Survey shows poor performance by interviewers hurts a company’s prospects to attract employees

In a sign of the reversal of power roles in the job market, a new survey from myjobtips.com shows that job seekers change their opinion of a prospective employer based on how good an impression the interviewer makes during the job interview.

According to a new survey from myjobtips.com of job seekers and their interview experiences, 90% of 20-somethings surveyed said that their overall image of the organization changed as a result of a recent interview experience. Of those who had a good interview experience, 54% said their impression of the company, its products or services improved. Of those rating the interview as less than good, 22% said it worsened.

If you want to attract and retain good employees, the people interviewing your candidates have to be prepared and engaged in job interviews, says Bill Beairsto, chief executive of myjobtips.com, an Internet tool that helps job seekers manage their on-line job search. Bad interviewers can turn off not just the person they interview, but everyone they know. Our survey shows that more than 70% of job seekers would recommend a company to their friends as a result of their interview experience.

Job seekers were asked about their interview experiences in the past two years. The results include:

1 in 5 said the interviewer hadn’t read their resume before the meeting

12% said the interviewer was distracted (answering the phone, leaving the room etc.)

Nearly 1 in 10 reported being asked inappropriate questions or hearing inappropriate comments (about ethnicity, marital status, looks etc.)

4 of 5 job seekers said interviewers were professional and appropriate in questions and behavior

67% said interviewers asked excellent questions and probed to learn more about the applicant’s skills

Companies also need to be wary of loyalty among their younger employees. 59% of respondents said they weren’t currently looking for a job but were keeping their eyes open and would apply if the right job came along.

The on-line survey of 305 young adults ages 20-30 who have had a job interview in the past two years, was conducted September 21-23, 2006 from a panel of the general population of the US and Canada. The research was carried out by Sixth-Line Solutions, an independent professional research firm. Detailed results and comments from respondents are available on request.

This interview was sponsored by myjobtips.com, which provides an online tool for job seekers to manage their job search, including bookmarking online job ads in which they are interested, monitoring their status, recording action items and reminders, and accessing job search resources. myjobtips.com was created by In-Touch Software Corporation (http://www.intouch.ca), which was also the creator of www.gastips.com, a community-based website for tipsters to report gas prices in Canada and the US.