If the Interview Was Rude and Unprofessional, Would You Want to Work There?

A stressful recruitment process can make you forget that a potential employer should also care about impressing you. An interviewer who is inexcusably rude, late or invasive gives his employer a bad reputation and may offer warning signs of the misery that awaits if you happen to land the position. No matter how perfect the job seems, pay attention to negative behavior that may be a glimpse of an unpleasant company culture.

1. Poor Preparation

Interviewers who ask you to list your work experience probably have no idea how your skills fit the position because they didn't bother to review your application. In a thorough recruitment process, hiring managers spend significant time vetting candidates, so they don't have to waste interview time rehashing information. While interviewers are accountable for their behavior, poor preparation is a sign that the HR department lacks strong management.

2. Scare Tactics

At some point, a misinformed HR specialist decided rounding up a panel of interviewers to make rude comments, interrupt the conversation and ask inappropriate questions is an effective way to judge a candidate's potential. A rude interviewer may be surly by nature or having a bad day, but an uncommon amount of aggression can also be a scare tactic to see how you react to conflict. The dreaded "stress interview" is off-putting to many candidates who feel tricked and disrespected by a borderline abusive recruitment process. Instead of walking out, try to stay in control of the interview to give yourself the option to accept or decline a potential job offer.

3. Tardiness

When you spend days or weeks researching a company's recruitment process, you expect hiring managers to bring an equal amount of attentiveness and professionalism. Making you wait 15 minutes or longer without apologizing is a red flag that the interviewer is disorganized or doesn't value your time. Skilled interviewers leave time between meetings to gather applicant materials and reflect on the previous candidate's statements. Whether lateness is unintentional or another stress-interview gimmick, be prepared to walk away from companies that don't understand the importance of mutual consideration.

4. Vagueness

Effective hiring managers welcome questions, as it helps them gauge your interest, compatibility and attention to detail. A good recruitment process weeds out candidates who aren't as knowledgeable or qualified as they claim, so steer clear of interviewers who refuse to give an in-depth description of the job duties or the department and managers overseeing the position. A company's internal interviewers only withhold necessary information when they know nothing about the position or have something to hide.

5. Invasion of Privacy

Amateur recruiters may casually slip illegal or personal topics into interviews to find out about your lifestyle, such as questions about your marital status, children or foreign name. You're never required to supply information that isn't related to the job, and you're better off applying to companies that follow employment laws.

Despite feeling discouraged by rudeness, avoid responding to an interviewer with negativity. Poor behavior may be limited to one or two people, and bowing out early in the recruitment process can prevent you from seeing the better side of an otherwise inviting company. Whether or not you get the job, you can share feedback about your experience with company decision-makers to stop interviewers from mistreating future applicants.

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