5 Red Flags to Watch For During a Job Interview

My friend Emma recently interviewed for a position with a company she’s always admired from afar. She showed up (virtually) excited, well-prepped, and hoping for the best.

She called me right after the interview to debrief. But there was flatness where the excitement should’ve been. She sounded way more “meh” than “woohoo.”

“I’m still not sure what just happened,” she said. “They want me to meet with an executive panel next, but something about the experience is making me hesitate.”

Right now, we’re living in a buyers’ market—meaning companies are having to work twice as hard to attract talent, and if you indeed are a talent, you’ve got all the leverage. So if you’re on the hunt for your next gig, you can—and absolutely should—be very choosy.

Of course, there’s a lot you won’t know about a company until you’re already inside it. But there are some signals you can keep an eye out for during the interview process. And if, like my friend, you feel your spidey sense tingling… definitely give it a listen.

Here are some red flags worth watching out for.

1. Interviewer energy is “off”

Whoever is interviewing you—regardless of their level or title—should be showing up as an ambassador of the company’s brand.

People express energy in different ways—I’m not suggesting that you expect choreography and jazz hands. But I am saying that you deserve to feel like the interviewer wants to be there and is fully engaged in your conversation.

Have they shown up—whether in person or on-screen—calmly, with smiles, seeming to have time for you? Or do they seem anxious, frantic, racing around, or exhausted?

Even in a virtual interview, you can watch for signals of focus, eye contact, and how calmly they're breathing. One frantic person may be an exception. But if it seems like the norm, be wary.

Emma told me her interviewer seemed distracted and anxious—and was not-so-discreetly multi-tasking. Which left Emma feeling like a to-do needing to be handled rather than a talent to be courted. Not a good look for that company.

2. Interview questions feel like “gotcha” traps

When I graduated from college, certain big companies were infamous for asking questions like “How many dog hairs are there in the world?” or “How long would a piece of string need to be in order to circle the earth twice?”

Crazy, right? Granted, answering these questions well didn’t mean answering correctly. Because who could possibly know? These questions were designed to give the interviewer a glimpse into your thought process.

But also, let’s be honest: they were a little bit designed to make you sweat, to show the interviewer how you showed up under pressure.

The good news is that you don’t have to put up with that line of inquiry anymore. An interview should challenge...

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