- Chris Williams was the VP of HR at Microsoft and is now an advisor and consultant.
- He writes that common ‘tells’ include chaos, bureaucracy, secrecy, and conceit.
- These can indicate potential problems within the company and what it might be like working there.
In every game, part of the challenge is knowing the other side. Whether it’s poker, football, or the hiring game, understanding the tells — the unspoken signals — from the opponent can help you hone your strategy to win.
As the former VP of HR for Microsoft, I helped define the experience of job candidates. We worked hard to treat candidates well, and to land the most outstanding talent.
At the same time, I’ve also seen countless red flags in the hiring process for other companies that serve as tells for their culture.
The company at its best
Hiring is one of the few external faces of a company (the others are sales and media or investor relations).
But hiring is unique: they’re trying to get you to be part of the team. They want you not just to believe them, but to join them. Recruiters and hiring managers should, therefore, be on their very best behavior.
But there are tells that expose problems within the company and should be red flags for job seekers.
Here are the most common tells I’ve seen in hiring.
1. Chaos
The most frequent issue in hiring is chaos: unclear processes, missed appointments, confusion in scheduling, or erratic communication.
Perhaps the candidate sees long periods of silence followed by a frantic need for instant turnaround. Maybe there is confusion about who will conduct the interview or when that will take place.
Often, details are missing or change constantly.
This kind of chaos can result from many factors. Maybe the company itself is in turmoil. Maybe the recruiting team doesn’t have the highest priority. Maybe they are all contract employees. Maybe they’re just disorganized people.
Whatever the cause, this chaos is a tell. If the face of the company to potential hires can’t even schedule an interview, imagine what working there is like.
2. Bureaucracy
Another important tell is the extent of red tape, like applications that require uploading of information to multiple systems, or multiple hoops to jump through before even a screening phone call.
Hiring processes that involve seven rounds of interviews or extensive pre-work like completing sample projects are often relics of a bygone era — leftovers from some process that once might have made sense.
They are a sign of a company that doesn’t work efficiently and doesn’t constantly iterate to improve.
If they can’t streamline their hiring process to make it work for both the company and the candidate, one can only imagine the extent of bureaucracy that exists in the everyday working life there.
3. Secrecy
Some companies are overly vague about the role, the group, and even the company. They talk of a great mission but won’t answer direct questions about everything from compensation to organization.
Even the most mundane things like who you’ll be working for, or how your work will be judged, are left as strictly “need to know.” They present fronts that would make national security organizations wince.
They often treat this level of secrecy as a badge of honor, like a sign of the importance of the great work they do.
Often, it’s just conceit or bravado. Worse, it might be hiding the terrible working conditions lying behind the door. Managers and employees alike are kept in the dark, yet they’re asked to work tirelessly for vague goals.
You want me to uproot my life and dedicate my career to a job I don’t fully understand? No, thank you.
4. Conceit
This tell of organizational conceit is common in the tech world but is also found in some high-level consulting and other “elite” firms.
They profess to hire only the best. They want you to believe that you’re lucky even to be considered for their role.
This conceit leads to many problematic issues with hiring. These companies often have abusive interviews where a panel virtually hazes candidates. They pile endless pre-work that is judged in the harshest and most derisive manner. They never afford the candidate a chance to ask similarly challenging questions of the firm. Or instantly reject those who do.
What’s worse about these firms is that this conceit is hiding a dirty secret of the reality behind the curtain. Many entry-level jobs are treated to years of abuse and drudgery, itself a form of hazing — and you’re expected to be happy to be there.
It often is best to reflect on your own feelings when interviewing. If you’re not treated as a peer or at least of value in the interview, imagine what working there as a new hire must be like.
Read the Tells
When you’re walking away or hanging up from that job interview, spend a few minutes thinking about the tells you saw. Ask yourself what the hiring experience might tell you about working there.
Even if you do end up taking a job at a place with one or more red flags, reading the tells will prevent you from being surprised when you get there.
Chris Williams is the former VP of HR at Microsoft. He’s an executive-level advisor and consultant with more than 40 years of experience leading and building teams.
