Candidate’s have heard the usual interview advice. Arrive early, dress appropriately, research the company and know your CV.

While you’re deciding whether they’re the right fit for your business, they are deciding whether your business is somewhere they actually want to work.

Great candidates aren’t just looking for a salary. They’re looking for the right culture, leadership, environment and opportunity. In a competitive market a poor first impression could cost you an exceptional hire.

Based on candidate feedback, here are our top 5 interview red flags from a candidate’s perspective.

1. BEING LATE AND NOT KNOWING WHO YOU’RE MEETING

We know things happen. Meetings run over, unexpected calls come in but if you’ve arranged an interview for 10am and rock up at 10.20am without so much as an apology, it’s not a good look. You may as well say “Hi I’m very important can we get this over and done with, my time is more valuable than yours”.

Candidates spend their time preparing for the interview. When they sit down with someone who clearly hasn’t reviewed their resume and ask things like:

“Remind me what you’re doing currently?”

“How long have you been in your current role?”

It’s all there. In black and white. Read it! Read the thing!!!

Understanding the candidate’s background is a bare minimum expectation. You don’t need to memorise every detail, but showing them the respect and genuine interest in why they are sitting across from you is the first indicator as to what kind of a manager you will be.

2. BEING DISTRACTED

There’s nothing like trying to sell yourself to someone who looks like they’d rather be anywhere else. Checking your phone as it buzzes on the desk or looking at your watch – total shocker. It immediately makes the candidate feel like they are an inconvenience and that whatever is happening on your phone must be something monumental if it can’t wait 45 minutes.

Blocking out that time to invest in the conversation is only going to benefit you both. If you’re distracted you miss things – good and bad. Commit to it!

3. NOT KNOWING WHAT THE ROLE ACTUALLY IS

“We haven’t bedded down a job description yet as the role will – evolve”.

“We’re looking for someone who can wear lots of hats.”

What kind of hats? Top hats? Straw hats?

When you say the role will evolve is that code for “we’re hoping to cram three people’s jobs into one” because that’s what that definitely sounds like.

Candidates want to understand what their day-to-day responsibilities will look like, what success means in the role and what they’ll actually be accountable for.

If you can’t clearly explain the position, how can you expect someone to get excited about it let alone leave the job they’re currently in.

4. BAD-MOUTHING THE PERSON WHO HAS LEFT THE ROLE

A little context about why a position has become is reasonable and we all know that sometimes, it’s just not the right fit. There’s a big difference between explaining that someone has moved on and spending 15 minutes telling a candidate how terrible the previous employee was.

It raises questions. Will they talk about me like that if I leave? Is the workload unrealistic? Is there a management issue? Is this a revolving-door position?

Candidates aren’t silly. They can read between the lines.

5. AMBIGUITY AROUND SALARY AND BENEFITS

Not every position has a fixed salary, and of course there may be flexibility depending on experience and it is only natural for a candidate to ask about the salary. Responding with sentences like “we can talk about that later” or “let’s get you started on this amount and you can prove yourself” makes candidates want to Tokyo drift out of your carpark as quickly as possible.

It’s not the 90’s. Candidates don’t need to take a pay cut to get a foot in the door to prove themselves. High calibre candidates don’t need to do that and asking them to can be insulting. Put yourself on the other side of the table – if someone asked you to devalue your experience by taking a wage drop would you feel good about them as a company you want to stay with long term?

Be transparent about the salary range, benefits and expectations wherever possible and as soon as possible. It saves so much time and disappointment down the track.

THE TAKEAWAY

Recruitment isn’t just about finding someone who ticks all the boxes from a skills perspective. It’s about finding the right match for both the candidate and the business.

The best candidates have options, and they’re assessing your business just as much as you are assessing them. Think of the first interview as a first date. You both need to leave wanting a second.

Before judging whether a candidate is right for your business, ask yourself -are we making the right impression?

Need some advice on structuring your interviews? We’d love to help.

Call iPlace Recruitment on 02 8865 9200.

Cher & Kylie