How to Handle Embarrassing Interview Situations

Embarrassing interview situations are becoming more and more common as employers choose to use group interview formats. During these interviews, prospective employees might have to perform skits, set up mock commercials or any number of other embarrassing exercises. If you are the kind of person who doesn't enjoy performing in front of others -- or being in the spotlight at all -- these interviews can be almost unbearable. Following are a few tips on how to handle embarrassing interview situations.

Ask About the Format Beforehand

When you accept an interview date and time, you can avoid some embarrassing interview situations by asking about the format. Will there be a group of you or is it a one-on-one interview? Is there anything you should know about it? Some employers won't tell you about the interview format until you arrive, so you can't always avoid these situations, but you can at least be proactive to save yourself the trouble in most cases.

Realize the Type of Job

Most embarrassing interview situations are reserved for entry-level and blue-collar job positions. If you're interviewing to be a CFO of a major corporation, you probably won't be asked to perform a skit or draw silly pictures, but this is becoming the norm for grocery store positions and other service industry positions. If you're going to be interacting with customers on a daily basis, the chances of encountering an embarrassing interview situation are much higher than for an executive or management position.

Know That Everyone Else is Embarrassed

If you need a job badly enough, you'd probably stand on your head or do cartwheels across the interview room floor to get hired. However, you should know that everyone else in the room is embarrassed and hating the situation as much as you are. While this might provide only minimal comfort, it can help you to get through the hour or two during which you'll have to do embarrassing things.

Feel Free to Refuse

If you aren't comfortable with an embarrassing interview situation, you have every right to refuse. A prospective employer can't make you do something you don't want to do, and although you probably won't get the job, you'll still have your dignity in tact. The best way to refuse is to explain to the hiring manager that you feel uncomfortable and that you'd rather they base their hiring decision on a more conservative interview. Invite them to look over your resume and to ask you questions, but explain that you aren't going to jump through hoops to get a job.

Walk Out

Your other option is to simply walk out on the interview, which will definitely keep you from getting the job. My wife interviewed for a job at H.E.B. grocery during college and she was asked in a group interview setting to draw a picture of herself using an H.E.B. product and then to explain to the group why she chose that product. She found the interview insulting and she simply left, then wrote a letter to the corporate office explaining her problem. She got free coupons, but she wound up working at a coffee shop.