Raising Red Flags is Raising the White Flag in a Job Interview

Preparation is Red Flag Prevention

The Job Market is as competitive as ever, despite appearances via every job board out there of an overabundance of available jobs. At a glance, we see countless job opportunities, surely enough for the unemployed, with plenty left for those currently employed to consider moving on to greener pastures. As always, appearances can be deceiving. Labor statistics, often politicians, may suggest a rich, plentiful job market, but exclude the percentage of openings that fall into the minimum and low-wage categories, as retail and fast food industry deal with high employee turnover that leads to an ongoing need to hire.

Upwards of HALF of available jobs fall into the Low-Paying category as reported by The Brookings Institute in 2020

US Data on Wages and Demographics

Our focus is not on the numbers, but the quality of jobs available, particularly for people in the midst of their career, who have worked through entry and mid-level roles into more specialized, higher-level jobs they hope to continue rather than start over. Having spent years building a career to build and support a family, run a household, and live a certain, even if modest, lifestyle based on current and conservative projections of future earnings, ‘starting over’ can be life-changing, if not devastating. It makes sense that the focus, at least in the early stages, is to pick up where we left off.

But it’s not that easy. The more specialized and higher the level of role, the more fierce the competition will be, both in the number and the quality of candidates. This is why the job search process is a nerve-wracking one, and each positive response, callback, and interview has to be treated as moments we simply do not miss making the most of. Getting past the gatekeepers, be it an ATS-Applicant Tracking Software, Talent or Recruitment Team, or both, to earn an interview is itself an achievement. But it is only the first step. Now the work begins, and will require extensive preparation to present your best-self, which means to say and do all the right things, of course, but to also practice avoiding saying and doing the wrong things. Inadvertently tossing up a Red Flag will close your opportunity before it’s truly begun. Focus forward – you got through, and there is work to do!

The Interview – Finally!

You have applied to several, probably many, and possibly too many to count, and with little response, you are thrilled to earn an interview. Woo-Hoo, nothing feels better, short of the job offer when in the midst of a job-search. It is time now to shift gears from Research-and-Apply Mode to Get-Ready-to-Bring-It Mode. This is what all of the work and time spent these weeks and month have been for, and treating it as anything less than the ‘Most Important Thing’ at this moment will most assuredly cost you the opportunity. With the miniscule percentage of interviews given for most openings, once securing yours, you have as good a chance as everyone in this small pool of interviewees to land the job. It is often the Best Interview that moves you along and ultimately lands the offer. Now it’s time to shine, to stand out, and Take It Over the Finish Line, and Preparation is Everything.

We won’t spend time on the most obvious red flags that everyone should know:

• Be On Time, and Early is Better!
• Dress Appropriately
• Courtesy and Politeness
• Showing Enthusiasm for the Opportunity and Role

Article from April 2024 on Hiring Managers experience in seeing and responding to Red Flags they encounter during interviews:

Red Flags – Adventures in Interviewing

These are all first-impressions, and if not done right will immediately set alarms off in your interviewer’s head. You will not just ‘hurt your chances’, but may cause your interviewer to throw you out of the room! Not really, but it may lead to a short session, where as a courtesy you are asked a single question or maybe a couple of easy ones before a segue to “What questions do you have for me?” – i.e., if your interviewer quickly moves to closing questions and statements within five to ten minutes, assume that you have thrown up a red flag, and this opportunity will not be yours! Let’s move onto more substantive Red Flags to think about, and more importantly, how to avoid them all.

Red Flag 1-Lack of Preparation

You picked the company, picked the job, applied to the job, and now you’re there – Congratulations! Once at the table, you need to show what you know about the:

• Industry
• Company
• Role
• Goals
• Competition
• Market Projections
• Key Areas of Expertise Needed
• The Hiring/Leadership Team
  • This is not always available, so any on-line sleuthing, or networking within the company itself, or even the industry, may give you names and perhaps intel on the team, and a well-placed name drop, or suggestion or compliment about the strength of the team and your desire to be part of it can make a huge difference in upping your prospects for hire.

Remember, it’s not enough to have a nice resume, get the interview, and simply share ‘what you’ve done’. Bring more to the table by sharing what you WILL DO for this company based on what you’ve done, tying in your knowledge of the team, company, its goals, competitive threats and your vision and ability to overcome all challengs and drive success. Preparing to speak like a ‘Team Member’ and not an ‘Outsider’, allows the interviewer to feel your passion, and begin picturing you as part of the team, seeing how intelligently you’re able to speak on so many areas as fluently as an active employee.

 

Red Flag 2-Choose Your Attitude

Having interviewed thousands of people, I have seen people come in with a poor attitude, whether disinterested, acting superior, or flat-out negative. Ask your friends or contacts in the industry who hire, and they will no doubt share the same experience. The savvier candidate may try to hide a bad attitude, putting on a positive, energetic and upbeat show, but after a few questions, particularly those that dig into sensitive areas, the true attitude the of a candidate comes out. What is driving it can run the gamut, from looking at this role as a step down, to extended periods of unemployment causing feelings of exhaustion or exasperation, to simply having a bad day or in the midst of a tough period in life. The reason is only known to the candidate, but for actual consideration, the candidate needs to have the self-awareness and self-regulation to overcome any negative feelings to put themselves in a positive, constructive place they exude from start to finish.

Red Flag 3 – Communication Skills

Effective communication is a fundamental and obvious requirement for any role, and it is a key area being assessed from the first resume review to the final stages of interviewing. Sloppy resumes from poor grammar, spelling or typos, to the use of jargon, slang, undefined acronyms, or rambling through answers that become difficult to decipher for the interviewer are all signs of communication that will easily be put in the ‘Cons’ column. It highlights the need to practice what you will say, and how you will speak(Yes, Practice the Words, Phrasing, Order, and Inflection) on the key areas most likely to be discussed.

Red Flag 4 – Speak Your Truth (And Just the Truth!)
There are things we can change and control, and things we cannot. What is in the past cannot be changed, but we can control the decisions we make to impact the future. Simple as it sounds, when it comes to an interview, some candidates try too hard to cover for, or gloss over, what they perceive as weak spots in their resume instead of being transparent, and explaining what needs explanation. Speaking differently about education, training, associations, or on length of time, level of role, or specific accomplishments that contradict what is on paper will cause concerns. Some concerns may not be called out by the interviewer, and may be a test to see what you offer proactively. But expect that things like gaps, or frequent job movement, and any contradictions will surely be noticed and either your explanation or lack thereof will be part of your assessment. A resume can never, and should never, capture everything a person can speak to more eloquently and comprehensively in person. Inconsistencies, some of which may be failing to recall accurately dates and times, particularly those years earlier, can appear as deception, and to some degree they are. Thus, as part of your practice for the interview, rehearse answers to questions you expect to be asked, and fact-check that they line up perfectly to your resume.

Red Flag 5 – Alignment & Adaptability

You have the skills and the experience and strong communication skills. Do you have the adaptability to do many different things, demonstrated over and over again throughout your career. That does not mean you are a fit for ‘This Job’, ‘Right Here’, for which you have applied and are now interviewing. You can check most, even all boxes of the job requirements you saw in a job description, but understanding how each requirement is weighted from the company standpoint may be a mystery, and one that you don’t solve until the interviewer presses a specific requirement or two, or three, with their questions. Here is where your preparation and study of the specific requirements is imperative. Have your answers ready, how you have done it, and how it will help the company and make you successful in the role. Having the recognition and adaptability to shift gears on the fly as you see your interviewer stress certain areas more than others will position you to stay aligned with the interviewer and shape your responses to the areas you recognize the hiring team needs most.

The job search process, particularly one that happens in the midst of extended unemployment, can be brutal, and takes a toll on a person. When you know you have the talent, the experience, and the desire to work hard, and help a company achieve their goals, knowing all that you can bring, and yet no one seems to be interested, it can be defeating. But you will get responses and interest, and why it is imperative to be prepared at any moment to go All-In through the interview stage and knock ‘em dead. There is much to think about when preparing for those thirty to sixty minutes(on average) of the interview itself. Don’t sweat it, and don’t overthink it. Just prepare for it. Yes, a ‘red flag’ can lead to a candidate’s exclusion, but you can see that they are all avoidable. And all come down to Preparation, as in:

• Red Flag1: Prepare to Speak on your Extensive Knowledge and Understanding of the company, it’s history, culture, competition – Speak Like an Insider!
• Red Flag 2: Prepare your Attitude, knowing anything but Positivity, Enthusiasm, Thoughtfulness, Politeness, and Empathy will cost you.
• Red Flag 3: Prepare how you will Communicate: Language, Terms, Appropriate/Non-Slang Responses, overuse of ‘Filler’: ‘Ummm’, ‘Y’know’, ‘Actually…’, ‘Truly’…, ‘To be honest’…., all of which come across as: “I’m not really sure where I’m going with this, so let me buy a second or two while I think of something…”.
• Red Flag 4: Prepare Your Facts: Stand strong and proud of what you’ve done, and what you bring to the table. Don’t cover up, gloss over, or make up something you think will sound better than the truth. You will surely forget a detail or two, ‘fold under cross-examination’, and that will be that. So Practice Your Truth and Speak It!
• Red Flag 5: Prepare to Demonstrate how you, your skills, your experience, are perfectly aligned to the needs and requirements of the job, staying ready to flex in the direction of the interview, shaping responses to touch on the areas you sense are the most critical to the hiring team.

As overused as it may be here, ‘Preparation’ can’t be overstated. It is the Kryptonite against the Red Flag. You have worked so hard to get here, and to earn the interview. Respecting It shows how much you Believe In and Respect Yourself and Your Career. Always Believe, Be Prepared, and Never Give Up!