5 Red Flags that often go unnoticed in an interview
Interviewing is hard. You can spend hours of time profiling your ideal candidate, studying their resume, and prepping the perfect interview questions and still end up saying the sentence “He was nothing like that in his interview!”.
If you’ve ever been convinced the perfect candidate you interviewed has now been replaced by an underperforming lookalike, then looking out for the below red flags will help you to make the best hiring decisions.
Speaking negatively about a previous employer
This is one we’ve all heard before, but it’s definitely up on the top of the list of flags that often get overlooked. And if you get the sense that your candidate is focussing the interview time on all the things wrong with their last job, it can show a lack of awareness, and potentially be an indicator of someone who may be challenging to manage.
Inability to have a conversation
Emotional intelligence is one of the leading concerns of many employers when looking for their ideal candidate. It’s also one of the hardest things to assess during an interview process. Looking out for candidates that are good at having a natural conversation is often a very strong indicator of high emotional intelligence. Remember this requires good interviewing technique on your behalf as well – try to make at least parts of the interview conversational!
Lack of sincerity or honest response
Do you ever get the feeling that the words coming out of your candidate’s mouth, despite being exactly what you want to hear, are all a big act? You’re probably right. Try not to focus on whether or not they are giving you a perfect answer to your question, but rather the sincerity and honesty of their response.
Not knowing when to stop…or start talking
As a general rule, the candidate should probably spend more time talking than you do during an interview. However, if you find that your candidate is talking for a noticeably longer time than you might expect, it can again be a reflection on their interpersonal skills. Similarly, when you are talking if you are finding that person is repeatedly cutting you off when you are speaking, it may be a reflection on their communication skills.
The ‘would you have a conversation outside of the office’ rule
This is a good little test, particularly if you are interviewing for a role that is client facing, or requires a level of interpersonal skills. It’s also a good one for the circumstances when you aren’t certain about a candidate but you can’t really explain why. If you were to picture yourself running into that person outside of work – would you want to stop and have a chat with them? If you cringe away from the idea you may have your answer.
