3 Types of Bad Interviewers and How to Deal with Them

Bad InterviewerIt’s been a long time coming. You’ve been searching for a job for weeks now, and this is the first time you were invited for an interview. So, you got ready by getting a good night’s sleep and preparing answers to every possible interview question you can think of. However, when you arrive for the interview, you’re faced with the one thing you didn’t prepare yourself for: a bad interviewer.

You can do your best to prepare for everything you can think of, but still be derailed by a bad interviewer. The best thing you can do, therefore, is to know the different kinds of bad interviewers so you can prepare for them, too.

First-timer – This type of interviewer is typically as nervous as you are, and will follow his/her guidelines to the letter. The first-timer will stick to the instructions, so conversations outside of their list of questions should be saved for later. Keep following the lead of the interviewer until he/she finishes. At this point, offer any additional information you want to emphasize, depending on the focus of the interview. What is most important is to let the interviewer take the lead so as not to let him/her feel inept.

Silent Type – You’re doing your best and answering all of the questions, but you also want to get additional information about the job. Every time you try to you initiate a dialogue, you’re not getting the response that you want. Although it may feel frustrating, you need to stay the course and keep on answering the questions as best you can. When the interview ends and the interviewer asks if you have any questions, this is the time to ask them. If your questions still don’t get answered, all that’s left is to hope for the best. If you get invited for another interview or are offered the job, ask the questions then.

Distracted Type – As soon as you get to the interview, the interruptions start. There are phone calls and employees that keep distracting your interviewer. In this situation, it might be best to ask if it would be better to reschedule. If they agree to it and you come back and find yourself in the same situation with a distracted interviewer, then it might be better to look elsewhere.

Good or bad interviewer—you never know which one you’ll face. That’s why it’s important to prepare for every scenario. If you do, the next time you encounter a bad interviewer, at least you’ll know what to do.

Read 7120 times Last modified on Wednesday, 09 March 2016 17:16
Alan Carniol

Alan is the creator of Interview Success Formula, a training program that has helped more than 80,000 job seekers to ace their interviews and land the jobs they deserve. Interviewers love asking curveball questions to weed out job seekers. But the truth is, most of these questions are asking about a few key areas. Learn more about how to outsmart tough interviewers by watching this video.