Cloz Team5 мин чтения
Murphy’s Law in Your Career: What to Do When Plans Go Wrong
Your internet drops just before an interview. A presentation file will not open. A company pauses hiring when you are already preparing to join. These are the moments people describe as Murphy’s law at work.
Murphy’s law is commonly expressed as “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.” It is an ironic saying, not a scientific law or a prediction about your career. Its useful lesson is practical: decide in advance what you will do if an important plan breaks down. About the expression.
Quick answer: identify a realistic problem with meaningful consequences, take a reasonable precaution, and prepare an alternative. You do not need a contingency plan for every imaginable setback.
What Murphy’s law means for your careerDuring a job search: keep more than one route openBefore an interview: prepare another way to connectAt work: include checking time in the deadlineWhen seeking promotion: ask for clear criteriaBuild a simple backup planIf things still go wrong, review the right problemYour next step
What Murphy’s law means for your career
Preparation cannot give you complete control over an employer’s budget, other candidates’ experience, or your internet connection. A useful career plan makes room for events that do not follow the ideal sequence.
“I want to join this company” is an ambition. “I will tailor my resume, keep considering suitable roles, and ask when to expect an interview decision” is an action plan.
Murphy’s law should not become an explanation for every rejection. Separate external circumstances from aspects of your approach that you can improve.
During a job search: keep more than one route open
A promising interview is not a final agreement. An employer may change the role or delay a decision.
Continue reviewing suitable opportunities. Record where you applied, your current stage, and the next expected contact. This does not mean sending the same resume everywhere: each application should make sense for that role.
If an agreed response date passes, send a polite follow-up. For example:
Hello, I wanted to check whether there is an update following our interview and when I might expect a decision. I am happy to provide any additional information you need.
Keep pursuing suitable alternatives while you wait. The CLOZ career blog includes a separate guide to employer silence after an application.
Before planning a job transition around an offer, clarify the responsibilities, terms, and start date in writing. A positive conversation may leave important details unresolved.
Before an interview: prepare another way to connect
Open the meeting link and test your camera and microphone beforehand. Save the relevant resume and portfolio files on your device. If you have a backup internet connection, check that it works.
For an office interview, confirm the address, entrance, and organiser’s contact details. Allow for possible travel delays.
If the connection fails, tell the interviewer what happened and suggest an available option:
My internet connection has dropped. I am trying to reconnect. If necessary, could we continue by phone or arrange another time?
A technical interruption does not establish anything about your ability to do the job. Your immediate task is to communicate and agree on how to continue.
At work: include checking time in the deadline
Finishing a task and making it ready to hand over are different stages. Reviewing a file, obtaining a colleague’s input, and incorporating feedback all take time.
Suppose a presentation is due on Friday. Prepare a working version earlier and agree who will provide the missing information and when. This makes dependencies visible before the final evening.
If delivery is at risk, explain the obstacle and offer a practical next step:
The final table has not arrived, so the complete report may be delayed. I can send the finished sections now. Could we agree on a revised deadline for the remaining section?
Keep backups in company-approved storage. Moving work documents to a personal account may conflict with your employer’s rules.
When seeking promotion: ask for clear criteria
“You will progress later” leaves too much uncertain unless the expected results and decision process are clear. Discuss the responsibilities you need to demonstrate, the outcomes expected, and when you will revisit the conversation.
For example: “What results would show that I am ready for the next role? If I achieve them, when can we discuss progression?”
Keep a record of your contribution: the problem, what you personally did, and what changed. Use examples you can explain without sharing confidential material.
If a promotion is postponed again, ask why and request a new review date. If the answers remain vague, exploring opportunities in another team or company may be a reasonable next step.
Build a simple backup plan
Choose your next important event: an interview, assessment task, project, or promotion conversation. Answer these questions for that specific situation.
Question | Online interview example |
What could fail? | The main internet connection. |
What can I do beforehand? | Test the meeting link and devices. |
What alternative is available? | Mobile internet if available; otherwise ask to continue by phone. |
When should I tell someone? | Contact the organiser promptly if I cannot reconnect. |
Start with problems that are plausible, consequential, and possible to address with the resources you have. Preparing alternatives should leave enough time to do the actual work.
If things still go wrong, review the right problem
First limit the disruption: notify the people involved, use an available alternative, and agree on a revised deadline or next action. Review the causes once the immediate situation is under control.
Separate facts from assumptions. “The company paused recruitment” is a fact. “Nobody wants to hire me” does not follow from it.
Then look for a recurring issue. Repeated connection failures call for a different technical arrangement. Relevant applications that never lead to interviews suggest reviewing your resume and role selection. Repeated missed deadlines call for a closer look at workload and agreements.
Blaming yourself for everything and attributing everything to bad luck both make it harder to choose a useful next step. Pick one specific change and test it in your next attempt.
Your next step
Keep your career plan from depending on a single reply. Explore current vacancies on CLOZ, select roles that fit your experience and requirements, and give each application a clear next action.
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