What Bugs Interviewers

What Else Bugs Interviewers?

From Career Tips, 2026 Volume 6, June

 

Is there a red flag that would cause you to almost certainly rule out that candidate?

 

Last month I shared the first 3 responses I received; here are the remainder:

 

1. I'd be concerned that the candidate is not focused on what they can do for my organization going forward, instead being mired in the past.

 

This is so key. The stories you share, and the answers you give, should all be future-focused. Yes, they are examples of what you have done in the past, but the purpose is to have the interviewer imagine how you can overcome similar challenges and produce comparable results in the future for them.

 

This is often something that trips up older candidates, who may talk too much about ‘how we used to do things.’

 

2. The employer may have a policy for gaps and how long.

 

This is a new one on me.

 

I can understand a prospective employer wanting to explore any gaps, particularly any lengthy ones, but to have a specific policy on them? I’ve in the past worked with clients who were unemployed for six months, a year, even two years, and we were always able to overcome those gaps.

 

If I were the hiring manager, the important thing would be why the gap occurred and for how long, and whether that speaks to future issues or performance.

 

These situations are so context-sensitive that I can’t see a hard-and-fast rule working out well. For example, having been responsible enough to take an extended break to care for family might actually make one a better potential hire. The employer just might need some assurance that whatever issue caused the prior gap is now resolved or under control.

 

3. Anyone who can’t show me curiosity about the job / company / industry won’t work for me. Big problems nearly always start as little problems that have grown before being discovered. Such discovery requires curiosity.

 

I fully agree. Candidates need to bring a curiosity mindset to the interview, and not hesitate to ask the more difficult, probing questions. This is one of the best ways both to show interest and engagement, and to demonstrate an important work attribute.

 

4. Offering confidential info from another employer.

 

You might be tempted to do this, to show some special insider knowledge or perspective you can bring to the table, or just to demonstrate your knowledge of the competition. Don’t do it!

 

All you are really showing is that you don’t respect professional boundaries. A prospective employer who tries to get this type of information from you has just shown themselves to not be of the highest ethical standards, or may even be testing you to see what yours are.

 

5. A racist or sexist comment.

 

Even if the interviewer goes there, resist. If they do it, it tells you their culture is probably not a healthy one. And all you need is one person in the entire interview process to experience or hear about your comment, and your application is likely to be shredded, and you may now go on the ‘no future hire possible’ list. Plus, if it’s a firm of any significant size, they almost certainly have a policy against it

 

6. Lying.

 

There’s a big difference between presenting your past roles, duties and accomplishments in the best light and telling untruths. Don’t cross that line!

 

Even something as simple as presenting an inflated title on your resume can come back to haunt you.

 

As soon as a hiring manager catches you in even a little fib, they will now wonder what else you might have been telling them that isn’t true. They will now consider any past accomplishment you share as potentially dubious, and will no longer believe they are experiencing the authentic you (unless the authentic you is the one who can't be relied upon to tell the truth).

 

And this doesn’t end with the hiring decision. Many have either had offers rescinded due to misinformation discovered during background checks, or been fired later on when the lie was discovered. At my last company, our Controller was fired more than a year after he started, when it was discovered that something on his resume was not true.

 

I have a little bit more to share next time from my survey.  What do you think? Drop me a note and share your thoughts on this.(opens in new tab)

 

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