Although you prepare yourself for every interview question you might be asked, nerves can get the best of you. It’s only natural that you overanalyse your performance, worrying that you rambled on too long about one topic or didn’t say enough about another. You probably didn’t ruin your chances with those little mistakes. If the interviewer responded to each of your answers with a furrowed brow or furious scribbling, however, you might have reason to worry. Instead of dwelling on the situation and giving up hope for a second interview, get proactive and do some damage control.

Know your mistake

First, you need to know what went wrong. You might have walked away knowing the interview didn’t go well, but you can’t fix the problem until you know what it was. So think about your answers, your body language and anything else that an interviewer would notice.

“It is usually not one mistake that determines whether you get the job or not,” says Carole Martin of Interview Coach. Interviewers notice a series of mistakes that hint at your personality and work ethic. For example, if the conversation about your work history consisted of you explaining why you left every job on your résumé, the interviewer probably wondered if you could commit to the position for a long period of time.

Also, knowing nothing about the position or company you are interviewing for demonstrates a lack of preparation and overall interest towards the company. Decide how you can convince the interviewer you have something to offer the company.

Follow up with

the interviewer

The best course of action is to write a follow-up letter or make a phone call, Martin says. All job candidates should write a ‘thank-you’ letter after an interview, but if things didn’t go well, use it to make your case for a second chance. After a particularly poor interview, a candidate sent a well-written thank-you note, Martin recalls. It not only got him a second meeting, he eventually landed the job.

The follow-up letter should leave a bigger impression than your initial meeting, according to marketing and management expert Mark Stevens.

You need to be articulate and thoughtful about what you say in your letter.

Think about how the interviewer perceived you and try to erase that idea from his or her mind. Recruiters think many candidates don’t view themselves as potential representatives of the company they’re interviewing with, Martin says. But that’s exactly what you are. “The way you present yourself in an interview is seen as the way you will represent the company,” she says. “A bad impression will not be looked upon as a good sign for your ability to relate and connect with others.”

In your follow-up, make it clear that you normally perform better in business and were just having an off day. You don’t want to whine or beg because that is guaranteed not to get you a second chance. Just be honest about what went wrong and why you’re worth a second chance.

Keep hunting

Once you have sent your letter or made the phone call, the interviewer will contact you if he or she wants a second meeting. You don’t want to hound him for an answer. Instead, keep job hunting. An even better opportunity for you might be waiting.

Throughout the process,

remember that you have nothing to lose by asking

for a second chance. The only way you are certain

not to get a second chance

is if you don’t ask for

one, Martin says. So don’t sit there and torture yourself over the interview, do something about it. — Agencies