I have done some disastrous interviews in my time. I was a recruiting manager for a long time and we were looking for the entry level role within the organisation. I have compiled a light hearted list of don’ts for the manager and the interviewee.
I hope you enjoy the funny stories and serious take aways from my time as a recruiting manager.
Getting the basics right
The entry level role we were interviewing for went with a minimum wage salary, shift work and a very repetitive task.
These combined factors meant that we had a 50% turnover in staff every 12 months. Most went further up the organisation but some left after we discovered we had recruited the wrong people.
We were constantly recruiting so you would think that we would have got the right answer eventually? No! We did get better, but some of the disastrous interviews lead to learning.
Reading and Writing Skills
When you are recruiting for minimum wage jobs, you need to be able to ensure that the candidates have a reasonable level of English. In our entry level job, they needed to use simple maths and be able to read the methods. This was out first mistake!
We had a successful candidate who was able to speak English but was not able to read it. He was unable to understand simple mathematics and I found that my team leaders were constantly having to check his work.
In the end we had to move his role to the most simple of tasks but it was a costly mistake that we didn’t make again. We implemented English and Maths tests before the interview stage to stop candidates before we wasted too much of their time.
Where you advertise
We were advertising in the local newspapers every week. We had a standard advert in the end as it was a constant process.
We knew that we had exhausted the local newspaper market so we started to advertise through the job centre. That’s the dole office, or unemployment office to some people.
This was a disaster for many reasons….
Drunks
I once interviewed a man who was drunk. He was rude and didn’t even bother answering the questions. When I finally had enough and suggested that the interview was over, he said he had only come because…
“I had to tell the job centre that I have been having interviews so I can get my dole money. I don’t want to work!”
What a waste of time for everyone involved! I was faster to finish interviews next time!
Murderers
Ok. This one is true but I don’t expect you to believe me! We interviewed a man who was very nice and polite but a little strange. We were finishing up the interview and we asked if he wanted to add anything?
He said that he wanted to explain the 5 year gap in his CV. Here was a solicitors letter where he still denied setting his wife on fire and the 5 years he spent in prison.
OMG! We didn’t know where to put ourselves!
Stupidity
Then you get people who are just plain stupid. Ask them the simple questions – why do you want to work here? What appeals to you about the company?
They show that they haven’t done any homework and are shown to be just plain stupid! Do your homework, know something about the organisation and have an answer for the obvious question – why do you want the job!
Share the burden and train people well
In conclusion – make sure your people are trained well in interviewing. The business case is simple as you won’t need to recruit so often and you get the right people for the role.