So you are having a job interview and having a bad feeling in your guts that things did not go too well. Well, this article is to help you to check out those signs so that next time you could maybe turn things around much more easily. Otherwise, you could even make up for those interview mistakes by following some tips mentioned at the very end of the article. Here, let’s know about the Signs of a Bad Interview.
12 signs of a bad interview
1. Completely disinterest from the employer
The first sign that your interview is not going too well is the complete disinterest from the employer. Maybe the employer started off being very interested in what you had to say and then all of a sudden, you can see that they checked out of an interview. You can tell this by noticing that they are completely disengaged and there were no more warm facial expressions. They may have been doing things that were just lately rude like checking emails or doing something that has nothing to do with the interview. This is not just a sign that the interview is not going well but also that the employer is not a good person to work for.
2. Constantly asking clarifying questions
If the interviewers had to constantly ask you clarifying questions, that is a sign that your interview is not going the way it should. They do so because they just couldn’t quite understand what you said. One of the important things you need to understand is not only to be eligible for the position you want to work for but also to be able to articulate how you qualified for the position. Otherwise, you are not going to be a competitive candidate. This is an example of that where every time you answer a question, the interviewer doesn’t seem to be getting it and tries to pull out different answers from you. In short, the interviewer isn’t able to connect the dots on how you meet the qualifications for that position then that is a clear indication that it isn’t going too well.
3. Early end to an interview
Now as a disclaimer there are times where things just happen and the interview has to be cut short. However, the ways that interviews are typically set up is that the higher up a person is in the organization, the further down on your agenda they are going to be. That’s not always the case because there are sometimes when you subject people based on their availability. The biggest decision-makers are typically the ones to work on the day of your onsite interview. If you don’t get through the first few people on the interview agenda then they’ll shut down the rest of your agenda for the sake of not wasting anyone’s time. They will probably tell you something nice like “Hey, I apologize that there have been some changes in a day and the interview will probably end here.”
4. The interviewer drops the pen or stops taking notes
When someone is interviewing you, they take notes because they want to remember how your meeting went. They need to remember all the specific examples you give, motivations, accomplishments as well as all the details that you went into that go into a lot more specifics than what your resume says. The hiring manager will note down everything you said so that they can review that later on. So, if you’re not answering the questions well at all or if you don’t have the level of competency they are looking for, they will know right there and then that you are not a perfect candidate for the role. And that’s the reason why they will find no point in writing down the notes.
5. Your answers are too short
This means there is no conversation happening between you and the hiring manager. The best interviews are those where you are having a real conversation with the hiring manager. Yes, it is fine for the manager to ask you all the interview questions but the dynamic should feel like more of a conversation. And if your answers are too simple like yes or no response or maybe your examples lack a lot of detail in there, a hiring manager will not learn a lot about you. On top of that, they will not know about your personality and it’s really important for them to hire someone that gets along with others. For example, if they ask you if you ever had a time where you had to deliver your boss bad news. If you answer simply “no” it is not enough. Yes, they do not expect you to lie if you haven’t but at least explain to them how you would do that if it ever happens.
6. You are having trouble answering questions
Yes, there are candidates who struggle with answering, and the struggle means they couldn’t even come up with any response. Like absolutely nothing comes out of their mouth, they just stare up into the air and try to think of a response and finally realize that they couldn’t come up with anything. Then they come up with the word “pass.” You guys must be aware that your answers are the ones that help the hiring manager whether or not you are a good fit for the role, so you must be prepared to answer every question that they might ask. Sometimes you’re going to be caught off guard and you have to think on your toes and that is fine but having no response at all and moving on to the next question by saying “pass” is not correct.
7. Salary related questions
There is always this one time in most of the interviews where the hiring manager asks you about your salary expectations. And if they don’t bring it up, there might be some chances that it is because they don’t see you as a perfect candidate for the job to go further and ask about your salary expectations. They see no point in doing so. Here is a tip that everyone needs to be aware of that you must never bring up the salary unless you are asked about it. If they don’t talk to you about that, leave it there, do not ask upfront that will show them a big red flag.
8. They offer career friendly advice
77% of the recruiters never get back to the candidates after the job interview. And when the recruiter is suddenly starting to give some tips on how to improve your interview skills or whatever skills, it means that you are lacking those according to them. It also indicates that the recruiters didn’t read your resume carefully before inviting you to have a conversation with them. Because suddenly they see that you are not prepared for the job and this is time-wasting. In any case, if a recruiter kindly points out some things you could do to be more qualified for that sort of job you are applying for, then generally it means that they don’t think you will be offered the position.
9. They don’t ask your starting date
Another sign that indicates your interview is not going too well is when you are not asked when you are available to start working. Hiring managers hire people because there is work that needs to be done, they need to know when they can have additional help coming in. And of course they need to have everything set up for the new hire such as providing a new hire with a new laptop, need to plan future workload, or in many cases, they need to open an account for you. If they show no interest in when you can begin to work for them, it indicates that the interview has reached a dead end and you are not going anywhere.
10. When there is no future steps briefing
Did you notice that almost any business conversations or negotiations end with a brief discussion of the next steps ahead? So an interested employer will let you know if there are any samples they need from you or a follow-up interview with more people at the company. At the very least they should give you a rough estimate of when they expect to make a hiring decision. If you leave the interview hearing “Thanks for coming, best of luck with your job search,” instead of discussing some details on the hiring process, it is not a surprise that you are out.
11. When they don’t ask for references
So assuming you are on the final stage of your interview, and you have passed all of the levels of interviews with so many people in the company (the recruiter, the hiring manager, the global head of a division, or whoever is involved with the hiring decision in that company) and if there is no word about saying that the employer will conduct a background screening, that’s not a good sign. Usually, the background screening starts with checking your references. If the employer does not ask you to provide them with the contacts of your references, your chances of getting a job, unfortunately, ends there.
12. When they don’t try to sell you the job
Employers are happy to hire new people because they believe that it’s exciting to add fresh blood to the team. If they like you and have decided that you might be the one, they are going to try to get you excited about taking that position. When employers see that one candidate, they pitch the benefits of working for their company and they sell you the job. So if the employer makes no effort to convince you to take the job offer, they are probably not exciting you. For example, when you love a specific song, you hear it again and again, search for more songs from the singer, or just basically browse the singer on social media. The same goes while hiring a candidate, the recruiters will start liking you as an employee at their company and will try to sell the job to you.
Remember not all the recruiters are the same. Some recruiters are natural, they just know whether someone is perfect or not to be hired. Depending on whom you are talking to you can change your situation even if you got all the bad signs while discussing your candidacy to do the work. Losing out on a good opportunity is a really expensive lesson to learn but it’s something easily avoidable.
Remedies for a bad job interview
1. Stay positive throughout the interview. If you don’t seem to be connecting with the employer at first, it can be discouraging. Who knows what’s going on in the interviewer’s head, maybe they came in distracted, or maybe you reminded them of someone they don’t like. Therefore you have the next half an hour or so to be confident and enthusiastic.
2. Be prepared to change your game tactics. If you have been talking at length all about your accomplishments at one former employer and that doesn’t seem to be resonating, switch it up.
3. Talk about earlier jobs, how you chose your career path, how what you learned in school connects to the industry. You may even try to tell a joke and be funny.
4. Another thing you can try to wake your recruiter is by asking questions. Not to forget that the questions you may ask must be smart enough. So just think about the questions beforehand in case the interview goes bad for you.
5. Another smart thing you should prepare beforehand is making the most of your thank you note. At the very least you will come across as someone passionate about the job, confident in your ability to do it, and friendly and polite all the time. If you are not hired you will still be leaving behind a positive professional impression.