As you enter the working society, the thing you have to get through a job is to attend the interview. There are somethings that you could have done and tried to portray the best image of you, and… the interviewer doesn’t seem to reciprocate the same. You are meeting the interviewer for the first time and yes, first impression counts.
During the process of your job search, you’d have probably encountered several things that you felt that the interviewers should not have done. Here’s a few to name and you may notice that interviewers may portray unprofessional ways that you felt that you are not valued during the interview process.
Long Waiting Despite Being on Time
Anyone at work could be tied up or stuck in a meeting for a few minutes when you turn up for the scheduled interview. Yes, it’s a scheduled interview but unforeseen situations may arise. However, if you are left in the meeting room waiting for more than 15 to 20 minutes, yet have no idea why the wait was taking so long… What is the next thought on your mind? – “Is the interviewer serious about my application?”, “Is she testing my patience?”.
Interviewer should feel apologetic for making applicant wait for them too. Always remember that you are not obliged to wait, just because you are the applicant.
Unprepared for the interview
You’ve been invited by the Human Resource personnel for an interview and the interviewer or hiring manager should have already understood your resume and employment background before coming into the room. Don’t be surprised, you’ll encounter interviewer flipping and reading through your details while you are talking to them.
There are interviewers who will come into the room and after you telling them about your background, they will tell you that they are NOT sure what they are looking for exactly. They will ask questions that may not be related to the role that you are applying for. You get all puzzled in the interview and at the end of it, you are still unaware if the role suits you, you are shortlisted.
Interviewers Speak Like They Know All
I always thought that the worst interviewers are those who talk to you like you’re interrogating your employment histories with the whys and later input your personal comments. The interview may take an hour long and you ended the interview not knowing what had went on with the interview session. Was that a lecture session or a job interview?
Don’t be surprised that interviewers of certain seniority do come with such traits which got applicants really confused. Will you think that you’d work for interviewers this way?
No idea what to expect after the first interview
Even before you attend the interview, understand how the recruitment process is. There are some companies that may end up with two or even three interview sessions. You have to get yourself prepared so you can expect that the process will take a longer time.
Some interviewers do not tell you what to expect and only end the interview with – “We will inform if you are shortlisted”. No one likes to wait for no reason or even indefinitely. If the interviewer does not breathe a word about the next cause of action, ask. You are obliged to know how the outcome of the interview is and you’ll know how to move forward from there.
All of the above are small things that you should take note during the interview. Else, you’ll probably end up accepting a job and later regret to it. Job acceptance process should be assessed all together and not just by the job scopes.