Finding a job can be difficult, and the last thing a job seeker wants is to be offended during an interview. As an employer, you probably strive to make all your candidates feel comfortable and respected, but unfortunately, you can’t control how others take your comments. If you want to avoid offending candidates during interviews, do not engage in the following behaviors.

1. Not Reading the Candidate’s Resume Beforehand

Before conducting an interview, it is always wise to thoroughly review the candidate’s resume and take notes on key points. Unfortunately, this can be difficult to do when employers have dozens of resumes on hand, and many simply prefer to “wing” their interviews. This is a bad idea, especially since candidates spend countless hours perfecting their resumes. If you don’t think you can devote a sufficient amount of time to reading resumes, you may want to let another person conduct interviews.

2. Not Paying Attention

Everyone has bad days or days when they just can’t seem to stay focused, but if you are conducting an interview, you will need to give the candidate your full attention. Anything less will be considered rude and disrespectful. Even if the candidate bores you, take the following steps to show you are interested:

• Practice active listening

• Maintain eye contact

• Put your phone on silent or vibrate before the interview

• Sit up straight and use open body language


By taking the steps above, you can show the interviewee you are interested in what they have to say.  

3. Bringing Up Other Candidates

Don’t bring up other applicants during the interview. Referencing other candidates will make the person you are interviewing uncomfortable, and they will walk away with the impression they don’t stack up to the competition. They may also worry about you discussing their personal information with other candidates.

Do You Need Assistance Finding Employees?

If you need assistance finding employees, or you simply don’t have enough time to conduct interviews, contact Nesco Resources. We work closely with our clients to understand their needs, and strive to match them with the perfect temp employees. Contact us today to learn more.