Common Signs of a Bad Interviewer You Should Know?

An organization is only as good as its employees. However, the thing with employees is that they eventually leave, meaning the company needs to be good but also consistent. So, while a good interviewer can do wonders for a company, a bad interviewer, on the other hand, can have disastrous ramifications for a company.

However, it is very challenging for a company to identify which recruiter is bad and is actually hampering the recruitment process of a company. The reasons for this is simple: while companies focus too much on establishing parameters for candidates there are rarely such guidelines for the recruiters.

Companies lack the necessary KPIs that can quantify recruiters that can help a company identify a bad interviewer. The lack of clear guidelines in such areas also means that a bad interviewer can work in an industry for a long time conducting inefficient hirings for a long time that has disastrous consequences on the entire environment of an organization.

Also Read: Hiring Pipeline: Definition & Creative Ways to Strengthen Your Hiring Pipeline

The Common Signs of a Bad Interviewer

Interviewing is one of the most essential steps in the hiring process, and without proper training, recruiters tend to make similar mistakes during interviews. In this article, we’ll focus on conducting interviews with candidates and highlight the most common signs of a bad interviewer that most interviewers mistake. These mistakes result in companies hiring the wrong employees, impacting bandwidth, and wasting the manager’s time and the organization’s money. This list highlights the nine most common mistakes bad interviewers make: 

1- No interview preparation

This means that the interviewer enters the meeting without a set of questions that must be asked. Apparently, he wanted the conversation to go in a flow, sort of unscripted and all the questions to stay in his head. In this process, important questions were not asked after the interview when a decision had to be made. If multiple applicants are applying for the position, an interview plan must be developed for the interviews.

You can set questions according to the job description. Additionally, create a set of measurable questions about the candidate’s skills and strengths, which you reviewed from their resume. Recruiters have to do a lot of homework before conducting an interview. With this simple approach, you’ll never forget what to ask.

2- Interrupt the candidate

It usually looks like this: you will ask the candidate questions. Now, he starts saying something. Halfway through, the interviewer thinks that’s it, but the candidate may be thinking about something else. The interviewer gets tired of hearing it and starts asking clarification or introductory questions, thereby putting himself in the position of the candidate. As a result, you may not hear something significant. This behavior by the interviewer shows that he is not interested in what the candidate answers. 

Also Read: The Ultimate Guide to Interviewer training: Mastering the Art of Effective Hiring in 2024

If you try to interrupt a candidate during an interview, think carefully and use your willpower to listen to what the candidate has to say. Therefore, focus on the candidate and shift your attention to him. Even if you have the impression that the candidate is boring and speaks complete nonsense, still listen to him until the end. Also, it’s evident that when you interrupt someone continuously, they tend to change their behavior. In this sense, by interrupting, you will no longer have good communication with the candidate. 

3. Unaware of job description and key skills

Awareness of the job description and key skills is a must. That’s why you must prepare the questions to analyze the candidate’s potential. Interviewers need to know what skills they expect from applicants. Otherwise, it is a no-gamer for both parties. It is perhaps the most common sign of a bad interviewer not being fully aware of the sort of skills they are expecting from the candidate. 

4. They Ask personal or aggressive questions

Most interviewers ask questions that are too personal or silly and have nothing to do with the job. This should be avoided at all costs. It’s best to ask questions related to the candidate’s potential position and aspects of their personal life that will impact their work. To test a candidate’s resilience, some interviewers may adopt a “bad cop” role, characterized by asking aggressive and sometimes unethical questions. An aggressive or inappropriate interview process reflects negatively on the hiring manager and makes it less likely that the candidate will want to work for the company.

Also Read: Training Interviewers Can Change Candidate Hiring Experience

5. They Forget to follow their interview structure

It is essential to follow the structure of the interview. With a structured interview, you can save time and be more productive by asking all your questions. Bad interviewers tend to remain silent during the interview and avoid the recommended structure. They prefer free conversation, which is an unreliable method for finding the right person for the job. Unstructured interviews can make you forget important questions, competencies, and skills being evaluated. With this, it becomes very difficult to evaluate candidates at the end of an interview.

6. They do not show interest

Continuous interviewing all day is a hectic process, which also causes stress for interviewers. But it’s injudicious to appear uninterested in a candidate who is equally important as others. If the interviewer is bored, the candidate may become uncomfortable and may leave the interview in a bad phase. Interviewers need to put themselves in the candidate’s shoes, learn when to ask the right questions, and learn active listening skills to encourage candidates to speak. This is also a common sign of a bad interviewer.

Also Read: How to collect interview feedback timely from the interviewer?

7. Do not speak negatively about your company

The biggest mistake you can make as an interviewer is not promoting the company or position. Just as you evaluate candidates, they evaluate the company and its culture. A negative attitude towards the job is a surefire way to keep applicants from responding to your callback. Instead, speak optimistically about the position and company so that the candidate feels positive about their future workplace.

8. Do not invite the candidate to ask questions.

Things like this happen – thank you for answering my question; I don’t need you anymore, goodbye. In such situations, candidates feel completely exploited. When planning the interview time, keep 15 minutes for the candidate’s questions and answers. You probably don’t need more time, but it will make the candidate feel comfortable and allow you to obtain additional information.

Also Read: How to train interviewers on effective communication skills for interviews?

9. Don’t ask unclear and close-ended questions

This is also a common sign of bad interviewers that they examine candidates beyond basic and relevant information, asking unclear questions, and closed-ended questions without specificity like “Tell me about your work exp…” While interviews should be opportunities to delve deeper into a candidate’s experiences and skills, common questions like “What are your strengths and weaknesses?” and “Tell me about your past work experience” often fail to produce specific, insightful responses.

These generic questions not only waste time but also make it difficult for interviewers to distinguish one candidate from another. Moreover, many interviews rely heavily on closed-ended questions that yield only “yes” or “no” answers, preventing candidates from elaborating on their experiences and skills.

As a result, candidates may feel pressured to provide concise answers, hindering the interviewer’s ability to make a thorough assessment. To improve the interview process, interviewers should prioritize asking open-ended questions that allow candidates to showcase their abilities more effectively.

Also Read: Things to consider for the interviewer training program

At the end

I’m sure, now you have some idea of the common signs of a bad interviewer. Maybe none of you were surprised, but if you bloc all the pointers it will help you think about ways to improve your interview skills. 

One of the best ways to ensure a neutral environment in an interview is to use AI in the process. BarRaiser uses Structured interviews along with AI-generated interviews to increase efficiency and Quick hiring. It also helps in interviewer training, which helps in ensuring Quality hiring in an organization.

BarRaiser is an AI Interview intelligence platform that will help the interviewers to take interviews in a structured way. To know more, you should explore once.