Candidate Red Flags: The Warning Signs To Be Wary Of
Lack of research
When a candidate can’t explain to you why they’ve applied to your job, it is likely that they’re not serious about it, and just applied because they need any old job. If you’ve given them information and the opportunity to do some research, and they still don’t come back with much, then they’re definitely not passionate about the opportunity. A candidate that can’t be bothered to spend a couple of hours on google looking into an opportunity that will affect their future, is going to really struggle to get through an interview, let alone their probationary period. Someone who doesn’t do their research probably assumes everything will be handed to them, meaning they lack initiative and ambition.
Job hopping
At school, you get told that work experience will add credibility to your job applications, and will illustrate your ability to do the job you’re applying for. Whilst this is true, some get the impression, and misconception, that having a lot of jobs on your CV is equal to having a better variety of experience. Contrary to this belief, candidates who have one or two employers for a year each are likely to be more of a sound investment than those who have had 4 or 5 employers over that period of time, due to loyalty and commitment vs being flighty and indecisive.
Here it is important to distinguish between being ‘job hoppy’ and having worked in a lot of different casual roles, such as festivals, events and one-off projects, because these are often favoured by students due to the flexibility around term times.
Gaps in the CV
This isn’t referring to gaps due to education (though someone who studied medicine will have more reason to have not worked through uni over someone who did a less intense subject), but rather extended periods of unemployment for no obvious reason. Someone with a history of having time out of work may be unmotivated and potentially quite flaky; this definitely depends on their situation, but is a warning sign nonetheless.
Poorly written CV
It is vital that time and effort are put into both the writing of the CV and the proof reading of it, simply because it is used to make a first impression on our behalf. If it is poorly put together, either in a grammatical sense or layout wise, then the candidate is inadvertently suggesting that they aren’t top notch – if you have recieved a CV with heaps of spelling errors and no headings to speak of, the owner of it is likely to have poor attention to detail, may not be serious about their job search, and are simply lazy.
Arrogance
The amount of arrogance that a candidate exhibits will be more accepted in one role than another, so this point should definitely be taken with a pinch of salt. Arrogance that is tolerated (and expected) in sales is going to be much more than what you would tend to see from someone in IT. Broadly speaking though, if a candidate possesses high levels of arrogance, they are likely to be a nightmare to work with, and will think that they know what’s best for them. These people tend to try and push the limits, and may care less about the work you have put in as their recruiter or hiring manager; expect to have calls ignored, annoying comments made, and potentially negative feedback from clients.
Lack of inquisitiveness
You have to wonder how much a candidate really cares about the role on offer to them if they’re not asking you any questions, or being inquisitive at all. It is their future, and serious candidates will want to know everything about what they’re getting themselves in for – where they’ll be working, what the dynamic of the team is, what’s in it for them etc. Everyone likes an easy and optimistic candidate, but you also want one that will dig deeper, and try to find out as much as they can about the opportunity.
Lack of contact
With technology so readily available these days, there really is no excuse for a candidate to be terrible with staying in touch. If you’ve already been in contact with a candidate, and they don’t answer your calls or reply to your emails (especially when you’ve arranged a time to talk), they’re likely rating their job search as a low priority. Candidates who do this and then take a long time to reply, with little or no reason as to why they didn’t get back to you, they’re quite likely to be lazy, unmotivated, not serious about the role, and again, potentially quite arrogant. The exception to this rule, of course, is if they are genuinely tied up at work or have warned you they may be a little hard to catch on the phone with a reason why.
Lacks accountability
If a candidate can’t take responsibility for things that potentially haven’t gone their way in the past, such as receiving bad grades, or claiming to not having any weaknesses, they either aren’t aware of having ever been wrong (and are therefore not very perceptive) or are simply denying it (and are arrogant, a liar, think highly of themselves etc). Being able to confront your personal downfalls, and admit that you’ve not always made the best decisions, is key as it shows the ability to self-assess, be introspective and be your own critic. It makes it hard to judge how someone will deal with setbacks in a role if they don’t admit to ever being wrong. This is why so often the question “tell me your weaknesses” is favoured – if they aren’t able to identify areas where they need to improve, they are likely to never seek help and therefore never move forward in that particular area.
One-word answers
Basic conversational skills are essential in not only connecting with a person, but also tells a lot about their passion and level of interest. If they can’t hold a conversation with you, what makes you think they can with the end customer? Or with clients? This is by no means saying that the candidate has to be spilling their life story, or chatting your ear off, but the ability to bounce off the questions you are being asked will be an indicator of how well they will do in the interview, and within the role itself. Whether the candidate is lazy, reserved or merely someone of few words, they still need to be able to show a level of interest, as it is their future.
Slating previous employers
A candidate who talks badly about previously employers can be a problem for a number of reasons. It is understandable for them to have potentially had a negative experience with a boss or company in the past, but you will never fully know the extent to which it could have been avoided, as there are two sides to every story. The candidate may well have been completely right in whatever situation it was, but them slating their previous employer hints they may be a little ‘precious’, for lack of a better word. If they have experienced an unfavourable situation, they should try to look at it positively and not in a blaming way. After all, if they’re badmouthing a previous employer, what makes you think they won’t do the same to you, or to your clients.
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