Every hiring manager has experienced it, the hiring equivalent of buyer’s remorse: you hire a candidate based on a great interview, only to find that they are better at talk than action. You won’t weed out bad job candidates every single time, but if you learn to watch for common red flags during interviews, you’ll find that you hit home runs more often than striking out.
It’s All About the Candidate
Sure, you want to learn what makes job candidates tick during interviews, but if the interview begins to resemble a monologue more than a give and take, that’s a red flag. Candidates who talk on and on about their accomplishments, but ask too few questions about the job or the organization, may be more interested in furthering their own goals than helping the organization reach its goals.
It’s All About the Job
On the other end of the spectrum are candidates who simply speak to the job description or the organization, giving very little information about themselves and their past job experience. While this may be a sign of shyness or nerves, it could also be a sign that the candidate has little experience or has skeletons in their closet. If attempts to draw the candidate out fail, or answers seem a little too rehearsed or evasive, you may want to keep looking.
Too Many Questions (Or Not Enough)
While you want to hear job candidates ask questions about the organization during an interview, when candidates ask too many questions that could have been answered by reading the job posting more closely, or taking a look at the website or other company information, it’s a sure sign that the candidate didn’t care enough to do the homework before the interview. Likewise, if candidates don’t ask any questions at all, that usually means they don’t know enough to know what they don’t know!
Even the most skillful job interviews could use a little help. Staffing Partners is here to give hiring managers and HR professionals a helping hand when it comes to interviewing. The temporary and temp-to-hire candidates we provide to employers come pre-screened for the credentials and experience employers seek. Call us to today to begin a great hiring partnership!
