During the job search, applicants should be aware of the courtesy interview. A courtesy job interview is one in which the company recruiter has no intention of hiring the candidate, but conducts the interview anyway. The courtesy interview is known to human resources departments, and is a practice carried out by all levels of the hiring process.

There are also interviews that are ceremonial. The reviewer has already made the decision to hire the candidate and the meeting is perfunctory. The courtesy interview, on the other hand, is a pretext of interest. There are some professionals who believe that it shows a lack of respect towards the job applicant. At the very least, it leads to incredible disservice to the applicant and a waste of time for both parties. If carried out carelessly, it can leave a candidate with a bad taste in the mouth. Why then, recruiters, headhunters, former colleagues, Fortune 500 companies, etc. conduct courtesy interviews?

The answer is found in two types of courtesy interviews:

• After about ten minutes, it is clear to the interviewer that you are not the right candidate for the company. But he or she wants to be polite and will continue the interview for another twenty or thirty minutes before thanking you for coming;

• The interviewer is only seeing you because of an obligation or human resources policy. Whether or not the interviewer is interested in you, he will proceed anyway out of courtesy and/or respect.

So how do you know you’re in for a courtesy interview? Here are some samples:

• The first sentence can be, “I just wanted to see where you are in your career search.” This is a fishing expedition. The interviewer is curious about what he has done since his last job, what companies he has talked to so far, or to obtain information that is not relevant to his job search;

• “We had already finished the final interviews when we received your resume. After seeing your impressive cover letter and resume, we thought we should talk to you before making a final decision.” This means that someone higher up in the company asked the candidate to apply for her. That information was in the cover letter. For the interviewer, he only does it out of respect or fear of the company executive.

• “As you know, we are an Equal Employment Opportunity company. We take this seriously and consider it when interviewing applicants.” This is done to avoid discrimination lawsuits. Some companies that accept government funds are required to conduct at least 3 interviews with applicants from various backgrounds. On a positive note, it could also mean that the company is sincere in hiring a diversity of applicants, including you.

Ten to fifteen minutes should be enough to tell whether or not you are in a serious interview or talking to a person who is going through the steps. It is clear that he or she has no desire to hire you. So what should you do once you realize you’re in for a courtesy interview?

• Ignore the interviewer’s irrelevant questions and have the interview of your life. Dazzle and impress. Because? He or she may decide to refer you to another company that would love to hire you. Or, the recruiter may think you’re not a good fit for the current job, but you’re perfect for another open position at the company;

• Tactfully end the interview. Say that you don’t think you’re the right fit for the job and that you don’t want to waste your time;

• No matter how you feel, don’t be rude or show how angry you feel. You may see this person again;

• Always thank the interviewer for talking to you. Depending on how you and the interviewer clicked, ask for a referral so you don’t feel like you’ve been wasted.

• Do an evaluation of the interview. Take note of the positive parts. When did your conversation seem to excite the recruiter? What topics prompted you to ask follow-up questions?

It’s always hard to go through interview after interview, not knowing if you’re wasting your time and energy or not. Don’t take it personally. The job search market is extremely competitive. Look at the courtesy interview as one part of several that an unemployed person will experience during the job search.

Job seekers should search for employment as a daily duty. You must be diligent, consistent, and determined to find a job that matches your skills, experience, education, and temperament. Your task is to convince a company that you are the right person for the job.

A positive attitude will go a long way in putting a negative meeting in the past. Don’t let a bad interview experience kill your spirit. Wait; keep up your daily job search routine and work towards getting an interview with the next company you like.