Hiring Managers Share The Biggest Red Flags They've Ever Seen During An Applicant's Interview

Lick Every Last Drop Of Sweat

We interviewed a guy once for an engineering position. We Asked the typical, " what do you like to do in your free time?" He said he really enjoyed taking his dog with him on a long run to decompress (so far so good)

—then he went into excruciating detail of how his dog likes to lick every last drop of sweat off his body as he undresses for the shower. It was cringey!

We figured if he didn't have the innate judgement to keep that Info to himself in an interview, that he likely wouldn't exercise good judgment with our customers.

- Speakinmymind96

Snatching Defeat From The Jaws Of Victory

I was hiring for a field technician position and brought three equally qualified candidates in for interviews. They all had sufficient experience with other contractors so all I really cared about was how they presented themselves and how they spoke to someone in a position of authority.

First two candidates were excellent. I figured it was going to be a super tough choice between the two of them at least. Then the third candidate completely blows away the other two in how he presents himself. He's clearly very gifted and is super ambitious and I'm about ten seconds away from telling him he'll receive and offer before the end of the week.

He starts telling me he's excited for this opportunity because he feels his current employer is going under because of some poor business decisions over the last year. Signing contracts that they can't complete and things like that.

I ask an open ended question like "how would you do it better?" And this fella tells me something to the effect of:

"Well, I don't know much about business but one time I was working on interac (credit card) machines and found a way to add my personal bank account information to the machine. So I did that to help boost my personal income because I figured it wouldn't be easy to trace. But don't worry I cleared it all up with the cops and had to pay all the money back. Oh and that's what the company should have done - find a way to generate passive income until something more profitable came along."

I was floored. I just stared at him. I couldn't even respond. He just confessed to a felony and flat out told me he believed companies should do the same thing.

He asked me straight up how that story would affect his chances. I told him I had other candidates that probably fit the role a little better but would keep him in consideration for future opportunities.

- anonymat

School Days

Had a guy come in wearing his HS wrestling medals. I don't recall exactly how old he was, but minimum age for the job was 21 so he was at least that.

- boogboi89

I did similar. Had an interview for a mobile phone shop and brought in my rowing trophies from university. I was 22 and still cringe at that.

My defense is I'd been applying for loads of different jobs and not getting anywhere so thought I'd go more visual.

- MooMorris

There is a local lawyer that has a commercial about how he was good at football so that's why he should be on your "team". How does being good at football translate to being a great legal mind? And no its not in Texas.

- fied1k

"I Hate The Truth" 

I was interviewing a candidate for a technical position ( electronic design )

I handed them a dry erase marker and asked them to draw ( this particular easy circuit) on the white board and explain how it works.

The candidate stood in front of the white board looking uncomfortable and I heard them say under their breath "I hate the truth"

- mdscentist61

"Is It A Flesh Colored T-shirt?" 

My boss had a zoom interview with a dude who didn't bother to put on a shirt. He didn't get the job.

It was for a job as a baker in Ontario. Apparently he looked like he just rolled out of bed. No shirt. My boss barely remembered his interview answers because she spent the whole time thinking "why isn't he wearing a shirt? is it a flesh coloured t-shirt. Nope."

- Rawrbekka

Punching Proficiency

This one kid was very proud of the fact that he got so mad one time, he punched a couple windows on a bus and broke them. Somehow he thought this was a good story to tell us in the interview.

- ChrisBerman410

Maybe that's why I've struggled with getting interviews previously... I have failed to list my punching proficiency on my resume.

- followthedarkrabbit

Yes, anger management and destruction of proper is exactly what we look for in an employee.

- echogecko795

Having A Meeting About Not Hiring Them EVER

The building was key card access, so everyone else had to sign in with security. Because we work with special needs populations, certain things are simply not allowed in the building. All of this is explained when they get the interview.

Security asks me to come talk to this guy because he has a chain wallet, a key ring with a pill holder and a pepper spray bottle - all of which is banned. He is refusing to leave at security to come in for his interview. I tell him those are the rules.

Interview goes acceptably until I ask how he would handle a client offering him money or favors in return for privileges or contraband. He laughed and asked how cute they were.

The job he was applying for would have had him on a ward with teenagers. I literally had a meeting about how we were not hiring this person EVER later that day with others just in case he tried to interview again with another manager.

- PolyFuckery

Wardrobe Change

Some years ago (my early 20s) when I was first promoted to a supervisory position, my manager was demonstrating interview techniques. He asked me to collect the lady coming in from reception so I could get a first impression.

She was smartly dressed in a trouser suit and carrying quite a large bag, I would guess age around 50. She asked who would be doing the interview so I gave the job title and she asked to clarify if it was male or female, so I confirmed it was male. This was when it got weird.

She asked to use the bathroom on the way to the interview meeting room, so I showed her where it was and waited outside for her.

10 minutes later (and now late for the interview)she came out, total change of outfit. Now it was mini skirt, very low top, high heels and hair down. We carried on to the meeting room for the interview and I sat and watched my managers interview technique dissipate.

She was constantly crossing and uncrossing legs, leaning forwards and playing with her hair. The interview lasted 15 minutes and I ended up showing her out. She didn't get the job but it gave us a helluva laugh.

- betaraybee

Media Matters

I was managing a sushi restaurant owned by an Asian family who are actually Chinese not Japanese, this will be an important fact in a moment.

We were hiring and a guy came in to hand in his resume. He had a full length leather jacket on and slicked back long black hair.

He handed me his resume and told me he was fluent in Japanese from watching anime. Safe to say, this was not an important skill at a restaurant owned by a Chinese family in a mainly white town. I did not call him for an interview.

- Rule34FF

We had someone claim to be bilingual in English and Spanish (a requirement for the position). When the Spanish speaking manager began asking questions, the applicant revealed she only knew what she had picked up from watching telenovelas.

That was just one portion of her highly entertaining interview. Another highlight was when she tried to hide her grocery bags in our lobby plants while she was waiting.

- KellyAnn3106

Trying To Hide My Expression

I wasn't the manager, but was part of the hiring process.

My boss would walk over with the interviewee, who was supposed to sit with me so I could show them about a half hour of "a day in the life". I was also the laid back part of the interview to see if they said something incredibly stupid.

This time, when I looked up, I very quickly had to hide my expression. It was someone that I had worked with previously, and had absolutely hated.

Not only would she have been a bad fit personality wise, but her work ethic was god awful. The interviewee automatically assumed she had it in the bag, and dropped her veneer of professionalism.

She sat back, leaned back in the chair, and told me that I didn't need to show her anything, she was sure she would get the hang of the job "sooner or later" and since I was there, I would absolutely get her in.

My boss came back to get her, and I walked into her boss' office and sat down. When my boss walked back in, she asked what the look on my face was for when she brought the interviewee over. She knew something was up, but couldn't tell what.

I explained what it was like working with her before (unprofessional, uncoachable, played by whatever rules she decided she wanted to follow), and then what she had done in this interview.

My boss and her boss then called the agency and said that they needed new candidates.

- Schroedingersnewcat