The Different Types of People You Encounter When Hiring

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Finding the perfect candidate for a job isn’t an easy task. Chances are, hiring managers will have to meet and spend time with numerous candidates before finally finding a good match for a role. After a while, certain personality types start to stand out in the interviewing process — and some are more frustrating than others. Here’s how to spot a few interview types that you’re likely to cross paths with.

The over-sharer

We’ve all seen (or heard) the over-sharer — in a casual setting at least. Sometimes, the over-sharer can’t help themselves in an interview setting as well. The over-sharer is that person who doesn’t seem to have a filter; ask them a question and expect very few parameters in their response. Before you know it, you’ll have learned all about their eating habits, their cat, and their theories on why they’ve been arguing with their boyfriend more than usual. With the over-sharer, you’ll get plenty of information on the type of work they’ve done if you ask the right questions, but you’re probably going to get too much personal information along the way.

The disgruntled ex-employee

Unfortunately, one common reason that people leave their jobs is because they are unhappy or feel wronged by former employees or management. Worse, the disgruntled ex-employee may have been fired at one point and still clinging onto a grudge. This individual is easy to peg: they tend to answer questions with negative anecdotes about their previous workplace, or make constant attempts to describe themselves as “better” than their previous employees or managers. You can quickly tell if someone fits this persona by asking them about a time when they disagreed with a co-worker or manager, and how they handled it. You should be able to tell right away if they’re still bitter or if they handled the situation poorly by the way they portray the other people in the anecdote.

The circle-talker

The circle-talker always has a hard time answering questions in a direct and efficient way. Although they hear your question just fine, they take the liberty of tossing in anecdotes and other excess information that isn’t always relevant to the question. Typically, this individual is circle-talking out of nervousness, but it can come off as though they’ve scripted their responses and are regurgitating them too quickly, trying to hit key points again and again rather than allowing for a more natural conversation to unfold. Give circle-talkers a chance to prove themselves by asking pointed questions and then moving them on to the next question promptly.

The underachiever

They tend to come off extremely disorganized, and they are constantly making excuses for their lack of preparation. Forgotten resume? They couldn’t find access to a printer. 10 minutes late? Traffic was bad or parking was impossible to find. The underachiever is unable to provide quality references and they tend to take a while to provide extra information. When asked about their past job experiences, they talk in abstract terms and come off unprepared. This person may have the academic or professional experience needed for the role, but these signs of disorder typically mean one of two things: either they are disorganized and unreliable or they just don’t want the job that badly.

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