How to Navigate a Difficult Interviewee as a Budding Journalist

and a tech recruiter actively looking to fill 20 roles, and little about my first steps towards being a judge on the Food Network

First off, I will not be on the Food Network judging this competition. I’m just manifesting.

I’ll circle back to the food judge thing at the end. First, let’s talk business. 

Tips on Handling an Difficult Interviewee

Basically, I had a scoping interview with a professional in the agave spirits industry that went sideways upon entry. We were so misaligned in values that I knew this interviewee wasn’t going to be a good fit, even though they, technically, had the information that I actively need for this piece.  The whole purpose of this scoping call was to determine if they were going to be a good fit and for them to answer 3 seemingly simple questions I had already included in the itinerary. The conversation turned disrespectful and problematic. So, what do you do when you’re in the middle of this situation? How do you come out without losing your cool and with all your professional connections still intact? Here are my tips: