We recently posted an article by Monster Senior Contributing Writer John Rossheim offering insight into a question we get from job seekers all the time — why am I getting interviews, but never the job? With five applicants for every job opening these days, of course the economy has something to do with it. But, as the article explains, it could also be how you relate — or don’t relate — to the interviewer.

So for a short case study on how not to get along with your interviewer, let’s review the litany of mistakes an individual we’ll call Candidate J made when I interviewed him several years ago at another company. Where did he go wrong? For starters, he argued with me, insulted me, shouted me down, refused to answer key questions asked multiple times and talked himself so hoarse that he needed to leave to get water. On his way back from the water cooler, he chatted up a former colleague in the hall for 10 minutes, at which point I decided I had had more than enough and ended the interview.

Candidate J interviewed with several other people on the team that day and behaved just as boorishly with them as well. I don’t remember if he sent a thank-you note, but I do remember he couldn’t think of a weakness. And no, he didn’t get the job.

This behavior goes way beyond the more common ways to wreck a job interview, such as being late, dressing inappropriately, not researching the company and failing to ask any questions. None of this is to suggest that there aren’t boorish interviewers as well — surely, there are — but job seekers still need to do their utmost to develop a good rapport with any interviewer they face. Here are some tips that Candidate J failed — spectacularly — to heed:


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Respect Your Interviewer: Even if the interviewer would be a peer or direct report, he already has a job at the company you’re applying to — and may have more influence over the hiring decision than you know.


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Read the Interviewer’s Body Language: You may be in trouble if the interviewer leans back in his chair, shakes his head or checks the time.


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Actively Listen: The interviewer may be revealing an important point about the position or key concern about your qualifications. Respond well, and you could advance your candidacy; miss it, and you leave the door open for someone else.


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Check In with the Interviewer: You’ll have only so much time with the interviewer, so keep your interview answers concise, but remember to ask from time to time, “Do you need me to go into more detail?” This way, you’ll spend the bulk of your time discussing what the interviewer considers to be the most important aspects of the job.

Have you ever had any disaster job interviews — either as the candidate or interviewer? Leave a comment below, and check out these articles to brush up on your interview etiquette:


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Think of Your Interview as a Simple Conversation


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Interview Tip: Listen Well


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Steer Clear of Interviewers’ Pet Peeves