You’ve winnowed down your candidate pool to your top five and have begun the interviews. The first two went well, but as you start the third one, you begin to have some serious doubts. From the candidate being both late and unapologetic, his responses to questions and a few other cues have put up the red flags for you that this person, so great on paper, doesn’t give you that same feeling of trust in person. As you go through the interview process, take note of a few warning signs that tell you, to paraphrase Obi Wan Kenobi, these aren’t the candidates you’re looking for.
- They don’t seem to take the interview seriously. An interested, focused candidate will arrive early and dress for the job. They’ll have researched the company and the position and have good questions to ask that demonstrate their interest in joining your team. If a candidate arrives late with no valid explanation, if they don’t bother to wear an appropriate outfit for the industry, or if they seem to know little about the company or the position, no matter how good their resume, you don’t want to hire this person. All these signs tell you they won’t take the job seriously, either.
- Their responses don’t match their information. Let’s say you have a candidate who lists he’s had extensive experience working with difficult customers, but when asked to recount an experience, he can’t come up with one or his answer seems weak. Or they claim they’re good at working with teams, but most answers indicate a disdain for collaborating with other departments. Sometimes body language will give an indication their stories don’t ring true: fidgeting, looking uncomfortable, not making eye contact…while all of these may also demonstrate nervousness about being interviewed, they may also be a sign of deceit.
- They’re rude or dismissive to staff. No matter how important you are, no matter how much experience you may have, when coming in for an interview, you need to treat everyone with respect, from the top down. A candidate who treats the receptionist with disrespect shows you how she’ll potentially treat customers or other staff within the company. If this is the candidate showing you their “best behavior,” how will they act once they have the job? How will they treat clients? You don’t want that kind of liability on your staff.
The interview gives you a measure of who a person is and who you’ll be working with. Take care with warning signs before making any final decisions. And if you want quality staff every time, partner with the recruiting professionals at PrideStaff Thousand Oaks Ventura County.
