Month: August 2025

• What would set off alarm bells for you in a job interview?
• Business Insider asked readers what red flags make them worried in an interview.
• Here’s what they shared with us.

Business Insider recently asked readers to tell us their biggest gripes with the job search.

They told us that things like a lack of pay transparency and poor work-life balance were red flags in a job post. And once you get to an actual interview, new issues can arise.

Here’s what you told us about the red flags that stick out to you in a job interview:

Punctuality

Some of it boils down to the basics, like being punctual.

As the saying goes, if you’re early, you’re on time, and if you’re on time, you’re late. What do you call it if you’re late? For Liz Stout, who had an interviewer show up 15 minutes late, it’s “not the worst, but not a good start.”

The wrong tone

Several readers took issue with interviewers who strike a tone that’s too formal or scripted instead of conversational. Interviews that feel like one-way traffic are a red flag for Rebecca Potance, who mentioned interviewers who “spend the whole time talking about the job and only ask really generic questions of me.”

Others mentioned interviewers who were rude or disorganized. Some readers said they watch the interviewer’s body language and eye movements in video interviews to see if they’re giving the candidate their full attention.

Readers also expressed frustration with interviewers who gave vague answers to questions about the job or prospective employer, or those who beat around the bush on matters like pay.

Some also said they don’t like hiring processes that involve too many interviews or other steps, such as unpaid assessments or work.

And when the interviewer isn’t human, that can raise its own challenges. A handful of readers mentioned their disapproval of asynchronous video interviews in which they record responses to be viewed later.

Hints of workplace drama

Sometimes, an interviewer’s questions can reveal things you might not want to hear about a job. As some respondents said, asking multiple questions about how you deal with conflict with coworkers or about your willingness to regularly work overtime can hint at unsavory parts of the job.

Abstract questions

Some common interview questions also showed up in our poll, with a few readers frowning upon questions like “If you were an animal, what animal would you be and why?” and “How many golf balls fit in an airplane?”

No follow-up

And of course, some red flags don’t become apparent in an interview.

One of the worst? “Ghosting after an interview,” said Matthew Finster.