Interview red flags

[TheDude]

I just had a technical interview and almost every question was incredibly specific - i.e. 'Which class, method, codec etc".

When I answered questions in depth it was clear the interviewers had very little expertise in the technologies involved and were reading from a script.

Whilst the rate is very attractive the process did not reflect well on the competence of the team I would potentially be joining.

What red flags have you picked up from interviews?

I also interviewed face to face for a startup. The hipster that interviewed me took his shoes off and put his feet on the desk and halfway through proceeding grabbed a beer from the fridge. They disappeared a few months later and the founders probably regretted spending so much on Apple hardware.

[PCTNN]

In general my alarm starts ringing whenever the interviewer uses words such as:

- holistic approach
- jazzy atmosphere
- flat structure

to describe the company. I hear those words and I'm already out.

[Funhouse]

When it becomes clear they are after free consultancy as opposed to an interview for gig.

'Can you advise us what to do in this situation'
'How would we go about X in future'
'How long would you think it would take to bring in this capability'
'In your experience, which one of these is better and why'

Red flags for me.

[Gibbon]

Core Time

[simes]

Fast Moving: While sounding exciting, generally an analogy for 'Can never make up our mind.'

Have even tried such an environment once, bloody awful.

[WTFH]

When they ask a question about how to solve a particular problem, and then desperately try to record/note your answer.
Yes, the reason my company is "expensive" is because we know how to solve problems. The reason the company you are currently using doesn't solve it is because their primary goal is to stay on site as long as possible and keep billing.
Me for 6 months, or them at half the rate, but there for 18 months and not delivering?

Your choice.

[rocktronAMP]

I just had a technical interview and almost every question was incredibly specific - i.e. 'Which class, method, codec etc".

What red flags have you picked up from interviews?

I also interviewed face to face for a startup. The hipster that interviewed me took his shoes off and put his feet on the desk and halfway through proceeding grabbed a beer from the fridge. They disappeared a few months later and the founders probably regretted spending so much on Apple hardware.

Pre-pandemic - one stage phone interview were you answered just a few questions, they seem less interested in your architectural philosophy, software development experience. Contracts that eventually recognised as Easy Start, Easy Exit. (Suddenly there is no more budget)

[edison]

I just had a technical interview and almost every question was incredibly specific - i.e. 'Which class, method, codec etc".

When I answered questions in depth it was clear the interviewers had very little expertise in the technologies involved and were reading from a script.

Whilst the rate is very attractive the process did not reflect well on the competence of the team I would potentially be joining.

What red flags have you picked up from interviews?

I also interviewed face to face for a startup. The hipster that interviewed me took his shoes off and put his feet on the desk and halfway through proceeding grabbed a beer from the fridge. They disappeared a few months later and the founders probably regretted spending so much on Apple hardware.

One thing to remember is startups have a high failure rate. And most tech orientated founders don't really have much clue on how to run a business so that would be an obvious red flag.

The main one for me is that most hiring managers haven't got a clue about interviewing and usually are badly prepared. If you're lucky, they looked at your CV for 30 seconds just before the interview. If they can't be arsed to prepare, it's not the sort of company I would work for.

The managers that make it seem they are doing you a favour interviewing you with tedious questions rather than making it a genuine two way discussion. If I'm not given enough time to ask questions then that is a big no no.

The thing about macs is getting a it cliched now isn't it LOL? If strait laced companies like SAP can have 30,000 mac users then they have become fairly mainstream now?

[TheDude]

The main one for me is that most hiring managers haven't got a clue about interviewing and usually are badly prepared. If you're lucky, they looked at your CV for 30 seconds just before the interview. If they can't be arsed to prepare, it's not the sort of company I would work for.

There is a story about an MD at a bank I used to work at. He asked a candidate for a desk position what the hardest thing he had done was and he said he parachuted into a lake Afghanistan, swam one mile to shore, hiked to location xyz and with his team rescued three hostages after a firefight.

The MD had failed to read the candidates CV and did not know he had just left the US Navy SEALs.

[PerfectStorm]

The more people on the panel, the higher number of interview stages, the more time asking questions about methodology - the crapper the gig

The best ones are the ones that talk about the project and spend the rest of the time getting a gauge for your personality/sense of humour/whether you pass the "beer test".

The first kind, ran by robots, are always worth avoiding.