Dealing with difficult interviewers

Most interviewers are polite and professional. Most of the time. However, occasionally you may meet someone who is rude or aggressive, either for part, or all of your interview.  It could be that their interview style is tricky, or they’re having a bad day...or both. These tips will help you prepare and deal with most situations.

1/ Keep calm and carry on When someone is rude to you, our ‘fight or flight’ instinct kicks in.  Neither is ideal in an interview, so keep calm and carry on. Take a deep breath, have a sip of water, smile, and keep going.  Right or wrong, it could be that the interviewer is testing you to see how you react to tricky situations. This is your chance to show you can handle anything. 

2/ This is not personal Whether it is a rude interview style, or you’re in the firing line for someone else’s bad day, always remember that this is not personal.  So stick to your guns – be professional and friendly, and answer each question in a calm, helpful and informative way.

3/ Keep talking When you’ve answered the question, use the opportunity to take control of the conversation, at least for the short term.  Ask the interviewer questions – perhaps about their experience of the organisation, what they like about it, what have they gained from it etc. Most people like talking about themselves, so you might well take the heat out of the meeting.

4/ If all else fails You need to be prepared for some direct, and perhaps rather abrasive questioning. However, it is not acceptable for someone to be so aggressive that you feel unsafe. So if you really feel that you can’t make it to the end of the interview, politely excuse yourself and leave. 

I offer individually tailored interview coaching, so please feel free to contact me to have a free 30 minute consultation, and help improve your chances of landing your next role. Peter@essentialinterviewcoaching.co.uk or 07531 279923.