Anyone going through a job search knows how embarrassing it can be when your head falls off during an interview. It’s definitely a faux pas, but just because you’ve found yourself in an awkward situation doesn’t mean all is lost! There are still ways to get back on track and land that job. Here are five ways to salvage a job interview after your head slides off of your body and onto the interviewer’s desk.
1. Don’t stop talking
Just because your head has fallen off doesn’t mean you should stop speaking to the interviewer. Even if your head is rolling all around the interviewer’s desk, knocking over his things and spilling his coffee all over his computer, that head should still be responding to interview questions and talking about why you’re the perfect fit for this position. If you stop talking when your head falls off, the interviewer is going to think you’ve died and they’re going to hire someone else. Remember: a silent head is an unemployed head.
2. Act like you planned for your head to fall off
Anyone who’s found success in a job interview environment can tell you that one of the keys is to fake it until you make it! If your head falls in the middle of an interview, you can just point to it and say, “Ah! Finally, my head has fallen off just like I planned. My head fell off because of how proficient I am at Microsoft Excel, and that’s why it’s good and on purpose that it happened that way with my head.” You interviewer will be impressed with your ability to plan things in advance. They might even offer you the job on the spot!
3. Claim that the head belongs to someone else in the office
Lying and making false accusations against people is one of the best ways to land a job, so one thing you can do to save a job interview if your head falls is to immediately claim that the head belongs to someone else. As soon as your head thunks down on the interviewer’s desk, point at the head and say, “Wow, how embarrassing. Someone’s head fell on your desk. It’s not mine, though. My head is currently being stored in my fabulous vacation home in Barcelona.” To further distance yourself from your head, consider throwing it in the interviewer’s wastepaper basket so that the interviewer knows that you consider the loose head to be strange garbage. You can retrieve the head later by breaking into the office and fishing it out of the trash.
4. Claim that the head belongs to them
You can even claim that the head belongs to the interviewer. Once your head falls off and starts pinballing around the interviewer’s desk, just point at it and say, “That’s yours. How humiliating for you.” This power move may give you the upper hand when it comes to salary negotiations.
5. Set something on fire
An out-of-control fire is often one of the most attention-grabbing features in any room. If your head falls off in the middle of an interview, just set the interviewer’s desk or window blinds on fire and say, “How interesting. A huge fire has begun to rage in your office.” Chances are, once the interviewer becomes fixated on the fire, they’ll forget all about the fact that your head just plunked down on their desk. If you’re able to nail the rest of the interview, you can expect a job offer to come your way!
