Tips on how to avoid interview manipulators
They can do big damage if hired
We’ve all encountered them in the workplace: They come across as brilliant, charming and in complete control. They make a big impression on recruiters or human resource professionals who interview them for a job opening.
But watch out, says an industrial psychologist who’s on the lookout for such people. They routinely try to “manipulate” the interview process to get a new job or promotion they don’t deserve. And they can do enormous damage to a company if they are hired.
That message will be delivered to a global conference on executive recruiting being held in Montreal Wednesday through Friday by the International Executive Search Federation.
Taija Stoat, a consulting psychologist from Helsinki, will be a featured presenter on Friday when she talks about “how to detect a manipulative candidate in an interview.”
Most human resource professionals have no clue what to look for and don’t know how to properly interpret the results of psychological tests given to job candidates, Stoat said in an interview this week.
It may not seem like a big problem. “Maybe three per cent of the candidates we interview,” are manipulators, she says. “But in terms of quality and the damage these people do in the workplace, it’s huge.”
When she sits down with human resource professionals, she often hears horror stories about people who slip through the screening process and wind up stealing from the company, hurting its reputation or taking credit for work that others have performed.
Stoat began her career as a criminal psychologist, interviewing prisoners in Finnish jails and preparing psychological assessments for authorities. She quickly realized that the same traits were turning up in the corporate world and that companies had a growing interest in trying to spot what she calls “white-collar psychopaths.”
“The true manipulators will turn out to be something completely different than what they display themselves to be in an interview,” she says. They cannot only cause financial and reputational damage, but also affect the team atmosphere at work, where they act one way with superiors and another way with everyone else.
“These types of people will never be good workers or managers, they are never going to be good team leaders. They only want something for themselves.”
It’s worth remembering that manipulators never just get in to an organization on their own, they are selected by interviewers, so that’s where change has to start, she said. “These people are found at all levels. They want to go where there is money, power and influence.”
Stoat hopes not only to raise awareness but also to provide a few tips on how to better recognize such people. There’s very little information or academic research on the issue, so human resource professionals don’t have the tools they need.
Interviewers have to be aware that manipulation is a form of power, she says, and that such people are skilled at “impression management.”
One trick is to watch out for people with a grandiose sense of self-worth, who try to dominate the conversation and maintain intense eye contact.
They may try to intimidate interviewers by making them feel hesitant or insecure or they could try to represent themselves as knowing more about the subject than the recruiter.
“You have to be aware of your emotions. The manipulation works on your weak spots, whether they are trying to flatter you or create uncertainty.” They will often have a lot to say but if the conversation is recorded and played back, one hears little substance in their remarks, Stoat said.
When asked for references, they often try to dodge the subject. They lack long-term goals, perseverance or responsibility to their employer and they are quick to move on when they get what they want.
The conference being held this week is hosted by Mandrake Group Conseil, a Montreal firm offering a range of executive search services. Over three days, recruitment professionals from 41 countries will be on hand to discuss the state of the search industry.