Don’t Tell Me About Yourself

Four Interviewers Ruining Your Hiring


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A bad interview doesn’t just lose candidates — it damages your employer brand, your reputation, and your future hiring pipeline. In this episode, we break down the four most common types of interviewers who unintentionally (and sometimes intentionally) sabotage the interview process: the Rambler, the Power Tripper, the Interrogator, and the Walking Red Flag.


Through real stories, hard data, and firsthand experience, we unpack why these interviewer behaviors persist, how they show up in real interviews, and what they signal to candidates about company culture. We also flip the script and define what a green flag hiring manager actually looks like — and how small behavior changes can dramatically improve hiring outcomes, candidate experience, and long-term trust.


If you hire people, interview candidates, or coach hiring managers, this episode is your field guide.

Takeaways

  • Why negative interview experiences drive top candidates away
  • The four interviewer archetypes that derail hiring decisions
  • How interviewer behavior reflects company culture
  • Why “gut instinct” is not a hiring strategy
  • The real risks of illegal and non-job-related questions
  • How power dynamics quietly sabotage interviews
  • Why candidates remember interviews long after hiring managers forget them
  • What candidates interpret as red flags — even when unintentional
  • How interviewer training directly impacts hiring quality
  • The core traits of a green flag hiring manager
  • Timestamps

    • 00:00 — A real interview story that shouldn’t happen in 2019
    • 01:16 — Why interview behavior matters more than companies think
    • 01:54 — Interviewer Type #1: The Rambler
    • 03:38 — Interviewer Type #2: The Power Tripper
    • 05:16 — How negative interviews spread faster than positive ones
    • 06:00 — Interviewer Type #3: The Interrogator
    • 08:39 — Interviewer Type #4: The Walking Red Flag
    • 11:33 — What defines a green flag hiring manager
    • 15:06 — Real examples of positive interview experiences
    • 18:24 — “Dear Expert Interviewers” — listener stories and karma
    • Keywords

      • bad interview experience
      • hiring manager mistakes
      • interview red flags
      • candidate experience
      • interviewer training
      • illegal interview questions
      • hiring bias
      • employer brand damage
      • green flag hiring manager
      • interview best practices
      • ...more
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        Don’t Tell Me About YourselfBy WRKdefined Podcast Network