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Job interviews can leave candidates with a bad impression of the employer – even when the job is offered. Potential recruits frequently leave the selection process thinking that the company is rude, prejudiced or simply inefficient, according to a survey.

The research suggests a divide between what applicants think should be asked and what potential employers want to know. Candidates expected questions relating to the job and setting out a career progression. However, 40 per cent of those saying they had a bad interview experience said they were asked questions unconnected with the job.
     
Such questions may have been about the person but some candidates interpreted them as being sexist or racist.
      
Some 2,000 people were surveyed by Ipsos Mori for T-Mobile. No similar survey of employers’ views on applicants was undertaken.
    
Complaints by those with bad experiences were that interviewers were late, inattentive, ate during their meeting, or where even drunk. One person complained the interview was conducted in a noisy bar, suggesting any attempt by an employer to choose a neutral or informal territory had backfired.  
     
Some 30 per cent of candidates complained at not being offered refreshments, 10 per cent said the building was dirty and 7.5 per cent commented on the interviewer’s personal hygiene.
     
Almost half the people saying they had a bad interview turned down the job if it was offered.
     
Mark Martin, human resources director at T-Mobile, said, “Interviewees are always under pressure to create a good first impression but it seems businesses need to feel a bit of that pressure as well.”