Employers Decide on Hiring Before the Interview Is Over

Most businesses make their hiring decisions even before job interviews are over, a straw poll suggest.

Job portal Saramin polled 194 companies, and 77.3 percent made their hiring decisions even before the interview was over. On average it took them just 18 minutes to make their decisions, though interviews lasted 28 minutes per applicant.

The length of the interviews varies according to hiring decisions. About half said they last longer for candidates who were already being positively considered because there is more to talk about.

Some 66 percent said interviews end sooner than scheduled if the candidate has been earmarked as a no-hoper.

Applicants earmarked for hiring usually showed evidence of knowledge and skills for the intended line of work, the top criterion for 32.7 percent of employers. 

The second criterion is confidence and a proactive attitude (22 percent), ability to give direct answers (20 percent), strong desire to work for the employer (16.7 percent) and good manners (six percent).

The biggest reason for rejection was a perceived lack of desire to work for the employer (30.7 percent), passive and hesitant behavior (18 percent), lack of understanding of the intended job (17.3 percent), irrelevant answers (12.7 percent), bad manners (8.7 percent) and frowning or evident discomfort (6.7 percent).

Lim Min-wook from Saramin said, "We need to remember that the first impression people give impacts the overall interview, and facial expressions as well as attitude influence hiring decisions."