Professionals are turning down job offers because of poor interviews
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Breakfast Business with Enterprise Ireland on Newstalk. Welcome back. Now, in a job interview, you typically expect the person being interviewed is the one trying to impress. But 70% of Irish professionals have declined the job offer after poor interview experience. That's according to a new study from Robert Walters. Joining us now to discuss more is Suzanne Feeney from Robert Walters. Good morning, Suzanne.
Good morning, Tom. Thank you for having me.
Why are professionals declining job offers after interviews?
You're very welcome. Now, Suzanne, 70% of people turned down a job after a poor interview. They've gone in, obviously they've researched the firm, they've applied for the job, they've probably been delighted that they get the interview, and they turn up and what happens? They just decide they don't like the cut of their jib?
It's quite an interesting revelation, isn't it? But yeah, a very significant number in the research we carried out recently is that they turned down job offers after what they deemed a poor interview. So it could be small issues like lateness or lack of clarity on next steps regarding the position or the company. And just the combination of these elements really deterred them from wanting to join the company. So, you know, there is something there. There is definitely a disconnect, I think, between employers and employers a number of professionals going to interview. But it absolutely is a two-way conversation. I mean, candidates and professionals, you know, they are being interviewed, but equally they need to have their research done on the organisations when they show up.
And is it the case that the companies are just not presenting themselves well at an interview or that the companies don't think they need to present themselves at all at the interview stage?
Well, what we find actually is almost 60% of hiring managers have never had any formal interview training. So there's definitely a weakness there. Very often people interviewing are subject matter experts themselves in the role, but actually don't have any training to conduct an interview. Or you might have individuals interviewing together that have never interviewed together before. So a really clear structure and preparation is, it's really, really important to turn that into a competitive edge for organisations.
So what is it that companies can do? How should these hiring managers be upping their game?
Well, I think investing in regular interview training and refresher sessions is really, really important. And particularly in relation to educating your hiring managers around unconscious bias, all of those elements to make sure that it's a really well-structured approach formal and fair interview. Other things that we would advise employers and interviewers to do is, you know, review the roles and the candidate profiles well in advance, you know, be really prepared for that meeting, start the interviews on time and, you know, ask consistent, relevant and very fair questions that assess both the technical and cultural fit. And sometimes, you know, adapt as needed for different formats and different individuals.
Now, is a professional really going to turn down a job just because the employer starts a little bit late?
In some instances, yes, because it might be just one element of a number of elements, perhaps, that they notice or they become aware of over the course of the interview process. So, you know, it's a really, really important part of employee branding or employer branding, excuse me, and
What factors contribute to a poor interview experience?
And candidates and professionals, they really are looking at these subtle elements all along the interview journey. So if there's lateness, if there's lack of clarity, if there's multiple stages more than maybe what was outlined at the beginning, people can get a little bit concerned or worried about maybe the commitment to the role or how decisions are made. So the interview process is a really, really important step. It's a really good employer brand touchpoint. And, you know, professionals will often share their experiences in relation to their interviews.
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