I’m at a small unknown startup and we sometimes get interview candidates who didn’t research our company at all all or seem to not care about the interview whatsoever. It’s really unprofessional and a waste of everyone’s time. They just seem in it for the free lunch they might get or something. They usually come through a recruiter firm that we use. We don’t want to stop using the recruiter because we also get high quality people through them too. What is a moderately polite way of getting them to leave without completing the whole interview and wasting a day of developer time?
“Small unknown startup” “who didn’t research our company at all” 🤨🤔
Haha yes, I realize the irony of this statement. But before they come in our founder calls them and tells them exactly what we do and what they can search to learn more about our industry before arriving onsite.
Are you talking more of a "seems interested but is asking questions they could have maybe found on Google" or knows nothing and doesn't seem to care? I often got the impression startups thought I wasn't interested because I didn't understand their business and asked a lot of questions - many I might have been able to find answers to online (but with a PR/Marketing-y bent).
If I am reached out to by your recruiter and begged to give an interview, I don’t know yet if I’m interested in your company. In that situation it’s your job to sell me, not the other way around. Because you can be assured that yours is not the only recruiter who’s reached out.
That’s very true, thanks for the advice.
Totally agree here. Especially if you're a small startup.. you're likely not everyone's first choice since you're an unknown.
Your recruiters aren't doing their job. They are the ones that need to be accountable here. If you're not holding them accountable, then you need someone else who can.
You should be able to determine if interviewees are interested and have researched your company in phone screens with an employee - not just the recruiting firm. The other way is to introduce sections into the day and make it clear that they have to, for instance, pass the morning portfolio review to make it to the afternoon interviews. If they weren’t interested during the morning section then thank them and let them go.
Cut the interview super short. I've cut it at about five minutes if it is clear the candidate isn't suitable or doesn't care, no sense in wasting my time and the candidate's. And then I would give feedback to the recruiter, i.e. quit giving me candidates like this one.
5 minutes is awfully short to judge someone. What did they do within 5 minutes the was so convincing?
Do a phone screen before you invite on site for free lunch. This can help weed out uninterested candidates.
Our contract with the recruiter says we are not allowed to phone screen. Only do onsites and they are supposed to have done basic competency vetting before hand. Which is kind of a bogus deal, I think we should have control over the entire flow.
Find a recruiter that works on your terms. You are the customer.
They are already there and took the day off for you. Why not try to tell why it's awesome to work for your company and see if they like it? Maybe it's the recruiter's fault that they didn't sell the position to them beforehand? Sometimes people are just tired of the interview loop that they don't seem interested but that they really are. I mean if you've answered five "why are you interested to work here", you've probably lost some of your enthusiasm on the sixth. Don't feel insulted. Just try to give them a chance before you call off the interview because you feel a little hurt.
It’s the firm. Typically these places flood applicants with tons of crappy “leads”. Candidates are encouraged to take the interview or risk missing out on the good ones. Even if they’d never take the role.
Just tell them they don’t seem interested so you’d like to end the interview. They might just be there for practice