9 Red Flags to Look Out for in Job Candidates

The Cost of a Bad Hire

Hiring the right person for the job is no mean feat. A recent study revealed that, with hindsight, recruiters would reject around 39% of their previous hires. It’s hard to accurately assess a candidate’s work ethic, cultural fit, and personality during the recruitment, especially because they’ll be on their best behavior and will do their best to tell you exactly what you want to hear.

Making a bad hire is one of the most expensive mistakes you can make. The U.S. Department of Labor reports that the cost can reach up to 30% of the employee’s first-year earnings. The recruitment process is expensive in itself, but then you have to account for the fact that your badly chosen candidate is likely to be unmotivated and therefore unproductive. Costs are compounded by the seniority of the position, the length of time they stay in the role before leaving, and your investment in training that person. 

No one can get the hiring process right 100% of the time, but there are some things to look out for that should make you think twice about offering someone the job. Here are nine red flags to watch out for in job candidates.

1. They’re Overqualified

If a candidate has taken a significant pay cut to join your organization or if they are overqualified for the role, chances are they won’t stick around for long. They may only be taking the role as “filler” until they find a more appropriate position, sending you back to square one.

2. They’ve Had an Erratic Career Path

Alarm bells should start ringing when you’re faced with a candidate whose career has zig-zagged in several different directions in recent years. Not only does this suggest their career hasn’t progressed during this time, but it could mean they’ll get bored quickly and be eager to move on again.

3. They Gloat About Other Job Offers

This one is big for me. When I am screening a potential candidate for one of my jobs, I like to hear that they are in process with other companies, but it's how they tell me about it that matters. During the final stages of a recruitment process, it’s acceptable — even courteous — for a candidate to inform you that they’re weighing another opportunity. However, when someone boasts about their other job offers at every given opportunity, be wary. As with the overqualified candidate, this is the kind of person who will be forever on the lookout for other opportunities.

4. They Play the Victim

You’ll meet some candidates who blame anyone and everyone else for their previous failings. They’ll have plenty of negative things to say about their former boss, colleagues, and organization. They should have been promoted but they weren’t, their work was underappreciated, and the company’s processes were inefficient. It’s highly unlikely that this candidate will suddenly start radiating positivity if they were to join your organization.

5. They Have Nothing Left to Learn

This is another one that really bothers me. I often get candidates that say they can sell anything! They spend so much time name dropping during our call and telling me all they have to do is walk in the door if this doctor and that doctor that they can be the top selling rep in the country their first year on the job. This can be a real turn-off for an employer. If a candidate thinks they are the best already, what can they learn? Can they be managed? A candidate who says they have nothing left to learn in their current role is not a candidate you want to hire. There is always something new to learn and someone who disagrees is unlikely to contribute positively to your organization.

6. They Struggle to Articulate What They Did in Their Previous Role

Not only does this imply a lack of interview preparation, but it suggests this candidate was not particularly engaged or focused in their previous role. Perhaps they’ve even misrepresented themselves and their former responsibilities on their resume. If you have metrics printed on your resume, be prepared to explain to a recruiter and the hiring authority how you got them!

7. They Don’t Ask Insightful Questions

Most candidates will come prepared with at least one or two questions to ask at the end of the interview, but that’s not the sign of a good candidate. The best hires will engage enthusiastically throughout the interview, asking insightful questions in response to the discussion. This also differentiates the candidates who are listening from those who are not.

8. They Have Significant Gaps in Their Employment History

This needn’t be a red flag, but it’s certainly something worth discussing with a candidate. They might have taken time off to travel, raise a family, recover from illness, or pursue further education, all of which are reasonable explanations. Millions of people will have an acceptable gap in their CV due to COVID-19 layoffs. However, if there are one or more unexplained employment gaps, this could mean the candidate has been fired.

9. Their References Don’t Check Out

Candidate reference checks are effectively your insurance policy. You should be very suspicious if a candidate is unable or unwilling to provide you with a reference from their former employer. Give them a chance to explain why this is the case, but if there is no reasonable explanation you should think very carefully before hiring this person, particularly if they are interviewing for a senior position.

While these red flags might give an initial indication that someone isn’t right for the role, do not base your decision on these factors alone. Rushing a hiring decision could not only mean you employ the wrong person but may mean you miss out on a potentially brilliant hire.

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