Bad Interviewers

We’ve all had bad interviews in the past, but have you ever stopped to think – “wait a second, it’s not my fault… that interviewer was terrible.”

Well, at MetaTech you will be fortunate enough not to encounter this problem, but somewhere in your life you probably will – so I thought you might find this of interest.

Instead of paraphrasing the entire article, I’ll use a real life situation of mine with a bad interviewer, how I handled the situation, and how, according to Ms. Levchuck, I should have handled it.

This interview was at a small company (two employees) that shall remain nameless. It was very obvious, that being a small company, they didn’t have much experience in interviewing and handling job applicants – which led to a situation that was awkward at best.

The interview lasted around three hours, and I would say only about 20-30 minutes of that was dedicated to actual question and answering. The remaining time was filled with a cavernous, excruciating silence. I sat on the opposite side of the table looking at the two interviewers like a deer-in-the-headlights and they returned my gaze.
How I handled it: I sat there and waited for the questions. The only sound in the silence was the ticking minute hand of a clock… tick, tock, tick, tock.
How I should have handled it: I should have turned the tables on my interviewers and asked them questions. I should have asked them to describe the position in detail, explain to me the typical workday, and give me a run down of important tasks I was to work on. I should have asked them what they were looking for in the ideal candidate. But no, I just sat there and suffered.

When the interview wasn’t being overwhelmed by silence, it was being interjected with short, random, and dare I say, asinine questions. Don’t get me wrong, I can appreciate the occasional, from-left-field, let’s-see-how-your-mind-works kind of question like, “how do you make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich,” but when I kept getting these things over and over again, I didn’t feel like I was getting my qualifications and skills across.
How I handled it: I told them that I like to toast the bread first.
How I should have handled it: I should have directly laid out what I wanted to say, even if the right time never presented itself. During an interview you only have a small window to make an impression, so if you aren’t going to be asked the important questions, you have to be prepared to blurt out the answers anyway.

As the interview ended, I had only seen the small back room, which guessing by the sour cream and orange soda smell, was a break room of sorts. I had not toured the office and seen exactly what happens and how things get done. I hadn’t bought myself more time.
How I handled it: I shook their hands and booked out the door.
How I should have handled it: I should have asked for a tour, and along the way asked more questions. The most important thing about the interview is to get a good gauge whether this is right for you, while at the same time making sure that your interviewer has a decent idea of who you are and what you bring to the table.

So alas I didn’t get the job. But for some reason, I can’t help but to think that it was for the best.