However, as we shall see, some interviewees can and do make the journey a difficult one, and to recognize who they are, is half-way towards coping with them. You will note that some correspond to difficult interviewers, and if two of them come together in one room, they may end up at each other's throats.
Seven types of awkward interviewees
- Windbags
- The silent
- Defenders
- Attackers
- The impatient
- Neurotics
- The inarticulate
If their replies were witty and entertaining, we would not mind them so much, but, unfortunately, they are invariably dull and rambling. They seldom get to the point or, if they do, they repeat it again and again. Totally lacking in empathy, they neither realize nor care how much of our time they waste, and for that reason alone they have to be firmly dealt with. You have to curtail their obsessive talkativeness and yet at the same time maintain rapport with them.
The silent, though the opposite of the first, also waste our time and energy. Sometimes they are very shy; sometimes they are deliberately obstructive, but not having the assertiveness of Defenders (see below), they take forever thinking of their answer which, when it comes, is no more than a few words.
Not surprisingly, closed questions are their favorites, and they will seldom elaborate on a simple 'Yes' or 'No'. Anger only makes matters worse. We have to contrive to get them to respond more fully without appearing to be badgering or forcing them.
Defenders are easy to recognize. The moment we start the interview they bundle themselves into a tight ball, legs and arms crossed, hands gripping the chair, knuckles white, lips tight, and they look sideways at us as though to say, 'I don't trust you.' Breaking through the barrier they have erected is a tough job, because they won't budge an inch or do anything to help. Like the silent, they will contrive to say as little as possible, or will answer every question with another question. Our task is to try to break down their defenses without appearing to do so, because, if they realize what we are doing, they will become even more defensive.
Attackers look at interviews as a battlefield from which they have to emerge victorious. They give no quarter, yield not an inch. They sit far back in their chairs, their hands tightly clenched in front of them. They stick their chins out aggressively and raise their voices. They stare us down, as if to say, 'I don't like your questions and I'm not sure I want to answer them.' If they smile, it is not out of friendliness but rather grim determination to win at any cost. What they do not realize is that their apparent victories are a defeat for them and us, because the purpose of the interview is seldom achieved in the atmosphere of hostility they create.
Our best weapon is not attack, but reassurance. We have got to make them feel that we are not their enemy; that cooperation will save time; and that only together can we achieve what we both want from the interview.
The impatient are recognized by their crossed legs, twitching feet, fingers drumming on the arm of the chair. Their bodies lean towards the exit, indicating that they would prefer to be doing something else that is more important. They interrupt us with the answer to our question before we have finished asking it. They do, however, have a positive value by making it clear from their behavior that we are taking too long to ask our questions.
Confident interviewers who know they are moving at the right pace will not be rushed into going any faster and will make this point clear. But they can destroy the self-confidence of novices who are trying their best to make their interviews a success.
Neurotics or, more kindly, the emotionally highly strung can be spotted even before they sit down. They walk quickly with a jerky step, shoulders stiff, and their arms close to the side.
Their handshake is cold and clammy. Out of nervousness, they sit down before they have been invited to do so, and they wriggle and fidget throughout the interview as though their chairs were on fire. Their hands are seldom still: their fingers pluck, pinch or pick at anything within reach - their clothes, arms, hands or legs. They seldom look us in the eye. When they answer our questions, they cover their mouths and speak in a low voice and when we ask them to speak up, they become even more flustered. If they laugh or, as they more usually do, giggle, it is because they are frightened, not because we have said something funny. Their twitching is catchy and after a few minutes in their company we find ourselves imitating them. For what ails them, reassurance is the best cure.
The inarticulate are in one sense the most unfortunate. Interviewing is communication; they know this as well as we do, but they are unable to overcome barriers of fear and anxiety to express themselves as fully as they would like. A vicious circle is set in motion: they struggle to reply to our questions, they become even more conscious of their struggle and so they become more inarticulate.
We have to break through this circle by listening with all our powers of concentration, even if time is limited. We must help them to tell their stories by guiding them with small steps, avoiding long silences, and as they talk to listen to clues that will give us the chance to prompt them to reveal more about themselves.
