Red Flags
Red Flags
What are red flags?
They are any mental, emotional, behavioral or skill deficit that raises doubts in an employer’s mind about the candidate’s qualification, personality, or productivity as an employee.
What are typical red flags?
They can be personal, practical, or non-verbal.
Personal red flags include: behavioral qualities, attitude or manageability issues, job hopping, poor references, criminal record, drug abuse, and although no legal to discriminate - disabilities and age
Practical red flags include: lack, outdated, or not a match skillset, no industry or no role experience, no promotions, no credential/degrees, over-qualified, gaps in work history, too expensive to hire, resume/LinnkedIn with conflicting message
Non-verbal red flags: appearance, body language, tone of voice, lack of eye contact, no smile, low enthusiasm, inappropriate clothing
How do you turn red flags off?
The best way is to identify what your red flags can be in the eyes of the employer. Then, anticipate the employer’s questions and prepare to answer them
For personal red flags: you want to be able to explain what happened without blaming past employers. Explain that the situation will not happen again by explaining what you have changed.
For practical red flags: acknowledge the issue, then talk about what you bring to the table (“I don’t have practical knowledge of this particular platform but I have talked to people who use it and realize that is very similar to one that I use. I have also started researching the platform and have watched some videos to learn abou it”). Give examples of some of the capabilities shared by both systems.
For non-verbal red flags: identify your weaknesses, recruit a friend to improve your appearance, practice eye contact, speaking with confidence, sitting upright, smiling, talking with enthusiasm, and ask questions that display your leadership
Remember:
Employers want reassurance that you will be a positive, enthusiastic, predictable employee.
Be honest and brief, then move on
Match your strengths to the job requirements
Be sure you are clear on how your references will endorse you
If you need help, I can assist you. Don’t give up!
Contact me and we can work together. Let’s get started!
Follow Telma Sullivan Career Coaching on Facebook and like the page.