Common Interview Mistakes a Recruiter Makes

6 min read |

Last Updated on 17 July 2024

Recruiting top talents for new job openings is always daunting. Interviews might seem like a familiar and easy task, but executing an interview is one of the most challenging jobs.

It takes time and genuine effort to conduct a right and successful interview.

A hiring manager has to structure the interview correctly and select the right interview questions to ask them precisely. Framing the right interview questions is essential to check a candidate's personality and honesty towards work. It also helps you to decide whether you have chosen the right candidate for the job.

We all know that job seeker are always very conscious when appearing for an interview. They prepare themselves in every way possible to avoid mistakes during an interview. The same thing applies to the recruiters also.

To conduct an interview, a recruiter has to prepare themselves with the right set of questions. They also have to come off as the masters of the necessary skills.

Here in this article, we shall discuss the common interview mistakes a recruiter makes during the interviewing process.

Mistakes You Need to Avoid

We all are humans, and mistakes are bound to happen. No matter how hard you try to become a perfectionist. In that same way, recruiters might make mistakes during an interview process. This might affect the recruitment process, and an organization might miss out on candidates with potential.

To avoid interview mistakes, let us look at some common mistakes that a recruiter might ignore.

1. You Leave Candidates Waiting:

When it is about an interview, the job candidates are cautious about how they approach it. They come to an interview before time to make a good impression.

What most recruiters do not realize is that interviewing on time is very crucial. If you make a candidate wait past their interview time, then they might feel that your organization doesn't regard the interview as necessary. This creates a candidate feel demotivated and might affect their future discussions.

2. You Do Not Come Prepared:

Candidates before an interview always prepare themselves with the questions that they might be asked. And they update their resume with all the achievements that they have under their belt.

Recruiters need to prepare themselves as well before starting an interview session. They need to have a thorough look at the candidate's resume. Meticulous evaluation of resume is crucial to avoid wastage of time and resources.

If you do not do this, you will ask irrelevant questions, leaving the candidates less impressed.

3. Dominating the Discussion:

Conducting an interview is not always asking questions. It also needs to be a two-way interaction where the candidate can also table their opinions. The candidate should be encouraged to do most of the talking during an interview.

Avoid interrupting them and give them enough time to have their own questions or concerns. Don't be too quiet. Candidates don't want to feel like they're talking to a brick wall.

Let the candidates talk and give them time to formulate an in-depth answer to your questions. This will let you evaluate them in every way possible, and you will have greater insight into a candidate's potential.

4. Failing to Listen:

During interview sessions, ask open-ended questions and listen to the answers a candidate comes up with. Then ask a follow-up question and keep on repeating the process. If you don't ask a follow-up question, candidates might feel that you are not attentive. This makes them think that the efforts that they are putting in are going in vain.

Candidates spend a lot of time preparing their answers, and they deserve to be heard. When you listen to what is said, your hiring decisions are likely to improve.

5. Rushing an Interview Process:

During an interview, candidates expect it to be a process lasting more than 30 minutes. They come prepared to sit a discussion with all the answers and skills that they can showcase.

But if an interview session lasts only 15 minutes or less, it becomes unfulfilling and aggravating. You need to schedule an interview in a proper manner. Also, you should not rush an interview.

This will lead to the recruitment of the wrong person for the job. The more critical role requires a more extended interview session.

6. Questions that are Annoying:

Easing up an interview candidate with some basic questions is always an important step. It is a necessity so that a candidate can answer your questions with confidence and fluency.

But often, recruiters make the mistake of asking irrelevant questions and out of topic. This can annoy qualified candidates. Thus, leading them to lose interest in the interview and eventually the job.

7. Getting Distracted:

As a recruiter, your hands might be full of tons of other work. But when you start an interview, do not act as if you are distracted. Being a professional at what you do is an integral part of your job as well.

What most recruiters do is that rush an interview to complete their pending work. This can harm the candidate. They will feel that you are not paying any attention to them and you are not enthusiastic about the interview.

It is essential to keep in mind that you are representing your organization. If you are distracted during the process, it might show a lack of company culture at the workplace.

8. Criticizing a Response:

When you ask a question, you should be open to all types of answers because every candidate has a different approach to each answer they give.

You might like them or may not like the answers at all. Compare your notes with other interviewers later. But what you need to do is dig into the details to understand the specifics of their solution. It is essential to keep in mind that you do not criticize them based on their answer.

Instead, practice constructive criticsim so that they can understand your point of view to the answer as well. And, if they are struggling to provide you with a solution, help them focus on where they need to look upon.

9. Using Language Candidates do not Understand:

Every organization has its own sets of acronyms or terms that are exclusively used within the company. Using these terms in front of an interview candidate is a big no-no.

This will create a lot of confusion between you and the candidate. Thus, leading to misunderstandings. Speak to them in clear language to avoid confusion and wasting time with an added explanation.

10. Being too Honest:

Honesty is a trait that we always look up to in other people. And it is a trait that we all want in an organization. But it does not have to play an important role everywhere you go.

During an interview, imagine how unsettling it would be to tell them that they're inferior to other candidates and that their chances to be hired are low. Or how demoralizing it would be to interrupt a candidate to tell them their answer isn't satisfying while they are answering your question.

None of this is beneficial or polite. Don't give feedback during an interview. Save this for a post-interview letter which you will have crafted carefully, stating why they have not been selected.

Summing it Up:

With the dawn of millennials joining the workforce and top talents up for grabs, the interview process has been an integral part of an organization. Framing an interview in the right way is very important to select the best candidates for the job.

As a recruiter, it gives you more insight into someone's personality and attitude towards the job. Whether they will be the right fit for your company culture or not. But somewhere between all these, recruiters make mistakes which leads to missing out on top talents. It might not look like a more significant issue, but it indeed harms an organization in the long run.

So, as a recruiter, work on the flaws your system has and improve it to have a more efficient recruitment process.

Mrinmoy Rabha is a content writer and digital marketer at Vantage Circle. He is an avid follower of football and passionate about singing. For any related queries, contact editor@vantagecircle.com