Why You Should Never Be Rude to the Receptionist

As the People Manager in the people2people Brisbane office, I’m the friendly face greeting you in reception upon your arrival for an interview with one of our recruitment consultants. Unfortunately, there are some people who aren’t as friendly. I’m still unsure as to why some people think that this behaviour is acceptable or even at the very least overlooked in an interview setting, but it happens to a lot of receptionists I talk to. We’re here to help you.

How you converse with anybody in a recruitment agency puts your professionalism on display. If you’re ‘short’ with the receptionist, quite often we are asked by the recruitment consultants your opinion. Does being offhand or even rude to the receptionist really demonstrate that you are a suitable candidate for a job, or not?

Now, if you’ve registered with some other agencies and filled out similar types of forms online, understandably it can be a little frustrating when you’re going through the same type of process. However, we’re just following procedure and we do need you to sign and fill out the forms if you’re visiting us for the first time. Just bear with us, we’re considering your best interests here as well.

Surprisingly, I’ve even had situations where a candidate has followed on to be rude to the consultant as well. It’s baffling why someone would treat an interviewer in this manner to assist with your job search – we’re trying to help!

I hasten to add, that these types of situations are very much in the minority. The overwhelming and vast majority of the candidates I meet are really great and eager to chat with one of our consultants ( and me!). It’s just unfortunate that the rude encounters can sometimes be the most memorable.

If you need help with your job search, feel free to send us an email or call our Brisbane office on 07 3118 0125.