For candidates: the same as for the above

Showing up late – You expect your candidate to have a great desire to work at your company. That means they will find their scheduled interview very important and so, will plan it carefully and show up on time. If this isn’t the case, it can indicate that the person is not professional and reliable. Of course, there is always a possibility that a certain situation has occurred and they could have a good reason for running late, so you should have enough experience to assess if this reason is valid. 

For candidates: notify the recruiter up front if you know you are going to be late for a meeting, you are already connected and this takes only seconds to do, but leaves a good impression of respect and responsibility

• Bad references – Poor or no references from previous jobs can easily mean that they will not be positive. If a person was not able to build a good professional relationship with their employers or colleagues, it is definitely a red flag.

For candidates: You can't be sure only your reference list will be contacted during the reference check, so no hack here. This is something each of us builds in the long term, , but having a mindset of building good relations and performing well.

• Reasons for leaving previous jobs – Candidates who have left their previous jobs due to disagreements with their coworkers or managers have a significantly higher chance of repeating this behavior

For candidates: not all disagreements are bad and not all reasons for abruptly leaving a company are a future liability for employers, so our suggestion is to openly discuss everything with the recruiters as they can be your advocates in the hiring process

• Gossiping – It’s very reasonable if an applicant doesn’t love all of their previous companies and colleagues, but there should be a certain amount of respect, and all complaints and badmouthing should be reduced to a minimum.

For candidates: As tempting as it may be to point out some negative circumstances or behaviors, that may boost your performance in comparison, too much emphasis on the negatives might do you more harm by interviewers starting to question everything you say

• Non-verbal communication – Sometimes body language can tell us more than words the candidate is pronouncing. Lack of or no eye contact can tell us that he has something to hide or has some confidence issues, sometimes can even show us the false parts of their story.

For candidates: You certainly read a lot about this while preparing for interviews, and we know it is sometimes hard and distracting to focus on this while answering questions and “selling” your pitch, but it is important to have this in mind, especially during interview opening and closing. These were some of the concerns that you have probably came across before and mostly successfully noticed and resolved. Let’s continue and talk about some of the red flags that are not discussed so often and details that can be easily overlooked.

• Over-qualified – Candidates that have more experience are always very tempting and can bring more value to the position. But you should spark a question of why have they applied for this position and consider answers you might not like. They could look at this as a transitioning period, meaning they will search actively for something better and don’t plan to stay at your company for too long. They could also ask for more money and expect you to adapt to their qualifications, or consider promotion and desired terms that fit more to their experience very soon.
• No questions for the company (or only benefit related) – It’s like in any relationship, both sides need to be engaged in order to know if it’s a true match. So looking at the candidate’s questions about the job and the company can tell you how much he really wants it. You can observe if they are just checking a list of questions (which you can easily google) or they have follow-ups making sure they understand and you are both on the same page about the topic. On the other side, if a candidate has no questions, you can probably spot their lack of interest or lack of understanding of the job in general.
• Lack of specific examples (& vague answers) – A good evaluation is quite hard when candidates can’t talk about their previous work and draw some examples from it. It doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t a good hire, but it does spark questions of why is that so and what conclusions to draw from it. When their answers are generic and pretty vague, it is likely they have over-inflated their skills and experience to appear more appealing and qualified.
• Taking all the credit – You should always assess whether or not your applicant is a team player. Even though he might not work in a designated team that collaborates closely, he still needs to work with at least one boss or share information with a different department, or perhaps has some part that overlaps with other colleagues. Here you are looking for a person that knows of a word ‘we’ and not only ‘me, me, me’; someone who talks kindly about others and can give you a positive example about their coworkers and the work they accomplished together; a candidate who is able to recognize his own work and the work of others.
• Not taking any credit – Might seem conflicting with the above statements, but talking too much about the team results, without ever bringing up your own contribution, or not being aware of certain aspects of the job, can definitely be a red flag. As it is expected (and very welcomed) for the candidates to speak about their teams and accomplishments they made together, it’s crucial for the interview to learn what the person brings to the table. So if he can’t explain what were his exact actions that contributed to the success of the team and pinpoint his own individual value, it is not a good sign.
• No weaknesses – Let’s face it, everyone has a weakness. If a candidate can’t or won’t acknowledge their flaws and mistakes, that is a red flag. There is nothing wrong with making mistakes, they often happen and their feedback shows us what works and what doesn’t. The problem is when we don’t learn from them and keep repeating them. When candidates own their mistakes (especially in team mistakes) and show they gained something from them, as opposed to blaming others for it or denying their role in errors, it should be taken as a very good sign this candidate is willing to learn and leaves his ego at the front door.
• Long-winded explanations – This is relevant to any type of position, not only the ones where an employee has to communicate with clients. The candidate should be able to express himself clearly and provide reasonable explanations. The best candidates for the job are sure about their decisions and have good reasons to back them up.
• Talking a lot but not saying anything – This mostly happens in the interview, but can also be seen in the applicant’s CV or cover letter. Don’t be dazzled by the fancy words and long sentences – if a candidate can’t provide any concrete information about experience and accomplishments, it is not a good sign and you can’t properly evaluate him.

The goal is all about choosing the right person for the job. If you notice any of the mentioned red flags, make sure you do your homework and properly reassess that candidate. You shouldn’t be quick to judge if any of them occur and take the time to understand if it is a potential threat.

Bonus: Spotting red flags is much easier when your interviews are well prepared and structured. To learn how to apply this method, read about it in our article The importance of a structured interview