Readers Respond: Share Your Interview Red Flags for Employers

Employers need to notice and heed certain interview red flags. Whether your candidate is unable to supply details about accomplishments or arrives late and is dressed for a party, you need to notice and evaluate interview red flags. You spend too much time and resources on training and enculturation to let a bad candidate in your door. Won't you share examples of red flags that get your attention when you interview prospective employees? What's a deal breaker for you when you interview a candidate for a job?

• Your Favorite Interview Questions
• Your Favorite Questions and Answers From Your Candidates
• Have a Job Interview Story You'd Love to Share?
• Readers respond to additional questions and share their workplace stories.

Fingernails?

I don't wear nail polish or do my nails - I don't have time. Don't like it, don't hire me, but your loss...I'm very good at what I do...and really, if all you care about is my nails, I don't really think I want to work for you anyway. (Susan suggests that doing nails was not the point?)

—Guest Nevermanicured

Another Perspective - Part 2 Response

To some degree, the HR from Colorado - I run a small firm - sometimes, I'm an emplyee; sometimes, I'm an employer. But here, it's the pure type of HR. Nowadays, even marketing is involved. You mentioned the B team candidates - I agree that when you want a type of job a lot, you apply with many companies for alike positions. Then, you send your CV many times; so, you can miss a detail. Once, I was the best candidate - I had the best qualifications, and I was the best at the interview. But, it appeared that my job was connected just with making coffee and smiling gently, and no chance for a higher position. And, I was even scolded for wearing suits instead of colorful dresses to create a good atmoshere at the office.

—Ms.Thomson

Another Perspective

Susan, I've been in HR for over 20 years and am involved in recruiting on a weekly basis. The reality is that even when it appears that the candidate does EVERYTHING right, the interview is fantastic, background and references are stellar AND they can still be a really incompetent employee once the extended honeymoon is over. I think we need to be cautious and stop being so in love with our own HR viewpoint and processes. A lot of very worthwhile B team players in the end got through our maze and turned out to be very caring and attentive employees who don't call in sick with the first sniffle. (Susan responds: I don't disagree with you. We've hired many employees on both sides of the coin you describe. Just trying to help give employers some things to think about based on experience. Do these apply in every case? Absolutely not. In fact, a client just fired a 90 day employee who had passed every screen with flying colors. The inexactness of our science. Thank you for your thoughtful response. I appreciate.)

—Guest HR in Colorado

Late for the Interview

There are cases when I 've been late for interviews. But it is quite unpleasant when as a candidate you've arrived 15 min. earlier, the interviewers see you are there waiting, and just 3 min. before your interview, a late candidate turns up. I've had such a case as a candidate. And the interviewers told me to wait additional 25 min. You can guess those interviewers were amateurs. But I can remember I felt like an idiot, especially when they preferred the late one. Moreover, the interviewers told me I'd missed to mention my e-mail address - on the condition I'd sent the resume and the cover letter via e-mail (then the Internet wasn't so popular and I preferred to be informed by mobile, as I didn't have Internet all the time). Another case: a late candidate turned up, but the interviewers told him to wait till the last of the on-time candidates had his interview time elapsed; and they didn't accept any "buts" like: "oh, I have another interview as well" - this approach seems to be right (Susan says, I agree. I would never make a candidate who was on time wait while I interviewed a late arriver.)

—Ms.Thomson

Attention to Details

I typically ask candidates to share 3 adjectives they would use to describe themselves. One candidate said she was "attentive to details" and continued to emphasize throughout our conversation that this was one of her strong points. However, her fingernails spoke differently. Her polish was chipped and obviously in need of being removed and re-applied. I paid attention to her lack of attention and chose to keep looking.

—Guest NP62