I spilled coffee on my boss's laptop during a Zoom interview last Tuesday

I was in the middle of a final round interview for a marketing job when my elbow hit my mug and coffee went everywhere, including all over the keyboard. My boss just stared at me through the screen while I scrambled for napkins, and somehow I still got the offer. Has anyone else had a job interview go sideways because of a clumsy accident?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_wendy29d ago

Last Tuesday I had a guy show up 20 minutes late to his interview because he locked his keys in his car, then tried to break in with a coat hanger and set off the alarm. He still almost got the job because he was honest about it and didn't try to blame traffic. I get why you're proud of getting the offer after a coffee spill but honestly that says more about your boss than about you. If they can overlook a clumsy accident in a high stress moment they probably care more about actual skills than perfect presentation. That's a green flag for the workplace culture if you ask me.

jason56229d ago

Wait, did you actually get offered the job while coffee was still dripping off the keyboard? That's both impressive and kind of hilarious honestly. What worked for me in a similar situation was just owning it right away - I dropped a whole stack of papers during a presentation and just said "well, that's one way to break the ice" while bending down to pick them up. The interviewer laughed and it actually made the rest of the conversation way more relaxed because the pressure was off. People mess up all the time, especially in high stakes moments, and showing you can laugh at yourself is a real skill. Your boss probably saw you handle the chaos with grace even while panicking on the inside (I know I sure was when it happened to me).