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5 Types of Difficult Candidates and How to Deal With Them in Interviews

Preparing interviews well is important

By Brian BravoPublished 4 years ago 3 min read
5 Types of Difficult Candidates and How to Deal With Them in Interviews
Photo by Maranda Vandergriff on Unsplash

Whether you've been recruiting for two months or twenty years, you've probably encountered problems created by difficult candidates. The good news is that there are some tricks you can use to manage the situations they create in future job interviews.

Here's how to recognize difficult candidates and how to handle interviews with them:

The pretentious candidate

Often, such a candidate will seem confident and will give the impression that he is in control of the situation and his knowledge simply because he wants to comply with his requirements when he comes for the interview.

The pretentious candidate prefers not to have interviews early in the morning, will request the settlement of the transport to the location where the interview will take place, and will want to know as soon as possible what the salary is.

You need to have an honest conversation with candidates like this because if you try to negotiate with them from the beginning, the interview will be difficult and you will be negatively charged. Even if you tend to always do your best to satisfy the candidates' requests, if their requirements exceed the limits, it is advisable to tell them from the beginning what the rules are and to choose for themselves if they want to participate in the interview. employment or not.

The overconfident candidate

You have probably met candidates who are so self-confident that they will try to get past the introductory questions because they do not consider them necessary. They will have huge salary expectations that far exceed the right amount for their experience. They will end the interview with questions such as "When do I start?"

In this case, it is advisable to ask them as many questions as possible from the beginning, because they will take them out of their comfort zone and remind them that they need to prove to you that they are suitable for that job and that they can move on to the next stage.

If they are as good as they say they are, they will understand that they need to change their approach, provide solid evidence of their abilities, and demonstrate their knowledge.

The insistent candidate

These candidates understand that after the interview there will be a waiting period in which all the candidates are analyzed before a decision is made, but they insist on finding out the answer as soon as possible. Not only will they apply for every job that appears on the hospital's website, but they will send you an email every day asking you what the final decision is.

In this case, it is good to stop the actions coming from the insistent candidates and to assure them that they will be announced when a final decision will be made, and their insistence will not change the result in any way.

The candidate who wants to look what he is not

Such a candidate will have a remarkable presence in the job interview. He will use only jargon terms, specialized medical terms, to prove that he knows the necessary for the job. It will also surprise you with a well-organized resume and a carefully worded letter of intent.

However, when he is subjected to practical tests, he will show that he does not have the necessary experience and will disappoint.

The biggest problem you will encounter with these candidates will be that they will continue to apply to occupy one of the jobs you will offer and will stand out in the future with an impeccable presence at the interview.

A good trick to handle such situations is to get them to prove what they know right from the start, without being intimidated by their jargon.

The candidate who is afraid of the interview

This type of candidate will frustrate you the most. The candidate who is afraid of the interview, most of the time, is a gold mine, he is suitable for the job in question, but he will not know how to promote himself, and during the interview, he will be overwhelmed by emotions.

It will be difficult for him to talk confidently about his skills and experience, even if they are suitable for the job.

The good news is that such a candidate needs only a little confidence in his abilities and everything will go well. In this case, it is advisable to support him, to encourage him to speak openly about his remarkable experience and, most likely, he will take the job.

Thus, in the future, when you meet one of the difficult candidates mentioned above, do not panic, but act as such to manage the situation, you will certainly improve the quality and success of the interviews.

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