I was a junior dev then and wanted to leave the company where I was working. So I decided to start applying to different companies and see where that goes. And so I landed my first interview.
Near the middle of the meeting, I remember the two engineers looking at each other and asking “Are we done here?”, getting up and leaving. I also remember the shame I felt at that moment. That feeling like you’re a fake. It was humiliating to put it lightly.
This experience has stuck with me for a while. It led me to promise to myself that when I will be the one interviewing - I will do everything in my power to be as polite and respectful as possible.
Now I conduct evaluations myself. And I have similar situations where I realize that the candidate is unprepared or is not on the level for which they are applying.
So what can be done in such situations?
1. One crappy way to get out of this is to tell them that you’re limited on time or you have some emergency, etc., or think up some other lame excuse. This is highly unprofessional - don't do it.
2. Another way is to let the interview flow its' course. Which is not the optimal choice if you're confident the candidate is not meeting the requirements. This wastes everyone’s time.
However, there's a better way. I always advocate for being honest. If you see the candidate struggling with things critical to your project - it’s best to stop it there, in my opinion.
But! Don’t just end it by rolling your eyes and saying “We’re done here". Explain why you’re ending the meeting: that the questions they struggled to answer are crucial to your domain (if they are so indeed).
I believe if you’re respectful and honest about why you’re finishing the interview prematurely - the candidate should not have hurt feelings. Also, make sure to commend them on their strengths (e͟v͟e͟r͟y͟o͟n͟e͟ has strengths) and offer them improvement feedback. Above all, be a decent human being - it could be you on the other side.
Another way such situations can be avoided:
1. Ask the recruiter to do a preliminary tech screening and record the answers.
2. If you’re a high-profile company maybe you can get away with a test task. But please make it interesting and make sure to give people extensive feedback in case they fail. That way they won't feel like they wasted their time.
If you’re a candidate and you see the interviewer scoffing or rolling their eyes or any of that crap - just leave. Trust me, you don’t want to work with such people anyway. There’s no excuse for not being professional.
How do you handle situations where the interview isn't going well—whether you're the candidate or the interviewer? Share your experiences below.
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