Interviews are a bit like first dates. Sometimes you know in the first few minutes that there’s potential for a great relationship there. Sometimes you can tell right out of the gate that it’ll never work out between you.
So what are you to do when it’s suddenly clear that continuing the interview will only be a waste of your time and the candidate’s? Do you stick it out for the sake of politeness but at the expense of prudent time management? Do you – arguably callously – cut the interview short?
It’s wise to avoid knee-jerk reactions in most circumstances. Kazim Ladimeji, of Recruiter.com, writes that interviewer bias often impairs hiring managers’ initial impressions about candidates, causing them to make snap judgments about interviewees based on factors as superficial and irrelevant as appearance, gender, communication style, and dress. Most of these surface factors have little to no bearing on the candidate’s capabilities.
If the job requires experience or skills that the candidate should be able to demonstrate or attest to, often that’s got to be sussed out during the interview. Should you find that the candidate is lacking critical skills or has misrepresented himself, even then, Ladimeji suggests, consider giving him a chance to explain.
When you encounter a true dud, it does make sense to cut the interview short. But exercise some grace. After all, the candidate has sought out your company and likely put in a not inconsiderable amount of time in preparing for the interview. Rather than abruptly seeing the candidate out, you might proceed with more general questions, steer clear of small talk and offer concise answers to any questions.
Published by Conselium Executive Search, the global leader in compliance search.
