I’ve lost count of how many great candidates crash halfway through an interview just because things don’t go as planned. The truth is, even when you prepare like a maniac, you can’t control everything. But you can prepare for things going sideways. That’s where Plan B thinking comes in.
Most people prep for the perfect scenario. Smart ones prep for real life.
Let’s be honest: interviews are unpredictable. You might freeze. The question might throw you off. Or worse — your mind goes completely blank and you forget that killer example you spent 30 minutes memorising.
This is where having a backup makes all the difference.
What does that look like? It’s not about being paranoid. It’s about stacking the deck in your favour. Having a second example. A different way to frame your story. Another way to get your point across is when your first answer falls flat.
Interviews are strategy games, not recitals
When you treat an interview like a one-shot performance, every stumble feels like failure. But if you see it as a conversation, a test of adaptability and awareness, you realise you don’t need to be perfect — you need to be resourceful.
That’s what hiring managers are really looking for. Not someone who memorised every STAR-format answer like a robot. They want to see how you think on your feet, how you recover, and how you stay calm under pressure.
Build your mental playbook
The easiest way to start thinking like this? Build a mental « Plan B » list as you prep.
For every scenario you plan to talk about, ask yourself:
- What’s another example I could use if needed?
- What if they ask a follow-up I wasn’t expecting?
- If I forget this story, what’s another that makes a similar point?
The same goes for your motivation:
- What if they challenge why I’m leaving my job?
- What if they ask why now, and not six months ago?
- What if they question whether I’ve really thought this through?
You don’t need to have 10 examples lined up. Just enough to switch lanes if the one you’re on gets blocked.
Plan B gives you calm and control
The best part about having a Plan B? It frees you up to actually listen and adapt. You stop overthinking. You stop panicking. You start responding like a real person who knows their worth and can back it up from multiple angles.
That’s what top performers do. Not because they’re slick. But because they’ve done the thinking upfront.
The French Recruiter 