6 ways you can come back strong in a job interview that's going horribly wrong

Not everyone's born an Einstein. Sometimes it's okay to not know everything you are being asked. And in case of an interview, the silence may seem excruciating but it's fine.

Feeling embarrassed is just a human feeling that may want to take over, but beat it. There are several ways that can come to your rescue the next time you're strapped for an answer.

1. Do not freak out, just stay calm. First of all, the most important thing to do is stay calm. If you start freaking out, your body will begin reacting physiologically. For example, your blood pressure will start rising, and your heart may race. Once you start a stress response, you won't be thinking clearly, and you may throw out answers without thinking. Take deep breaths, and tell yourself that it's OK to not know the answer to the question. You'll just have to work through it; there's nothing you can do to change things, but you need to stay calm to find the right answer or behave maturely.

2. Don't say, "I don't know," off the bat. And NEVER LIE. You should not tell the interviewer you don't know the answer without mulling it over. Then again, be careful not to make stuff up, because your interviewer can see right through that.

3. Ask questions. Maybe it's the question you don't understand. Ask your interviewer politely to clarify what he/she said like 'I beg your pardon' or 'Could you come again, please'. Go deeper into the question to see if you can get more details that will help you figure it out.

4. Be frank. Tell your interviewer what you do know. If you do have some knowledge of the question, then take the time to tell your interviewer what you do know of the situation. Saying everything out loud can start you on the process of figuring out the problem.

5. Tell them how you would find the answer. Even if you don't know what the answer is, you can tell the interviewer the steps you would take to figure out the problem. Interviewers ask you hard questions because they want to see what your thought process is. Sometimes, the thought process may be more important than the actual answer. They want to see that you can take initiative and have the resources to come up with a solution on your own, instead of needing someone to hold your hand through problems.

6. Know the right time to come clean. Although we mentioned not admitting to the interviewer that you don't know the answer, there is an exception to this rule. If the answer is something that you will only know through memorization, such as a definition of the word, then it's probably best to admit that you don't know the answer, as it may be impossible to figure it out independently. Here's what you can tell the interviewer: "It's a good question, but I'm sorry, I don't have the answer off the top of my head. I will be sure to follow up with the answer after the interview."