not have to keep asking clarifying questions.

Not understanding an interview question is not a crime, don’t let anxiety get the better of you. Clarify what you must and ace that job interview.