Red Flags in Interviews for Candidates and Interviewers

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What are some common red flags in interviews? What should candidates and interviewers be on the lookout for during an interview?

Interviews can be intimidating to sit down for. Candidates might be interviewing for a company they’ll spend years working at, and interviewers are making a major change by hiring a new employee. If either spots a red flag that seems concerning, they should take note and possibly take action.

Below are major red flags in interviews that both candidates and interviewers shouldn’t ignore during the process.

Red Flags That Candidates Should Pay Attention To

The interview is the perfect opportunity to get to know the company you’re applying to better. You can research the company for hours and hours, but it’s wise to pay attention to what you can pick up from the interviewer, who has first-hand experience of what it’s like working there.

Oftentimes, employees miss red flags in interviews because they need a job. But, the following red flags should make you think twice.

The Manager Expects Mandatory Overtime

Crunch culture is a term used by critics of toxic working environments in the video game industry, but crunch culture can be found in any type of work environment. Hustle culture is another term to describe this toxic environment. Blood, Sweat, and Pixels by Jason Schreier warns against mandatory overtime because it could create burnout, physical strain, and mental health problems down the line.

As Schreier says, delays and setbacks are almost inevitable during the production of any type of project, due in large part to development challenges. However, many managers don’t know how to lead a team to overcome these setbacks and how long certain tasks will take.

Schreier adds that a common reason for delays is that some managers believe what they’re doing is art, and it’s hard to know when a work of art is finished. This is especially true for those in any creative industry. Even if a game or a phone is fully functional, it’s hard to say that it’s “done.” For example, perhaps the graphics could be improved or a new feature added to make the product even better.

Schreier explains that, because product cycles sometimes take much longer than expected, your interviewer might encourage overtime by offering “potential for promotions” or even bonuses. However, if they’re not solid about the rewards and can’t accept that you work only the standard hours per week, then the working environment is a “crunch culture.”

Such grueling schedules take a heavy toll on employees’ personal lives and mental health. Keeping up with the work requires a workaholic mindset; even then, exhaustion and burnout are common problems in various industries. If the company you’re applying for sounds like this, then you might want to get out before it’s too late.

The Manager Doesn’t Give Recognition

Another red flag in interviews to look out for is that the interviewer doesn’t give recognition to the employees. Perhaps you ask about whom you’ll be working with and what your responsibilities will be. This is an opportunity for the interviewer (and, in most cases, the manager) to gloat about their current employees’ hard work and perseverance to help the company succeed. But, if the manager talks only about themself, then it’s not a good sign. It almost always means that your efforts will go unnoticed in the workplace.

We all desire to feel like our efforts are important. Recognition from people, especially your managers, is a very direct way of achieving this. Carrots and Sticks Don’t Work by Paul Marciano argues that positive feedback can lead to hours of increased productivity. Positive feedback is reinforcement that makes the behavior more likely to happen again, unprompted.

Managers tend to overestimate how much they give recognition and underestimate how important it is to employees. Some people keep a positive sticky note from their boss for months—it means that much to them.

Failure to reinforce through recognition actually suppresses behavior. If a manager assigns a project and doesn’t reward hard work to meet its deadline, the worker is less likely to meet the deadline next time. If a manager admonishes a worker for poor behavior, and the worker corrects it but doesn’t receive positive feedback, she’ll fall back to the bad behavior because there’s less reason to correct it.

You’ll likely be much happier and fulfilled if you join a company where everyone feels appreciated for their contributions. Even if your work seems meaningless to you, it’s your manager’s job to reassure you that it means something to the company’s purpose.

Red Flags That Interviewers Should Pay Attention To

Managers often recall red flags in interviews sometime later, and they regret ignoring them or not exploring them more fully. If you have a hunch that a candidate isn’t humble or hungry, keep digging until you resolve your doubt. Let’s look at how you can hone your hunches about this sort of information.

The Candidate Lacks Motivation

One of the first things you should look for in a candidate is whether they’re motivated to do the job, says Patrick M. Lencioni in The Ideal Team Player. If they’re not, then hiring them will not serve the company’s goals. It’s a major red flag in an interview when a candidate doesn’t appear hungry to get the job done.

As an interviewer, here are some questions you can use to screen candidates for their hunger for success:

Tell me about a time when you’ve gone beyond what’s expected in your current job.
Why are you excited about the team’s mission?
What kinds of challenges are you eager to take on?
How would you contribute in areas beyond your responsibility?
Describe a time when you worked really hard on something. (Here, you’re looking for passion and excitement for the project rather than complaints about the workload.)
What work did you do as a teenager? (Here, you’re looking for their work ethic, which forms early in life.)

If you are unsatisfied with any of the answers you get to these questions, then this person might not be right for the job. Even if you hired them in the hopes that you could help spark that motivation, hunger is harder to develop because it involves attitude. Lack of motivation is obvious and measurable—people who lack hunger typically do less or produce less. But, pointing out the need to do more isn’t enough.

Unmotivated people often choose to be this way because it’s to their benefit—not being the one who offers to do more means less pressure and responsibility and more time to do what they prefer doing. Some people prefer a predictable routine at work so they can focus their energy on outside interests.

The Candidate Lacks Humility

Another red flag in interviews to look out for is when candidates lack humility. Similar to managers not giving recognition to employees, some people lack true interest in helping colleagues or the team. Companies that emphasize teamwork don’t need selfish people weighing them down. It all comes down to spotting the type of ambition the candidate has.

According to Ben Horowitz’s book The Hard Thing About Hard Things, ambition comes in two flavors. The wrong kind of ambition emphasizes a person’s personal success regardless of the company’s success. The right kind of ambition emphasizes the company’s success, with the person’s success coming only as a consequence.

Hiring people with the wrong kind of ambition pollutes the company. These people are demotivating to work for. Why work endless hours just to further the manager’s personal career? In contrast, working alongside people with the right kind of ambition is invigorating—everyone is working toward a mission that’s larger than themselves.

You can screen for ambition in the interview process. People with the wrong kind of ambition do these things:

They use “I” when talking about successes and “we” when talking about failures.
When you probe further into successes, they often know little about the actual details.
They care about their personal compensation above details on how the company will win.
They talk about their career work in terms of personal stepping stones, such as “This was my consumer play” or “I wanted to build out my resume.”

People with the right kind of ambition do the opposite:

They use “we” when talking about successes and “I” when talking about mistakes/failures.
They know minute details about how successes were achieved.
They ask first about how the company plans to win. Their personal compensation comes second.

Final Words

Making the final decision in the interview process isn’t easy. There are so many factors that both the candidates and the interviewer have to consider. Sometimes, the bad outweighs the good, especially if a company or your career is at stake. Don’t be afraid to cut ties if the red flags are too big to ignore.

What are other red flags in interviews that pique your attention? Let us know in the comments below!

Red Flags in Interviews for Candidates and Interviewers