5 Red Flags to Look For When Hiring Candidates

Recruitment isn’t a perfect science, and there are a lot of factors to consider when it comes to identifying the right fit for a position. However, there are some tell-tale signs that a potential candidate might not be appropriate for the position you want to fill. Bear in mind that this isn’t an exhaustive list, but some of the more important red flag personalities to look out for when interviewing or reviewing your candidate list.

The Bad Listener

Candidates who aren’t good listeners probably aren’t very good candidates in the first place. These are individuals who can’t seem to get what you’re saying because, frankly, they’re not interested in what you have to say; only in what they want to hear. You can tell by the fact that they never actually answer your questions or are just concerned with telling you their side of the story. So what do you do? I recommend you just stop listening.

The Victim

You know the type; the company doesn’t give them opportunity to grow or their boss is a jerk or the accounts they’re handling are JUST THE WORST, yadda yadda yadda – it’s always someone or something else that’s the problem, and they just fell into it. Chances are you’ll find them complaining all over their social media as well; in which case, it’s pretty much time to cut them off from your shortlist.

The Attention-Deficient (And Not in a Medical Way) One

Some candidates are easily distracted and just can’t focus on what’s in front of them; now imagine what they would be like at work. They don’t pay attention when you speak to them, they’ll go off in a completely different tangent without leading to anything particularly useful, or they’ll be fidgety and restless; quick, cross them off your list before they realise.

The Braggard

When a candidate begins bragging, not just about achievements that sound a little dubious, but about how they’re getting so many job offers that they DESERVE a particular level of remuneration or have out-of-this-world demands on their packages, then you should pay attention – if only so you can drop them like their hot.

The Clueless

It’s OK to not know everything about a job you’re applying for; but it’s NOT fine when you don’t know ANYTHING. At the very least, a serious candidate would understand their own capabilities and what they can contribute, even if they’re taking on a new role that they’re unfamiliar with. Not having a sense of what they’re in for, and showing little interest in finding out before they actually apply, well, this should be a no-brainer.

At Kabel, we use artificial intelligence to help you filter relevant candidates, allowing you to jump straight into conversation to understand the candidate, and identify which one of them are worth the time, and which aren't. But don't just take our word for it - try us out on your next hire and see how much easier recruitment can be!