Are Job Interviews a Waste of Time?

Why do job interviews even still exist? In the current work market, there are plenty of job seekers who are simply not interested in going through the never-ending process of job interviews.

However, there are plenty of good reasons for people to want to go through a job interview. It’s not something that is just beneficial for the employer who is looking to hire someone. A job interview can help the job seeker determine if the company is a good fit for them.

Whatever the reason, job interviews aren’t going anywhere soon. As a matter of fact, companies are becoming even more keen on conducting job interviews—oftentimes more than one! So, it helps to appreciate the process, understand how it can help you, and also how to deal with multiple request for job interviews from the same recruiter or company.

Why Do Job Interviews Exist?

Job interviews exist so that employers can determine if they want to hire someone to work for them. It’s not enough to review someone’s resume. The resume can be a stand out, hit all of the key points that they employer is seeking, but in the end be nothing but a piece of well written fiction.

Employers know that anyone can have someone create a fake resume with fraudulent references. That’s the reason why people need to go on job interviews.

Picture the following situation: an employer reviews a resume where a person claims to have used excel extensively in many jobs. That person is then brought into the workplace and cannot format a spreadsheet, can’t move data from sheet to sheet, and cannot even figure out how to AutoSum a column.

Obviously that entire process should have included a job interview where the interviewer could have asked some pointed questions that would have ferreted out the truth of the situation. That’s the reason why job interviews are not considered a waste of time from the employers end.

The truth of the situation is that most companies consider the resume the first step, but only a step in the hiring process. If they are actually  looking to hire a competent employee (which is usually the case in corporate environments, not necessarily non-profits or government run programs, however) then a face to face job interview is necessary.

Would An Employer Waste My Time With A Job Interview?

Unfortunately, yes. I would love to tell you that you will only be interviewed if the employer wants to hire you or is serious about potentially hiring you. But that’s not the case. There are many instances where the hiring manager has to go through the motions and is not really interested in hiring you.

Sadly, there are many instances where there is already a candidate who has unofficially landed the role but the company has to go through the motions. Oftentimes that person is a friend of someone who works for the company, but the human resource department has to go though the motions to hire someone.

Don’t be fooled, many roles are filled through nepotism or friends or some other means. It’s not uncommon at all. However, that doesn’t mean that you should avoid job interviews all together.

While it might be the case that a single interview is a “show interview” so that human resources can claim it’s interviewed outside applicants, that will not be the case across the board. And you can use the interview as a testing ground to sharpen your interview skills.

So, in the end, you can’t ever be sure beforehand if an interview is a waste of time, so you shouldn’t skip any particular interview.

How To Tell if a Particular Job Interview Is Just a Waste of Time?

No one wants to go on an interview if it’s a complete waste of time. That is good for no one. However, is there anyway to actually tell if you are on a job interview that’s not going to amount to anything?

First, let’s differentiate between a job interview that is a waste of time because you don’t think you’re someone who could do the job and a job interview that’s a waste of time because the job is already filled and the hiring managers are conducting a “show interview”.

In the first case, you are either too full of self doubt, or else are somehow interviewing for a role which you don’t believe you are qualified for. So, let’s skip this situation as you already know it could be a waste of time.

The fact is, you’re never going to be sure if a job is a complete waste of time due to the company already hiring someone internally or via cronyism. It’s just something you as a job applicant won’t be privileged to know.

Most major companies conduct “show” interviews for a variety of reasons. In some cases, these interviews are done on a large scale with multiple rounds of interviews with dozens of applicants.

The sad fact is that if someone inside the company who has pull is going to hire a friend, niece or nephew, or someone else connected to them, there is very little you can do to know beforehand.

Should You Bother Anyway?

If you’re interested in the job, then  yes, you should bother with the interview. Even if you think there’s a low chance that you will get it, it’s still important to go ahead and interview for it.

First, you can’t know if the interview is a fake aka show interview. Second, it’s always good to go on an interview for something you’re interested in, even if it’s to learn about the company.

Let’s stress that main point: you can’t know that the interview is a waste of time due to it being a fake interview. You cannot possibly know that.

Secondly, while some people claim that they want to do practice interviews in order to sharpen their interview skills, it’s not something I really approve of. I would only suggest that you do an interview if you’re legitimately interested in.

The reason I don’t advocate doing “practice interview” if you’re only doing them to sharpen your interviewing skills is that it can backfire and get you a bad rep. That can happen due to a recruiter blacklisting you, or even your current employer finding out and firing you.

The real reason that a job interview is never a waste of time for the potential employee is that it allows them to learn about the job.

As I’ve said above, job interviews are designed for people who are looking to work at the company as well. Or they should be. You should be asking questions about the firm, asking questions about the work culture, the job, all sorts of things that you should be curious about.

So, in the end, a job interview is never a waste of your time, even if the company has already selected someone and is conducting a show interview. Even in that case, you’re going to get valuable real world interviewing practice.