Shawnee Love   •  
September 24, 2012

With the economy clearly still fostering an employer’s market, you can be very choosy when hiring your next employee.  Hopefully these interviewing red flags help you weed out those people you don’t want on your team.

No Shows/ Late

Unless there is a catastrophic accident, not showing up or showing up late is a really bad sign.  A candidate can survive these situations with an honest explanation and a sincere effort to call and let you know what is happening and when they will arrive, but making excuses like “bad traffic” and “couldn’t find parking” are merely indicators of bad planning and a lack of accountability for one’s actions.

Bad grooming

It is always surprising to me that people will come to interviews looking less than their best.  Dirty clothing, greasy hair, bad breath, B.O. and gum chewing are all problematic, especially when you consider that this is the candidate trying to make a good impression.  Imagine what it will be like once the probationary period is completed and they stop trying to impress you.

Cell phone

Unless you are hiring a drug dealer or heart surgeon, there is no reason for the candidate’s cell phone to be on during an interview.  If for some reason a candidate shows up and absolutely has to take a call (e.g., his wife is in labour and about to deliver his firstborn, or she is expecting a call from the committee awarding the nobel prizes), the candidate should explain right up front.  However, I have had candidates answer their phones in interviews to take calls from other recruiters and I can hear almost everything being said. Seriously a fail.

Inconsistencies

Inconsistencies between the resume and the candidate’s interview answers or contradicting answers to questions are concerning as well.  I tend to point out the inconsistency and give the candidate a chance to explain, but if the candidate can’t reconcile the differences, cut her loose.

Vagueness

Candidates that provide vague answers tweak my spidey senses as well.  Either they haven’t done it/ don’t know it and are trying to bluff their way through or they don’t understand the question and won’t admit it.  I am not impressed by either.

Lack of preparation/interest

Candidates indicate they are unprepared or uninterested by showing up late, having little information about the job or company and having no questions.  It is a mystery why they even show up for interviews, but the fact that they do means they are wasting  your time.

Bad answers

No matter how great the person looks on paper, it is a major red flag if s/he is giving you answers that conflict with the industry, company, team, job, culture or you personally as the hiring manager.  Fit correlates with job performance, so pay attention to fit no matter how good a candidate looks on paper.  Furthermore, be aware of your own biases.  If you like a candidate, it is human nature to overlook the negatives or questionable aspects about them.  That bias is called a halo effect and if you allow it to affect your decision, you could end up with someone who isn’t willing or able to do the job.  You can avoid succumbing to bias by having the job’s desirable criteria set in advance, asking consistent questions of all candidates, and evaluating all candidates on the established criteria.

Finally, I need to point out that weak handshakes and lack of eye contact are perceived in western cultures to be red flags; however, in some cultures these are signs of respect.  It is important to be sensitive to the cultural differences that may be in play and not misconstrue them as red flags.

What do you think? Have I missed any red flags that you look for?