Bombed a phone interview because my dog started barking mid-answer

I was on a Zoom call for a junior analyst role in Austin last Tuesday when my beagle went nuts at the mailman. I froze and couldn't get my thought back. Has anyone else had a pet ruin an interview and how do you prep for that?

2 comments

2 Comments

fox.jesse1mo ago

And just toss a treat across the room right before the call to buy yourself 30 seconds of quiet. If they hear barking again just say "sorry, my neighbor's dog is losing it" and keep going like nothing happened.

ninal911mo ago

That trick actually works pretty well, but it's kind of wild how we've all just accepted this whole "fake quiet" thing as normal now. @fox.jesse is onto something, and honestly, it's just one more example of how we're all pretending to have perfect, calm lives when we're really just managing chaos behind the scenes. Like, you could be juggling a dog, a screaming kid, a delivery guy ringing the bell, and still have to sound totally professional on a call. It reminds me of those social media posts where everyone's house looks spotless but we all know there's a pile of laundry hiding just out of frame.