Ask any HR team and everyone on it will tell you that weeding out the wrong candidates is as important as picking out the right ones.For one, taking unsuitable candidates out of the equation during early screening takes quite a load off the recruitment process, allowing an HR team to concentrate on the ones that actually suit the role.Secondly, if there are any red flags raised, HR personnel can make note and highlight these candidates in their system. This way, even when these candidates approach the organization for employment by any other means, the team will receive a timely notification to thwart any such attempt.
Red Flags that Help Detect Unsuitable Candidates
From vague answers to grammar errors, here are six answers to the question, “There’s a long list of warning signs that help weed out wrong candidates. Which one do you count on?”. Some of these are too serious to ignore, while others need a little work and they can very well be corrected.
Vague Answers to Interview Questions
Lack of Preparation
Poor Representation on Social Media
Punctuality Problems
Negativity
Punctuation and Grammar Errors
Vague Answers to Interview Questions
From my experience as an interviewer, the biggest candidate red flag is responding vaguely to questions I ask.
I’ve noticed competent candidates are eager to continue the conversation and provide elaborate answers to interview questions. Their specific, in-depth responses are often enough to prove their credibility. Underqualified candidates or those who have exaggerated their resumes often cannot answer many basic queries, exposing themselves as bad choices for the role.
Underqualified candidates or those who have exaggerated their resumes often cannot answer many basic queries, exposing themselves as bad choices for the role.
For instance, if there’s a certain software critical to their field of work, a suitable candidate will tell me about their experience using it, where they learned how to use it, and what they think about the distinct features. The wrong applicant might name a few features and know their functions, but they usually won’t be able to say anything that proves they have hands-on experience with it.
One warning sign to help weed out wrong candidates is a lack of preparation. If a candidate comes to the interview unprepared, it could be a sign that they are not genuinely interested in the position or that they are not taking the interview process seriously.
In college, they always told us to be careful what we posted on social media, and that still holds true. Now that I am in the position of weeding out candidates for open positions at our business, once I see someone apply who has the ideal skill set, the first thing I do is search their social media profiles.
The first thing I do is search their social media profiles. Sometimes I find some pretty interesting stuff, like them bashing their former employers or bosses. Other times, I find profile pictures of them flipping the camera off or smoking drugs. Those are just red flags right away that they wouldn’t be a good fit for our company.
Sometimes I find some pretty interesting stuff, like them bashing their former employers or bosses. Other times, I find profile pictures of them flipping the camera off or smoking drugs. Those are just red flags right away that they wouldn’t be a good fit for our company.
Social media gives you the easiest way to present your best self. Make sure you’re presenting yourself in a presentable fashion; otherwise, companies will look elsewhere.
Punctuality problems persist. If a candidate is late for an important interview, this reveals a lack of planning. This will not only reflect on the time they arrive at the office each day, but also on how promptly they complete their tasks, and their ability to plan and organize work-related tasks.
If a person can’t plan their morning well, I don’t see how you can expect them to plan a work event, serve customers on time, or even come up with a working strategy at work.
It’s human nature to complain about work from time to time, but there is a time and place to do so. A job interview definitely isn’t the place to air grievances from past jobs.
I want to see candidates focusing on their strengths and value, not using their interview time to complain about other people, and this can also be a red flag of a potentially toxic employee who would be detrimental to your team’s morale and culture.
It’s human nature to complain about work from time to time, but there is a time and place to do so. A job interview definitely isn’t the place to air grievances from past jobs.
Similarly, I am wary of candidates who bring work drama into their social media feeds. Again, there’s nothing wrong with a post or two complaining about a hard day. What flags me is when they regularly post workplace gossip, get into arguments with coworkers, or have similarly immature online interactions with colleagues.
This kind of behavior can both affect team morale and reflect poorly on your company and is a definite red flag for me when I’m considering candidates.
One of the major warning signs we look for to help weed out wrong candidates is punctuation and grammar errors in their cover letters and resumes. Poor punctuation, grammar, and spelling errors are a sign that the applicant is not detail-oriented and may not be the right fit for our department.
There are multiple criteria that help decide if a candidate is right for the job or not, but when it comes to warning signs, all you need is one to weed out a wrong candidate. All you have to do is keep your eyes open.
Of course, even more important is to ensure that the rest of your team is quickly made aware of the problem. Once you have a manager’s approval, you can update the candidate’s details in your red flag section, so that the next time the candidate approaches your organization, everyone on the HR team receives an alert.
Do you rely on warning signs to help you weed out wrong candidates? Or is there another insight you’d like to share with readers across the globe?
