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Вікторія ГорбікWork
15 January 2025, 09:00
2025-01-15
Red flags for recruiters. What not to do or say to candidates during an interview and how to behave better to get an offer
The job search process often becomes difficult for candidates. When preparing for interviews, they have to take into account various requirements put forward by recruiters and representatives of potential employers. And they often irritate specialists, because it seems that in this way recruiters are doing everything to create or single out the most «convenient» candidate even before the interview. But there is another side of the coin, which we want to look at today.
dev.ua decided to ask recruiting specialists what the so-called «rules» for selecting candidates are based on, as well as what it is better not to say to candidates during an interview and why certain statements can prevent you from getting an offer.
The job search process often becomes difficult for candidates. When preparing for interviews, they have to take into account various requirements put forward by recruiters and representatives of potential employers. And they often irritate specialists, because it seems that in this way recruiters are doing everything to create or single out the most «convenient» candidate even before the interview. But there is another side of the coin, which we want to look at today.
dev.ua decided to ask recruiting specialists what the so-called «rules» for selecting candidates are based on, as well as what it is better not to say to candidates during an interview and why certain statements can prevent you from getting an offer.
Where do recruiters get their selection «rules» from?
The recruiter conducts a comprehensive assessment of the candidate during the interview. It consists of an assessment of experience/expertise, an assessment of personal qualities, an assessment of behavior, motivation, and an assessment of the candidate’s moral and ethical principles. This is reported by Maria Samoiluk, a recruiter with almost 10 years of experience, who currently holds the position of IT recruiter at Upwork, an American company that develops a global job search platform.
«A recruiter usually doesn’t make up selection criteria on their own,» the recruiter emphasizes.
According to her, a recruiting specialist carries out the hiring manager’s orders. This will determine what becomes critical or what becomes a red flag.
In addition, she added that a recruiter can go through hard skills or professional expertise relatively superficially, because he is not always able to assess deeply. But everything related to soft skills is within the competence of an experienced recruiter. «Again, some requirements of the customer do not always coincide with the personal vision of the recruiter, so it is often necessary to abstract and evaluate the candidate objectively purely according to the requirements of the manager,» emphasizes Maria Samoiluk.
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«Dialogue, not interrogation»
However, before talking about the requirements for candidates, let’s first look at the specialists on whom the possibility of receiving an offer and a response from the employer often largely depends.
«It is worth noting that an interview is a dialogue, not an interrogation or an exam at a university. And it does not depend on the grade and position,» notes Alyona Kashchuk, a recruiter with 4 years of experience who currently works as Lead of Recruitment at FlowJobs, a company that helps find work abroad.
The first red flags for candidates that may indicate that there will be a mismatch during the interview, according to a recruiter from FlowJobs, will be the recruiter’s superiority, hostility, and unwillingness to talk or «sell» the company.
Alena also believes that there is nothing worse when a recruiter does not read the candidate’s CV before the interview and does not ask at least a few pointed questions. In addition, she is sure that if the recruiter tells everything in general phrases and does not have general information about the project, you can say goodbye without hesitation.
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Red flags for recruiters
There are several points that can raise doubts in a recruiter during an interview with a candidate. Diana Shabonova, an IT Recruiter with 4 years of experience, who currently works at the software development company DevKit, says that for her it is:
Negative comments about previous employers.
Disrespect or aggression
Career instability. Constant short-term jobs without a clear reason can arouse suspicion.
However, there are many more factors that can stop the hiring process, despite the candidate’s technical skills. In particular, according to recruiters, they can be divided into the following.
Personal qualities
Maria Samoiluk, IT recruiter at Upwork
Laziness. We’re all for work-life balance, but you’re hired to get a certain result, not for your presence.
Conflict. «My former boss didn’t understand anything about his job, and the company is just awful.» It happens that already during the interview, some candidates start talking about how everything is done wrong and works at the employer. That he knows better how it should be. But having reached a certain maturity, candidates understand that the way the company works now, how its business processes are arranged, how the systems are configured — this is all the result of the work of other specialists who had the circumstances to do just that. Therefore, respect for colleagues begins with this.
Condescension. I can assume that the condescension towards the recruiter is due to the fact that the recruiter is not an expert in your field. But this is a matter of professional communication. You either know how to communicate respectfully with different specialists — or you don’t.
Ksenia Yefremova, Senior IT Recruiter at PeopleForce, a Ukrainian company developing a multifunctional SaaS solution for HR
Self-confidence (or rather, arrogance). Being confident is always a plus, but too much is not healthy. If you consider yourself the best and constantly repeat it, but cannot argue it, it is not about confidence.
Unreasonable aggression, too much emotionality. It is very difficult to communicate with such people.
Conversation
Ksenia Yefremova, Senior IT Recruiter at PeopleForce, a Ukrainian company developing a multifunctional SaaS solution for HR
Russian language. A candidate who is unable to switch to Ukrainian even in a formal conversation and does not pay any attention to the fact that I am communicating with him in another language is not only about patriotism, but also about the lack of banal respect for the interlocutor. The fact that you do not pay attention to the elephant in the room does not make it less visible.
Disinterest in conversation. A candidate who tries hard to show that he is doing us a favor by even talking to us.
Simple answers to questions, sighs and the absence of any questions. The candidate talks non-stop and answers questions too extensively, goes far from the topic and essence, and talks about everything in a row. There are people for whom it is difficult to stop, and asking for a shorter answer does not work.
Behavior
Maria Samoiluk, IT recruiter at Upwork
Camera off, smoking, moving. Once during an interview, a candidate was walking down the street and at some point put his phone with the camera on in his pocket.
Behavior on social networks. Yes, the employer watches what you write and how. I know one man who only writes on Linkedin about which recruiters are bad, unprofessional. He has been looking for a job for almost a year. Do you think it’s all because of the recruiters?
Ksenia Yefremova, Senior IT Recruiter at PeopleForce, a Ukrainian company developing a multifunctional SaaS solution for HR
A candidate who is constantly distracted by something. First, it is always visible and not very pleasant when I tell the intro, and the candidate simultaneously switches between tabs and types something, this is disrespectful to the interlocutor. Second, such people often later ask the same questions that I told in the intro and I feel like a parrot :)
Contradictory answers to questions. For example, he says that he left his previous company because he could not conduct presales, but in your vacancy he is not bothered by the lack of such functionality and is ready to work without it. This often indicates insincerity on the part of the candidate.
Being late for an interview without notice. If a candidate shows up for an interview late without warning, without any explanation or apology, it can signal a lack of respect for others' time and organization.
Interview on the go. There are candidates who connect from somewhere on the road, from the street, from a noisy place. This is very distracting for both interlocutors and interferes with a productive discussion. If the candidate has changed his plans, it is better to simply postpone the conversation to a time when it is more convenient for him. I always suggest this as soon as I see it, but for some people it is absolutely okay to communicate in this format and, most likely, they do not perceive it as a serious dialogue.
Motivation
Maria Samoiluk, IT recruiter at Upwork
Everyone expects to see you love your job. Therefore, if you talk about your daily work with a sour face and rolling your eyes, it will be perceived as suffering from what you do. You should be interested in your work not only for the money it brings you, but also for the meaning and benefits it provides. «What will the salary be? What about the bonuses? What if I don’t meet the KPIs, what about the salary?»
Moral and ethical qualities
Maria Samoiluk, IT recruiter at Upwork
Sometimes it’s surprising that it’s even worth writing about. But there are a lot of people who don’t respect the law to varying degrees. «I took the client base from my previous job to make it easier to start at a new company.»
Ksenia Yefremova, Senior IT Recruiter at PeopleForce, a Ukrainian company developing a multifunctional SaaS solution for HR
A drunk candidate or «hangover». I didn’t think that such a thing could happen until I encountered it. And yes, it can be seen even through the camera by your condition. If your tongue is tied or your head hurts, it’s better to postpone the conversation, nothing worthwhile will come of it.
Experience
Maria Samoiluk, IT recruiter at Upwork
In addition, freelancing is often a red flag these days, because it is not clear whether you will dedicate yourself fully to the work or whether you will work for several employers at the same time.
Ksenia Yefremova, Senior IT Recruiter at PeopleForce, a Ukrainian company developing a multifunctional SaaS solution for HR
Frequent job changes due to minimal difficulties or frequent changes in priorities. Here I am not talking about objective non-compliance with conditions, reductions, etc. The market is very complex now, there have been more cases of dismissal due to project closures, and this can happen both a year and a few months after hiring. Everyone can have 1-2 such cases, but if this happens constantly, this may indicate instability of the candidate or a lack of serious attitude towards job search and minimal verification of the employer before agreeing to the offer.
He cannot recall any specific case of using a particular skill. For example, he says that he easily resolves conflicts, but he cannot give a single example or explain how he resolved a particular conflict.
What not to say in an interview
Sometimes candidates should refrain from certain conversations that are almost guaranteed to negatively impact their chances of getting the job.
Recruiter Yulia Lozynskasuggested 11 phrases that, in her opinion, candidates should refrain from using during an interview, including:
say that you like to change activities often;
I get bored quickly, I change jobs often;
but those idiots (colleagues) couldn’t do anything without me;
that you are still not ready for power outages (you don’t know about coworking, you don’t have a battery, a power bank);
don’t say that you do a lot of self-development if you don’t remember the YouTube channels/name of the publication where you like to watch professional content;
don’t say that you are willing to go anywhere for experience if you left your previous company, which was for experience, due to workload;
understand why you chose a certain direction; if you start speaking in generalities or start losing focus altogether, it will look insecure;
when asked about weaknesses or fapping — prepare answers, if you say that this has never happened — they will not believe you;
I want to get into IT, so I applied for the vacancy;
«I want interesting tasks» — a question, and «what tasks are interesting to you» — silence;
The first question at the interview is «how many vacations, days off» — ask about tasks, and then about rest!
In conclusion, Tetyana Kozachenko, a recruiter with over 4 years of experience, noted that during an interview, candidates should not:
speak badly about previous managers and colleagues (it is better to remember positive moments);
at the beginning of the interview, discuss salary and bonuses;
ask about sick leave, time off;
that any work is needed, no matter what;
not having at least a general idea of what the company does;
to say that a job is needed temporarily;
not asking questions during the interview.
How candidates pass the interview
As for candidates going through an interview, Alyona Kashchuk advises:
Don’t lie about your experience, skills, and competencies. This is very easy to check. If the recruiter didn’t do it before the interview. Especially if the candidate came on a recommendation. This is really a red flag for the company.
The perfect interview is a myth. You can improve yourself with the help of AI and career consultants, but at a certain stage the candidate will still show his real self and real knowledge. The situation will be a stalemate.
When asked by a recruiter, «Why did you apply for the position? What exactly are you looking for?» always give a clear, specific answer. For example, I am looking for a Product Manager position in a global company, I am locally in Prague, I will consider a hybrid format of cooperation. An answer like, I will consider the position of Product Manager or Program Manager or Delivery Manager is a red flag. If you are still locally in Poland, but in six months you plan to move to Britain, this is also a red flag. The business will incur additional costs in this case.
«Everything else — you just need to be confident in yourself and feel as if you already work there and you just have one-on-one with HR or another daily with the team,» Alena concludes.
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