Did you still get an offer even if you thought you blew the interview?

Lots of threads here recently on interview disasters / what not to say during an interview.

This one is a bit different. Any stories where you personally thought that you blew the interview but ended up getting the offer anyways?

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Actually my job now I thought for sure I wasn’t getting an offer. So I had a final round interview which was highly technical, I was getting grilled on a few obscure technologies. I knew these answers actually, I was just so nervous I kept blanking. I got to the right answer eventually but it didn’t feel good, especially because the one drilling me left the zoom room early (it was 3 people interviewing me, 1 grilled me hard and then left).

So the 2 remaining people actually were great, I felt like I absolutely crushed it with them. But they said they needed some time to talk. I call the recruiter right after (he asked me to do this) and told him I did my best but I’m not sure how it’ll play out (in my head I figured I wasn’t getting an offer). While on the call with him he tells me they’re extending an offer.

“The three most harmful addictions are heroin, carbohydrates, and a monthly salary.” - Nassim Taleb
 

I think this comes down to perception a lot of the time. My last interview on a super day was with an MD who was completely checked out; slumping down in his chair, spinning around, not making eye contact, zero feedback/follow up after each question. I was sure I got dinged after that one. In retrospect, it was easy to focus on this one weird interview or on mistakes I made, but lose sight of the fact that I did well the rest of the time.

 

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