If you don’t already know by now, one of the most awkward interviews ever took place this week. Two anchors from Good Morning Sacramento interviewed Cara Delevingne, a model-turned-actress who made an appearance in Taylor Swift‘s Bad Blood music video and who recently starred in the upcoming film, Paper Towns, based on the novel by John Green. Cara fired off a few dry, but humorous responses to the interviewers’ unoriginal and condescending questions before a random third interviewer slid into the conversation with no explanation (we’re still wondering who ok’ed that decision), and added, “You seem a lot less excited…Are you just tired?”
From there, a quick descent into a complete lack of professionalism on the anchors’ part (what, are we in high school?) occurred, as the anchors prodded Cara and her “bad” attitude. Aside from preparing ourselves for some serious second-hand embarrassment, what can we learn from the way this interview is conducted? Here are our 3 takeaways.
1. There is such a thing as a bad interviewer.
As much as you as a candidate should focus on making a great impression, there are times when your interviewer doesn’t put his or her best foot forward. Take this one for example – not only did the interviewers clearly not take the time to get to know who she is, mispronouncing her name “Carla,” but they also asked questions like, “Are you able to focus because you’re so busy?” (#what) and made unnecessary comments like, “You seem a bit irritated.”
2. Regardless of how your interviewer is acting, you still need to respond respectfully.
Yes, you may get a few strange or obvious questions – but even if your interviewer looks you in the eye and asks, “Are you aware that the sky is blue today?” you should still be able to give a tactful, professional response. It was clear Cara was not amused or impressed by the anchors’ behavior, but regardless, she gave each question a thoughtful response, discussing her admiration for John Green’s book and her passion for acting (you go, Cara!).
After all, it’s clear from the way the anchors discussed Cara’s attitude that people will talk about you. If you’re able to keep your cool and give your best answers, there’s ultimately no basis behind the negative comments they may say — not to mention they’ll just make themselves look bad in the process.
3. Sometimes people won’t get you, and that’s ok. Someone else will.
It’s obvious that the bright and cheery TV morning show facade coupled with Cara’s more muted, reserved behavior didn’t mesh well, and Cara’s reactions were easy for the anchors to misinterpret. “She was in a mood!” one of the anchors said after Cara left, and Cara later tweeted that some people just didn’t understand British sarcasm and humor.
As you go on job interviews, you’ll come across a few instances where you really feel like you aren’t connecting with your interviewer, and that’s fine – all that means is that the company may not be a great culture fit. So chin up, and try not to take any of it personally – you’ll go on a lot of different interviews, and you’re bound to come across employers who understand your personality and know that it will be a great fit for their company.
