What Can Turn Your Best Candidate Off At Interview?

Sometimes interviewers just don’t realise how much the interview process impacts a candidates impression of the interviewer as a manager, leader and HR professional as well as the company overall.

So while PR is busy looking at the company Facebook page, the canny candidate is assessing the tell-tale signs that will help form their opinion of you and the company through what they’ve experienced at interview. No point in saying what a respectful culture you enjoy if you’ve kept your candidate waiting, postponed at the last minute, are badly prepared or haven’t properly read the resume.

Based on feedback here are some of the experiences that can influence your preferred candidate into turning your job offer down:

• Being kept waiting more than once for no good reason and without apology.
• If the interviewer hasn’t read the resume and any recruiter report. This makes the candidate feel as if they, and the role, are unimportant.
• When applicants are asked basic questions about information already answered on their resume. They see this as evidence of disinterest and lack of respect.
• Where the interviewer is unprepared or vague about the role. The candidate loses confidence.
• When a stakeholder attends the interview and starts to debate the role with the lead interviewer, thus ringing alarm bells about the credibility of the role description.
• If the interviewer paints an overly negative impression. An interesting one, often occurring when the interviewer is trying to be very candid about the challenges of the role: sometimes they go overboard!
• An overly long process. It is seen as a reflection of the ability of the department and the business to make decisions and reflects on the culture of the environment.
• Postponement of interview times, unless it’s a one off and for very good reason and well handled.
• Poorly thought through interview structure and questions.
• Lack of attention by the interviewer when they have other things on their mind.