> Not a word is said, they are clicking at their laptops, and staring at the whiteboard, as waiting for the genie to pop out of a bottle. All the while your min

> Not a word is said, they are clicking at their laptops, and staring at the whiteboard, as waiting for the genie to pop out of a bottle. All the while your mind is frozen and stuck in a bad loop. I interviewed once with a couple of owners in a restaurant. They asked me something relevant, and I all but froze. I knew the subject, but it just would not reveal itself to me. I candidly admitted "brainlock." They were very gracious about it, I soon got through that subject and we moved on. I was eventually hired. The lesson being, for myself at least, not being able to produce "on the fly" is sometimes compounded by being afraid to show or admit a problem. Good people, however, will be forgiving and encouraging. They've been there themselves, we all have. There have been a number of times, over the decades, that I have basically admitted ignorance or temporary brainlock, and it has always gone well, whether I was hired or not. I think, if nothing else, that it's refreshing and novel for the interviewer. It really reduces stress if you allow yourself to be human. In turn, that's much easier if you don't put yourself in a position that "I must have this job."