can you end a job interview early if it’s not a good fit? — Ask a Manager

A reader writes:

Just a few years in the past I used to be in a scenario that I’d like some perception on. I utilized for a job that, primarily based on the outline, appeared like I used to be certified for (a mixture of admin and advertising and marketing work). Nonetheless, as soon as I obtained into the interview, I noticed it was way more about advanced graphic design and publishing than was beforehand indicated (work associated to advertising and marketing however not my space of experience). I felt so silly on the time; possibly it ought to have been clear to me earlier that this was what the position was however I assumed that, given the job description, that they’d have a workforce dealing with the totally different elements of the position. It was so apparent I used to be unqualified and I simply wished to go away the interview fairly than persevering with it. Nonetheless, I used to be fairly new to the workforce and I used to be determined for work. I didn’t even know in case you might wrap up an interview early and regardless, I don’t know that I might’ve felt like I did that. Suffice it to say, I didn’t get the job and I used to be like, “Duh, I used to be wildly unqualified in ways in which I wouldn’t have recognized earlier than the interview!”

What’s one of the best ways to stop this? For instance, is there a strategy to display jobs in depth earlier than the interview? Clearly you’d learn the job description and do a little analysis on the corporate, and attain out to contacts you probably have them on the firm. Am I lacking anything? Since you may’t interview the corporate to make sure it’s what you need earlier than you apply, you type of have to use and hope that it traces up together with your objectives. Proper?

Or is there a script the place in case you get into an interview you could be like, “I really feel like X and Y particulars weren’t talked about within the job description once I utilized. How massive of a factor are these?” Or, “I simply realized I don’t need this job in any respect”? Or do you simply have to sit down within the interview and get by it? If an interviewer instructed me mid-interview that they weren’t going to rent me, I’d suppose it was extremely impolite so possibly it’s not OK for the interviewee to short-circuit issues within the second both. However I’m genuinely curious the way to deal with it if I encounter one other scenario the place I feel I’ve utilized to X and it’s actually extra like Y.

You possibly can learn my reply to this letter at New York Journal in the present day. Head over there to learn it.