Interview Red Flags
Even More Interview Red Flags
From Career Tips, 2026 Volume 3, March
Last month I shared two additional red flags, and asked this question about a possible third:
Is it OK for subordinates to interview candidates for their boss's role?
What prompted this question was this comment I received from someone in response to my original LinkedIn post on Interview Red Flags:
“I always advise my clients not to have subordinates interview their potential bosses, because it rarely produces an objective assessment. Personally, if a company structures interviews that way, it’s a red flag for me and I usually reconsider moving forward with the opportunity.”
I set up a quick survey on this last month:
I promised to share my own take on this, but first, here are the survey results so far:
Most thought either it was a good idea for subordinates to interview the candidates, or felt it wouldn’t really bother them. Only one considered it a serious red flag. That person’s reasoning?
“You are getting information through a filter. The subordinate may not know why their boss is leaving. The subordinate may not know what the company plans are for their boss's replacement.”
While that’s true, that wouldn’t translate into a serious red flag for me.
I certainly need to consider those variables in how I interpret what they tell me, but I can also validate through the conversations that I would have with others in the interview schedule. Plus, if the subordinate isn’t well informed about those issues, that’s good for me to know. It could speak to communication issues in the operation, and ways I might improve that.
What about those who thought it was a good idea to include subordinates in the interview schedule?
“It gives the interviewer insight into how the boss's subordinates think and what they find as important attributes for the boss.”
“If this is the corporate culture AND if the selected interviewers are identified top talent / succession candidates for the role down the road, I believe this shows trust in succession candidates' opinions and most likely will create a better outcome for the incoming leader and the developing talent.”
I think that point about trust is a really good one. Just the decision whether or not to include a subordinate in the process can speak volumes. It’s analogous to whether or not a boss chooses to take subordinates with them to important meetings and give them exposure to others of influence within the organization.
Others shared these thoughts:
“It lets the candidate get a different view of company culture. One hiring manager had me interview with the most troublesome subordinate who would be reporting to me. He wanted me to know what I was getting into and also get a sense of how the two of us would interact. I felt that was a good move on his part.”
“I've been the subordinate in this situation, several times. I thought of it as a courtesy thing and didn't seriously expect anyone to care about my opinion, although comments were invited. On one such occasion, the candidate may as well have been wearing a big neon sign saying, "I'm not going to work out." It took me two hours to compose a diplomatic note, maybe two sentences long, to say that. After all, this was going to be my supervisor.
Guess what? The candidate was hired, and didn't work out. Maybe if someone had seriously considered my input, it would have saved everyone a lot of aggravation. In fairness to that employer, most of the managers would check with the receptionist before hiring anyone. People put on a nice front for people in power, but the receptionist knows how you behave when you think the boss isn't looking.”
Here’s my own take, based on my 15 years as a hiring manager. I always included people at a variety of levels in the interview process:
- A future peer,
- My boss,
- Someone they would work closely with from another department,
In the case where someone might be working for that person, I would include them as well, for 2 reasons:
1. I want their perspective, and want to be able to get an early indication if there might be any issues in that relationship that I may need to deal with.
I’m particularly interested in how someone from below might look at this decision, since it can be hard for me to put myself in their shoes, and look clearly at things from that perspective. And they might very well see something I might miss from my own vantage point.
2. I want the person who will be working for them to feel heard, and not feel like they were ignored in the process. They certainly have skin in the game here, and I want them to feel like they got a chance to have skin in the game in the hiring process as well.
None of this means that I give them veto power – the ultimate decision is still up to me. But I want to be sure I get thoughtful input from all directions to weigh in my choice.
What do you think? Drop me a note and share your thoughts on this.
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