Why the hostility from interviewers?
Why do interviewers interrogate with hostility I totally understand asking questions and going through my resumes and asking details of what I did and my skills... but I have encountered interviewers who glare at you with FBI intensity as if one committed the crime of dare responding to their request for an interview. I am confident enough to know to be well groomed and articulate and smile back but sometimes the piercing looks almost make me ill at ease ... is that a tactic. When did being a job seeker become the bad one. Clearly I would never cause an awkward situation and ask them is there a reason for the abrasiveness but I wonder is the purpose behind the tough as nails interview, to see how the interviewee reacts to a tough environment?
I don't know if this is the correct answer you need; but it is an answer familiar to me. My best guess is that they hate interviewing almost as much as you do. The same questions; the same scripted answers; over and over and over again; month after month, year after year. After a while, it all becomes just a boring game and a necessary evil. Many hiring managers have shared with me their frustration at having to put on a nice face when inwardly they did not enjoy that necessary task at all. Nine of ten times, they will hire the person they like; not necessarily the most qualified. So how do you make them like you? Make their job easier. Don't just sit there waiting for their same old worn-out questions. Tell them what they really want and need to know. Using all the positive characteristics that define who you are, tell them who you are. Tell them right up front what you have to offer. Give them the best reason to hire you over your competition. Then, stand up, shake their hand with a thank you, and leave. This method only applies to the grumps you have identified. Give them what they need, cut the interview time in half, make their job easy and unique; and they will love you for it. Guaranteed.
Have you ever been interviewed by the FBI? That comparison appears to be your feeling and opinion of that particular situation.
As an investigative interviewer, I watch for body language which can support or conflict with the words coming from the interviewing candidate. Then base my questions for clarification. or Maybe, just maybe, you were perfect in every sense, up to the point you asked that question?
Not all interviewers have polished people skills, but that's a very small %. Maybe they've been burned in the past and lack the training that keeps them logical, but you stated "interviewers" plural? I have a hard time believing that after 40-years in corporate America.
Again just be polite, answer the questions and ask the questions, because you are also interviewing the company as well, so go in prepared in your own research.
One question you could ask is "Does ABC company have Equal Opportunity, Sexual Harassment and Hostile Workplace policies in place to protect its candidates, employees and clients?"
If that doesn't smooth out the conversation, then you have options. P.S. I am not an attorney..
It may be a tactic. I had a manager ask me a question once that totally detailed my composure. In retrospect, I feel he wanted to see how well I handled the unexpected & was less interested in my actual answer.
What type of jobs are you interviewing for? That would be my first question.
Dalove, I have to say that job interviewing is a skill. The more jobs you apply for, the more experience you should get from attending the job interviews.