As a recruiter, you will participate in a high number of interviews every year. You will see many candidates and you will have expectations of those candidates, which is fair – but don’t forget that they have expectations of you as well!
In the context of a robust job market where there are plenty of opportunities, mistakes made by a recruiter during the hiring process can prompt a candidate to look elsewhere for work. As a recruiter it’s your job to attract the best candidates, not push them away!
With this is mind, here are six things that recruiters should never do during job interviews.
1- Show up late
This should go without saying. Do your best to be on time for the interview. Showing up late can give the impression that you’re disorganized and that the candidate’s interview isn’t that important to you. Naturally, recruiters appreciate it when candidates arrive on time, so lead by example and make sure you do the same!
2- Present boring scenarios to the candidates
Stop giving annoying scenarios to candidates! Instead, try to surprise them with original and interesting situations. Skip the usual “What would you do if you had a disagreement with a colleague?” question and get creative. Candidates will appreciate it!
3- Act too familiar
Stay professional and assume a relaxed attitude, but without being too friendly. Always keep a certain distance between yourself and the candidate; remember that the goal isn’t to make friends, but rather to find your next employee!
4- Avoid talking about money
Avoid making an offer to a candidate without first having spoken to them about their salary expectations! In this way, you avoid the situation of having the candidate refuse the position at the last minute because the salary is too low. That would be a big waste of time for everyone – and would force you to start the recruiting process all over again.
5- Ask impertinent questions to seem interesting
While it’s a good idea to try and be original, make sure you don’t ask impertinent questions. You want to hire someone who is qualified and who has the necessary knowledge and skills for the job. Avoid dumb questions like “Have you ever stolen a pen at work?” This type of question brings nothing useful to the hiring process and could be perceived badly by the candidate.
6- Not follow up with interviewees
Make sure to follow up with every candidate you interview, whether they got the job or not. There’s nothing worse as a candidate than to go through an interview only to never receive any feedback from the recruiter. Even if they didn’t get the job, a candidate would rather you let them know than to be left on their own to figure it out.
Are you ready to interview your next candidate? Do you have other examples of things recruiters shouldn’t do in an interview?
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