It is not a secret that job interviews are really stressful. You spend hours to prepare for an interview, do your best to control your body language, think about how to answer all those sneaky interview questions, and how to leave a pretty good impression on your interviewer at the same time.

It seems like it can't get more stressful. Unfortunately, it can. Sometimes, you just end-up with an interviewer who is less-than-polite. It consists simply of the interviewer interrupting the candidate, talking too much about him- or herself, and/or not giving the interviewee an opportunity to discuss his or her skills.

What do you do when the interviewer's behavior is offensive? You want to ace the interview and leave with your self-respect intact. Here are some strategies for responding tactfully to a discourteous interviewer.



#1. Give Your Interviewer No Ammunition To Talk About You In A Negative Light
One thing you should remember is that your reputation is much more important than the emotions you are feeling at the moment. So you should not give an interviewer any reason to say anything negative about you to anyone. It might seem unfair that you have to keep your emotions cool while some jerk is being rude with you at the job interview. But the truth is we don't live in a perfect world. And there are so many mean, cruel and just rude human beings everywhere and will have to deal with them one time or another. But what you don't know is what influence this person has in your industry and how him/her badmouthing you can affect your life. So do your best to stay professional and not to lose your head, just calm down and remember that you worked hard to land this interview. Your priority is to keep the interview focused on what you have to offer the company. Avoid blowing up or confronting the interviewer during the interview -- the only thing likely to come from that is a burned bridge. Take a deep breath and briefly consider some reasons to make the best of this challenging situation.

#2. Stop When The Red Line Is Crossed
Ability to stay professional even on such stressful interview when someone is just plain rude is a great quality, but this doesn't mean you should just put up when interviewer is becoming offensive. If the interviewer crosses the line of just being unpleasant into abuse you should decide whether you want to work with that person or not. You can always call it quits. Politely interrupt the interviewer and tell them that the interview is over. You don’t need to explain yourself, other than to say that you are no longer interested in the position. People who behave like that are either naturally jerks, or they’re “manufactured” jerks who behave that way because someone told them it was a cool way to interview people, by abusing them. None of it is acceptable.

#3. Consider Types of Rude Interviewers Some interviewers might just be having a bad day, not even realizing their rude behavior. Other interviewers act rudely because they may be generally bad-tempered, but still can be a very competent and well-liked leader. And some are rude because they think that they can learn more about your fitness for the job and the workplace by testing you this way. For the last kinds of people there is little that you can do. If they’re going to be your boss or close colleague, consider quitting the interview. Otherwise, put up with them as a necessary evil on your way to getting hired.
Anyway, try to be patient and do not jump into conclusions. Some interviewers are merely socially unskilled, and may be unaware they're being rude.

#4. Weigh All Pros And Cons
When the interview is over (in case you didn't stop it for being abusive) and you think that after all you handled it quite well next thing you should do is to think about what will you do if they offer you a job.
Let's say your interviewer wasn't that bad, it's just the kind of person he/she is. Will this be enough for you to turn away the offer? Bear in mind that even if you get the job, you may never work with this person. You may find in other situations he has a completely different demeanor.
And even if it is your potential boss is it necessary for him/her to be nice to be a good manager? At the edns of the day you two will never become best friends but will you would-to-be supervisor support you and your ideas, recognize your accomplishments and push you into achieving more? If yes, would it really matter that this person is rough around the edges?

Happy boxing day to all nairalanders ...

Source: http://job.naij.com/tips-What+To+Do+If+An+Interviewer+Is+Being+Rude-333?

Cool

Very good.


To add to the op's point i think a good knowledge of the position can help you know how rude they can deliberately get.

Take for instance you're being interviewed for a role that deals with human relation, the interviewer can get deliberately very rude to test your composure i.e. to see how you'd behave if one jerk ass unreasonable customer comes your way.


If on the other hand you're being interviewed for a security job, the permissible level of rudeness is low.


Joke: you can slap the interviewer to let him know you're a no nonsense security man

shepherd77:
Very good.


To add to the op's point i think a good knowledge of the position can help you know how rude they can deliberately get.

Take for instance you're being interviewed for a role that deals with human relation, the interviewer can get deliberately very rude to test your composure i.e. to see how you'd behave if one jerk ass unreasonable customer comes your way.


If on the other hand you're being interviewed for a security job, the permissible level of rudeness is low.


Joke: you can slap the interviewer to let him know you're a no nonsense security man

lol.. kikikikikiki