How To Handle A Bad Interview!
How
to handle a Bad Interview - Sharp CV Guide to ‘Bad’
Interviews
As we all know, interviews come in
three forms: The good, the bad, and sometimes… The
downright ugly! This is an article about the latter;
ugly interviews, from ‘unconventional’ interviewers, who
wouldn’t know the words ‘Professional, Un-biased and
Independent’ even if they came up and bit them! Take
this article, as a guide to how to handle unprofessional
interviews in a professional manner. First things first
though, how do you know that your interview is an ‘Ugly’
interview and not just a ‘Bad’ one?
How
to spot an Ugly Interview:
Unprofessional interviews stem from
the ‘Old Boy’ network of the 1970’s when you were hired
on who you knew, and an interview was more of a
formality than a real attempt to find our whether you
would be suited to the company. Employers would ask you
a few simple questions, and then recruit you based on
their ‘Gut Feeling’ about whether you were right for the
role or not. Unfortunately, unstructured interviews are
still popular in some areas of the workplace.
Unstructured interviews are the
sign of an unprofessional organisation, because the
interviewer asks several ‘off the cuff’ questions and
asks each candidate different questions depending on how
they ‘feel’ about them. This can result in some
candidates being given a ‘tougher’ interview than
others.
You will be able to spot an
unstructured interview if you attend an organisation and
your interviewer is (usually) on their own, has no
notepad with prepared questions to ask, doesn’t use a
scoring sheet, and seems to ask you many ‘random’
questions. The interview will usually feel very
informal, and the interviewer will usually use ‘gut
feeling’ to decide which candidates to recruit rather
than hard facts.
What
is the interviewer looking for?
The interviewer in this situation
will be looking for someone who thinks like them. They
use a lot of subjective, un-measurable feelings, and
will often have a set image of whom they want to recruit
and disregard anyone who doesn’t fit this image.
The Interviewer will use terms such
as ‘like’ and dislike’ when considering candidates. If
they are presented with a ‘weaker’ person who they
favour, they will give them an easier interview which
helps confirm they have made the right decision. If
someone is technically strong and suitable for the role,
yet does not fit with their ‘image’, they will
(consciously or subconsciously) give them a harder
interview, asking tricky, awkward questions, or
questions which the candidate cannot be reasonably
expected to answer.
It is hard to say what interviewers
are looking for in this situation, but it is very likely
that they will let you know very quickly whether they
are interested in recruiting you, so be ready to pick up
the signals!
Do
you have any tips for helping me with this type of
interview?
If you find yourself in this
situation – don’t panic! You have as much chance as the
next person. In order to succeed at these types of
interviews, follow the interviewers lead, and try and
‘fit in’ with them as much as you can. For example:
-
Appear relaxed and do not get
flustered when asked a ‘random’ question. They will
be looking for someone who is spontaneous like them.
-
Don’t waffle, get straight to
the point of each answer
-
Be patient and professional at
all times even if you are getting frustrated at
their ‘silly’ questions
-
Ask them what ‘type’ of person
they are looking for early in the interview and then
tailor your answers accordingly.
-
Have a sense of humour!
Word
of Caution:
Some employers will adopt a
‘casual’ approach to assess your professionalism. They
may encourage you to let your guard down and act in an
unprofessional manner. They may also make several
unprofessional comments about either the company itself
or the world at large to see if you agree with them.
BE CAREFUL. Never let your guard
down. If faced with a situation like this smile politely
and professionally side step the subject if need be.
This can be a genuinely unpleasant interviewer, but it
can also be a very shrewd and professional interviewer
who asks these questions to weed out applicants with
controversial views. Don’t be lead down the garden path!
Article Written By: Lydia Holder, Sharp CV.
