How to Survive a Hostile Interview With These 6 Tips

Job interviews in general, can put most job seekers in an anxiety-triggering situation. Furthermore, what if you land yourself in a session with a hostile interviewer? In most cases, hostile employers are actually looking to gauge your emotional intelligence by observing how you behave and respond under pressure.

However, should you end up with an interviewer who is behaving negatively through the means of being physically or verbally rude towards you, how can you handle it? Here is some essential advice on how to manage and save yourself from a hostile job interview.

1. Remain calm and collected

When the interviewer is being offensive towards you, try not to go up on the offence. Take a breather to compose yourself and respond with a calm tone. At times an interviewer can be rude, as a way to assess how you react to the situation. This is your chance to prove that you can handle under stress at work.

2. Don’t react quickly and answer questions 

When you are feeling under pressure, anxiety will creep up on you, urging you to react and answer as quickly as possible. You don’t want to put yourself in that state. Rushing through the interview session won’t be beneficial to you. You might even mention things that you shouldn’t or missing out on important key points. 

3. Don’t take things personally

Even if the interviewer is not treating you the appropriate way, there could be legitimate reasons why they are acting so harshly due to work or personal matters. Instead of taking the hostility personally, just stick to your main focus while answering every interview questions calmly and confidently. Remind yourself to act like a qualified and experienced professionals.

4. Don’t forget to ask your own questions

If the interviews becomes abrasive, this would be your chance to direct the questions back to the interviewer. It’s also a great way for you to determine whether you would be a right fit with the company. Ask about the job role, the daily responsibilities, and what target you will be expected to achieve. Most importantly, ask about the company work culture and how does the business support its employees.

5. Dismiss yourself from the interview politely

Should you feel that the interview will not have any good outcome, consider politely dismissing yourself from the interview room. But if you manage to pull through the entire interview, try your best to be polite and exit politely. Share your thoughts to the interviewer that you won’t be a good fit for the position before leaving. 

Having trouble getting your CV into the recruiter’s list? Dive into this article guide to find out more! Leave us your thoughts on the comment sections below. Head over to Jobstore.com and unveil your next job opportunity.