My Interviewer Talked the Whole Time. Is It a Bad Sign?
If you read what different experts say when you look up “my interviewer talked the whole time,” you’ll find that some tell you it’s a very good sign while others tell you that it’s a bad sign. Then again, maybe the fact that they asked you almost no questions is not a sign of anything at all related to your job interview!
So how do you figure out what an interviewer was really thinking about YOU while he or she rambled on during your precious interview time? Does a lack of questions indicate anything about what they actually think of you or your chances of getting this job? Is there anything else important it might tell you?
What if the interviewer talks more than you?
When you come right down to it, a job candidate is at the mercy of the interviewer – and whatever might be going on with them that day or in their lives as whole. Or simply who the interviewer is as a person and what their idea of a job interview is.
This is not to say that you should fear the motives of the person interviewing you. Most of them are sincerely doing their best to find a great match for the job. But how they handle the interview has to reflect something about them.
So in addition to doing your best, keep an eye open for clues about the job or employer. And if it’s your potential boss interviewing you, stay alert for your own signs of what it might be like to work for him or her. A person who doesn’t listen in an interview, may be exactly the same in the workplace.
Why an interviewer might talk so much
I once had an interview where the person who wound up being my boss spent the whole time talking about himself and what his staff was like. It was a total preview of who he was to work for – self-absorbed. But it was a good job and exactly the next step I needed at the time, so I took it.
But here’s the other thing you might want to know: he had no reason to ask more questions about me, because after my first answer he decided he would offer me the job. So he just spent the time talking about the place to fill me in. A good reason to really try to nail that first answer!
Then again, sometimes the interviewer decides quickly that there is no match, and just talks about the company or job to fill time, not to insult you with a quick good-bye. I have to admit that I’ve done it myself
What You Need To Know
Some interviewers are good at it and know how to pull answers from you to help them make a good decision. Others are doing their best, but don’t really know how to conduct an interview. And some just enjoy seeing you squirm a bit. But it’s all still about finding the best match for the job.
So even if they seem to be going on about things as if you weren’t there or maybe even have made up their mind, when it comes to landing a job it’s not over until it’s over.
Continue to interview with full enthusiasm, looking for something you might add here or there to connect. Remember eye contact and body language. And shake the interviewer’s hand firmly (not hard enough to hurt) when you leave, again making eye contact and offering a smile.