Learning from a beauty queen's YouTube flub

By Nicole Zerillo | Special to amNewYork

September 10, 2007

The questions asked on Miss Teen USA may be significantly easier than any found on "Are you smarter than a 5th grader," but that doesn't mean there's no room for error. Just consider Miss Teen South Carolina's 30 second sound-bite, which was so mystifyingly incoherent, it seemed to bend the rules of time and space.

On being asked why 1/5 of Americans could not locate the United States on a map, Lauren Caitlin Upton, paused before deciding, "I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because some people out there in our nation don't have maps. And, I believe that our education, like such as in South Africa and the Iraq, everywhere like such as. . . And, I believe they should our education over here, in the U.S. should help the U.S. or should help South Africa or should help the Iraq and Asian countries, so we will be able to build our future for us."

It was definitely not a coincidence, that in answer to the final question, Miss New Jersey noted public speaking as the skill most lacking in contemporary teens. Still, knowing how to manage nerves and confidently interview are skills that affect beauty queens as much as job seekers.

"Being confident in who you are and what you're capable of is the first step to a successful job interview," said Annemarie Segaric, career consultant and author of the e-book, "107 Tips For Changing Your Career While Still Paying The Bills." "People, who become too concerned with performing, often don't."

While you can't plan for every question, you can put yourself in the position to feel good about yourself. Failure, like success, can be a foregone conclusion

According to Segaric, before a job interview, it's key to practice answering questions and to visualize how you want to feel during the interview. This way, when you're finally in the moment, you will feel prepared, and probably not be distracted by your speaking habits, nervously clocking every "like" and "um," or reciting word-for-word answers crafted the night before (which may or may not apply).

Rambling answers, like poor Miss South Carolina's, often arise from a lack of confidence and a fear of not "filling" enough air time.

Segaric advises not to be afraid of silence. "It's perfectly fine to wait a few thoughtful seconds before answering, or even give short, substantive answers. Don't think you have to sell that space. Also, if there's no way you can answer that particular question, save yourself and the interviewer time, and just admit it."

In general, one instance of mild rambling won't make or break you, so you can just move on. However, if you find yourself in the middle of a spectacular digression, stop, acknowledge your rambling, and concisely re-state what you were trying to say. Even better, in a follow-up note, consider adding a line or two about the issue, not your verbal diarrhea.

Learn from Miss South Carolina, whose geo-political prowess was not really at issue, so much as her inability to keep her cool in a high-pressure interview. Sure, it would have been easier to answer Miss Colorado's question of whether you prefer Paris Hilton, Nicole Ritchie, or Lindsay Lohan, but as in any interview you always have to be prepared for the unexpected.