How To Make Bad Interviews Successful

You think you are having job interview anxiety? Believe it or not, hiring managers are likely having the same jitters as you, which can ultimately lead to a less than stellar interview process. Yet even in these situations, there is still a way to make the interview a success.

It can come as a bit of a shock for job seekers when they encounter an interviewer who comes across as nervous, inexperienced, unfocused, or unprepared. It would seem like a lost cause if you entered this situation, but that's far from the truth. Below are five types of bad interviewers, and ways you can turn a bad situation into a positive.

• The First-Time Interviewer: First-time interviewers, because of their anxiety, are likely to be extremely organized and will have a list of questions that they want answered in a specific order. To give you the best chance of highlighting the information that you think is important -- while still making the interviewer feel in charge -- it's a good idea to ask if you can talk about a few of your accomplishments after he is done with the items on his list.
• The Quiet Type: Are all of your attempts to get more information from the interviewer falling on deaf ears? Since you don't want to force the information out of the individual, your best approach is to do your own research after the interview. This could include looking at the organization's website or getting in touch with networking contacts at the nonprofit.
• The Talker: This can be the most difficult type of interviewer. Not only will you be forced to set in place for what seems like an eternity, you will find it hard to even say anything at all. Your only choice in this situation is to remain patient and resist the urge to let your frustration come out through your body language. Listening carefully is also important as you might be able to learn important information about what the kind of person the organization wants to hire, allowing to better emphasize your skills in a follow-up note.
• The Distracted Interviewer: Whether he is taking phone calls during the interview or constantly answering questions from employees, this type of interviewer will frustrate to no end. If the distractions are extreme enough, you should consider asking (diplomatically, of course) if it would be better for you to come in at a different time.
• The Intimidator: This is the kind of interviewer who will throw every little detail about the job at you, including information that makes the job much less attractive than you originally thought. Assuming it's still good enough for you to be interested, your best approach is to try and focus on what you are being told rather than how overwhelming it seems. If the job is not for you, however, you should be honest and let him know that while you appreciate his time, you have discovered that you simply aren't the best fit for the job.