It’s time to replace a member of your staff or expand your team. So, you dust off the job description, sift through countless resumes, and choose a handful of candidates to interview. But before you meet with anyone, read through the interview horror stories below. That way, you can avoid scaring off the talent that you need.
Horror Story #1: Asking Inappropriate Questions
It may be hard to believe, but some hiring managers still ask candidates about their marital status, plans to start a family, and other personal topics. Unfortunately, these questions could cause the interviewee to suspect discrimination, badmouth the company publicly, or sue the organization. Plus, they’re irrelevant to whether the prospective employee can fulfill the role.
Lesson: As a best practice, your line of questioning should be solely focused on each candidate’s skills, experience, education, and other qualifications.
Horror Story #2: Lying About the Position or Company
Desperate hiring managers sometimes bend the truth, embellish the positives, downplay the negatives, or flat-out lie to convince talent to work for the firm. But, this horror story rarely has a happy ending. Job seekers can often detect the deception up front, causing them to withdraw from the hiring process and tell their friends to avoid the company. If they do accept the position, they’ll quickly learn the truth, which means the organization will soon have to deal with a disgruntled employee or recruit a replacement.
Lesson: To keep the employees you hire, be sure to give them an honest and realistic preview of what it’s like to work for your company.
Horror Story #3: Ignoring Personal Bias
Everyone is biased. That’s just human nature. But, when an interviewer lets their biases inform their hiring decision, it’s a scary scenario, indeed. For example, a leader could hire an unqualified candidate because they build an instant rapport with them. But, on the other hand, they may overlook an all-star because the interviewee is different from the rest of the team. In either case, both the company and the candidate lose.
Lesson: To mitigate your biases, be aware that you have them and consciously challenge each decision you make. You can also involve other people in the hiring process so that various perspectives get considered.
Horror Story #4: Being Unprepared for the Meeting
Hiring managers expect job seekers to be prepared for interviews. Yet, sometimes interviewers fail to do their homework before the conversation. An ill-prepared leader can’t ask effective questions or properly assess whether the candidate would be a good fit for the position. The lack of preparation is also rude because it indicates to the potential employee that the meeting wasn’t important enough for the hiring manager to put in any effort. The interaction was doomed before it even started.
Lesson: Show a genuine interest in the hiring process by reviewing the interview materials (job description, application, resume, etc.), creating a list of questions to ask, and preparing responses to potential candidate inquiries ahead of time.
Horror Story #5: Dominating the Discussion
Hiring managers should lead the conversation and keep it on track. But, some leaders are natural talkers that may dominate the discussion without realizing it. When that happens, candidates won’t have the opportunity to showcase their skills or provide the interviewer with the information they need to make a hiring decision. It also gives the job seeker a poor impression of the company, which likely means they won’t apply again — or recommend the organization to their network.
Lesson: To get the most out of an interview, listen more than you talk. Give the candidate a chance to wow you.
Horror Story #6: Setting an Uncomfortable Stage
An interview can be nerve-wracking for a job seeker. But, some hiring managers don’t consider this when they set up the environment and interact with the candidate. They may hold the meeting in a cramped room, use negative body language, interrogate the interviewee, or otherwise make the prospective new team member feel ill at ease or unwelcome. Under those conditions, the candidate can’t perform at their best, so the hiring manager won’t see their true potential. Plus, the experience may leave a bad taste in the job seeker’s mouth.
Lesson: Make your candidate feel welcome by greeting them warmly, offering them a drink of water, asking thoughtful, appropriate questions, and having the conversation in a comfortable space.
Horror Story #7: Ghosting the Candidate
Finding a new position can be a hard journey for many candidates. So, after a job seeker interviews with an organization, they deserve to know the outcome — even if the answer is no. Unfortunately, some hiring managers are overwhelmed, forgetful, or inconsiderate and fail to follow up with their interviewees. For a while, the lack of communication may leave a candidate wondering what’s happening, perhaps giving them a false sense of hope. Eventually, they’ll realize that they’ve gotten ghosted, which could cause them to resent the company and question where they went wrong. Ultimately, the organization looks bad and likely loses a supporter.
Lesson: Even though it’s not fun, follow up with every interviewee to inform them of your hiring decision. If possible, give rejected candidates some pointers to be more successful in future interviews.
Candidates Can Be Spooky, Too
While it’s the hiring manager’s role to set the tone for the meeting and make the job seeker feel welcome, the potential new employee needs to mind their interview manners, too. Here’s some spooky candidate behavior that probably won’t win them the job:
- Showing up late (or not at all)
- Leaving in the middle of the conversation
- Bringing a family member or friend to the meeting
- Oversharing or rambling when answering questions
- Failing to prepare for the interview
- Using inappropriate verbal or body language
- Appearing bored or disinterested
- Disparaging a former employer, supervisor, or coworker
As you can see, each party involved in the hiring process has a certain protocol that they need to follow. If they don’t, they may just find themselves playing a role in an interview horror story.
How Omnia Can Help
Selecting the right candidate can be a daunting challenge. We’re here to help! Our research-backed and time-tested behavioral and cognitive assessments can be a valuable supplement to your interview process.
When your interviewee takes our fast and simple tests, you’ll gain deeper insight into their abilities, personality traits, and tendencies. With this knowledge, you can be more confident about your hiring decisions. Plus, since our results are rooted in science, we can help you mitigate any natural biases you have.
Final Thoughts
If you ask any hiring manager or job seeker, they’re sure to have at least one interview horror story to tell. Fortunately, with some awareness, preparation, and a smile, you can ensure that your candidates have a good interview experience — whether you hire them or not.
Securing the talent you need doesn’t have to be a frightening undertaking. So if you’re getting the chills just thinking about making your next hire, call us!
