I hire people for a living. More than 10,000 interviews.
And candidates consistently underestimate what we pick up on.
Here are 6 that'll sting a little:
1. Your cover letter was suspiciously perfect.
You responded to the job post in 20 minutes with a flawless, polished application. No typos. Perfect structure. Every keyword from the job description mirrored back.
We're not impressed. We're suspicious.
That's ChatGPT bullshit. And we've seen it 400 times this week. Yours isn't special. It's identical.
2. You "do everything."
Your resume says marketing, operations, project management, customer success, social media, and data analysis.
You're equally mediocre at all six. And we know it. Because the people who are actually great at something say THAT thing. Loudly. Specifically. Without hedging.
3. Your resume doesn't match your interview.
On paper you sound like a killer. Structured. Confident. Impressive numbers.
Then we get on the call and it's a completely different person. Hesitant. Vague. Can't go deeper on anything listed.
We notice. Every time.
4. You never asked about the actual problem.
45 minutes of talking about yourself and not once did you ask what's broken. What the team needs. What the real challenge is.
That tells us you don't think in terms of solving problems. You think in terms of getting hired. Those are two very different people.
5. You agreed with everything we said. Every idea — great. Every challenge — no problem. Every expectation — absolutely.
Nobody agrees with everything. The candidates who do are either lying or they have no opinions. Neither one gets hired.
6. You…
Actually, I'll stop there.
Number 6 is the one that gets the most people eliminated and almost nobody sees it coming. I cover it in Chapter 11 of 10,000 Interviews — the chapter about what happens when you think the interview is over.
Spoiler: That's when it actually begins.
Price goes up at EOM. You've got 8 days.