You’re driving home from the interview, processing how you answered questions, and you realize that you didn’t ace it. Is there anything that you can do after the fact?

Probably not.

Which is why we suggest that you try, as hard as it is in our crazy work schedules, to take a few hours off the afternoon prior to the interview and certainly the time before the interview to clear your head.

It’s why you can really never be too prepared. And preparation, by the way, consists of not only researching the company, the players you’ll meet with and the industry, it means thinking about what you’ll be asked. You’ve probably interviewed a number of people—think carefully about what you’ll be asked and how you’ll answer the question.

You can try sending a short, extremely well-written thank you (absolutely no typos permitted, don’t try to bang it out on your mobile) and address one point that might augment your interview performance. Going beyond that – coming up with crazy excuses (I was sick…Really? And you came in to meet with a team of people? ), elaborate answers to questions asked and answered (you probably are not a defense attorney, don’t look like one) – seems desperate and unattractive.

Take it in stride, learn from your performance, and get ready for the next time.