Let’s know how to deal with a hostile Interviewer.
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Remain Calm
Calm…calm and calm…whatever the situation is.
Reply to whatever you are asked in a calm tone. This is the first condition for dealing with a bad interviewer.
The person will eventually quit being so aggressive, especially if you answer in a way that does not add fuel to their fire.
Remain Confident
This is my second interview tip for you. The more confident you are, the easier it will be to handle that bad interviewer.
How?
Be straightforward. Ask the interviewer if there is something wrong.
Sometimes bad behavior may come because of other reasons. The interviewer may be upset about something else; he may have been under work pressure, or his wife may have been sick.
So keep those issues in your mind when handling the bad situation.
Good luck.
Yes, It may be a Test
Are you surprised?
But yes, it may happen.
Sometimes interviewers could just be putting you to the test to see how you handle pressure or deal with specific situations.
What do they want to see?
Whether the situation affects you negatively (in case of decision making and actions)
Your ability to handle the pressure
Sometimes these circumstances arise in the business. In those situations, you have to make the right decision for the company.
That's why the interviewers may be placing you in a bit of a role-play scenario.
Know the Interviewer
You may follow a strategy if the vein of your interviewer's head pops out.
Guess what that.
Ask him directly, "How long have you worked for this company? When you first started, what role did you play? Could you please share with me the story of your corporate journey?"
If he shares his story, that's an excellent signal for you.
Then you will be able to turn his lion's roar into a kitten's meow."
I think it's one of the great interview tips to handle a bad interviewer, right?
What do you say?
The Unprepared Interviewer
The person has not read your resume at all. He doesn't know about your background, your skills, your achievements.
Really he is a bad interviewer. No doubt. It was his responsibility to read your resume.
Now, what to do?
Don't show you are disturbed by this issue.
Instead, offer him you are interested in telling him about yourself. You may say, "I'd like to tell you a little bit about myself and why I believe this position would be a good fit for me."
The Inept Interviewer
You will find some stupid interviewers in your career. How?
Sometimes you will find that the interviewers' questions are in no relation to your job.
For example, I have found a stupid interviewer who asked me, " if I go to your house now, what will I find in your refrigerator?"
How unprofessional a question it was!
I was surprised.
If this type of bad interviewer you find, how to deal?
Really
Reply to his question first.
Then bring the topic back to the main point.
Ask questions about the position and the issues the team is encountering, and then talk about how you'd deal with them.
You can say you are doing the interviewer's job.
The law-averse interviewer
Sometimes interviewers ask law-averse questions like:
Are you married?
In which church do you go to?
Is there any plan to get pregnant near future?
What to do:
This type of question is entirely against employment law.
But what you can do?
Do not try to educate the interviewer. It will ruin the rapport with the interviewer. But building rapport is important.
Find out what the interviewer is trying to know from you by questioning these. Answer the underlying question without directly answering that illegal question. If you think the interviewer is worried about your parenthood or motherhood because that will hamper your work performance, tell them: "There's nothing that would prevent me from working the hours required to complete the job."
Leave the interview room
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Do you think the bad interviewer is too aggressive and creates fear?
If so, what to do?
Remove yourself politely from the interview room.
Speak to a higher-ranking official. If you can't find anyone else to talk to, leave as quickly as possible.
If you face such an adverse situation initially, I think you should not think about that job.
Close Strong
Say something like, 'I'm extremely interested in this position, and I appreciate your time and insights today. Will I get the privilege of meeting with other managers if I am picked to continue in your hiring process?'
This indicates that you were able to deflect their negative attitude and that you are eager for more.
Remember, only the strong can survive. So don't leave the game.
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Illegal job interview questions
Illegal job interview questions? What are they?
Wait a bit.
In the previous portions of this article, I have talked a lot about dealing with a bad interviewer from the interviewee's perspective.
But I think I should add a bit more to inform my readers what are the illegal job interview questions so that they can be concerned about those questions.
Are you an interviewer? If so, you should also read this section.
Why?
Who doesn't want to be a good interviewer, right?
Let's dive into details.
Illegal job interview questions that an interviewer can't ask:
Gender, sex or sexual oriented questions.
Age-related questions. For example, how old are you?
Disability. For instance, have you ever been injured at work? It's an illegal job interview question, but you may ask, "are you capable of carrying out all of the responsibilities listed in the job description?"
Religion, color, race-related questions
Pregnancy, marital status related questions.
If a person asks you these illegal job questions in an interview, he is undoubtedly a bad interviewer.
You may ask now how to answer these illegal interview questions if asked? Good question.
I have replied to this question in the preceding part of this article. Please read the section ‘The law-averse interviewer.’ Thank you.
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Wrap Up
Bad interviewers can be frustrating, but you can handle them with a bit of preparation.
In today's article, I have highlighted those kinds of interview tips and tricks.
