How to Show Confidence When Answering an Unexpected Interview Question

Even after all the preparation and practice for interviews, there’s still bound to be some questions you don’t expect and may not be prepared to answer in an interview. There are two types of questions that can fall in this category: 1) behavioral questions, and 2) case questions. Behavioral questions usually start with, “Tell me a time when you….. ” and there is no right or wrong answer. Case questions can be, “Please estimate the size of the iPhone market in CA.” Interviewers who give case questions usually are looking for specific things in your answer.

My first advice is don’t panic and expect these questions to exist. The interviewer is not only interested in the answer but also how you think on your feet.  Even if you don’t know the answer, you can show that you can think and communicate in a structured, confident way.

Here’s what you can do:

• Buy time.  If you don’t know the answer, first try to buy some time by paraphrasing the question asked (e.g. Let me make sure I understand your question… You’re asking me….).  Another tactic is to further clarify the question with another question (e.g. Do you mean…). The objective is to buy time for you to think about a good answer and that you don’t have an awkward silence.  Also, sometimes we misunderstand the question if we’re nervous, so first make sure you know exactly what they’re asking.
• Pause before answering.  It’s ok to take a few seconds to pull together your answer.  Silence sometimes can also convey confidence and give a chance to breathe.  I have interviewed many people who rush at the answer and sometimes sound disorganized.  You can simply say, “That’s a great question.  Let me think about it for a second.”  Maybe even put something down on paper if it’s a case question.
• Watch your body language and focus on the question. Try not to bite your nails, look away, look like deer in headlights, or do anything that expresses nervousness.  All of us will be nervous on the inside when we get an unexpected question.  Just take a deep breath and do the best you can.  It also doesn’t help you if your mind starts thinking about the ramification of not answering the question well.  It will just distract you.  Focus all of your attention on answering the question as best as you can.
• For behavioral questions, come up with a story to tell.  Do the best you can, because it doesn’t make sense for you to say I don’t have an answer to this type of question.  Tell a story that’s the closest to what they’re asking. Speak slowly, use a confident tone, and always tie it back to why you’re a good candidate for the job.  It may not be perfect, but you’ll show that you can respond under pressure and then remind yourself to practice how to answer the question for future interviews.
• For case questions, describe your thought process and be structured.  Oftentimes it doesn’t matter if you don’t know the answer.  Actually, it’s rare that anyone would know the answer to a case question beforehand.  The focus isn’t on the answer but on how you describe your process of analysis.  For this, I’d say, ask questions along the way, state your assumptions, communicate in bullets instead of a laundry list, keep it high level until they want details, and provide an answer. Don’t worry about whether it’s right or not. Focus on being logical, articulate, and analytical.  If you convey those things, it’s enough.  Being good at answering case questions just takes a lot of practice.  I practiced for about two months before my consulting interviews.  I was an electrical engineering major and didn’t even have business sense at the time.  If I can do it, YOU can do it.
• Be willing to say I don’t know.  If you get a case question that’s completely outside your knowledge (e.g. Can you solve this quadratic equation for me?), continue to try to do the above, but at some point you should admit you don’t know if you can’t come up with anything. Interviewers can tell anyway and it takes courage to admit what you don’t know.  Maybe the job is not what you thought it was.  You can just say, “I didn’t realize this job needed this skill.  It’s been 10 years since I’ve done a quadratic formula.  Is this a job requirement?”  Even though you said you didn’t know, you don’t have to feel ashamed about it.

Ultimately, expect questions you cannot answer in interviews and practice thinking on your feet.  You can practice beforehand with any friends.  Once you get used to not knowing an answer to a question and can still answer it, you’ll feel more confident and at ease when asked during an interview.  I personally actually love unexpected questions.  I see it as a game.  How much can I ad lib my way out of it?  I don’t always do well, but at least the interview is interesting.  Perhaps it’s because I had to do many case interviews out of college and business school or perhaps it’s because I try not to hang all my hopes on one interview anymore.  Just prepare as much as you can and learn from your experiences.  Everything will work out!