Ex-Google recruiter shares 3 job interview major red flags that could cost you your dream role

If you want the best advice to smash your job interviews, there's no better person to take advice from than a recruiter.

And not just that, but a recruiter at a top tech firm like Google.

Nolan Church worked as a recruiter at Google and DoorDash for six years before becoming the CEO of salary data company FairComp.

Over the years, the Utah-based entrepreneur has conducted several job interviews with good and bad candidates.

Here are three major red flags that can potentially cost job seekers a shot at their dream job.

Take notes, people!

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Avoid weak responses

A common thing people do when asked the question 'What is something you could improve on?' is giving a weak answer which makes the candidate come across as 'inauthentic.'

'To begin with, when an interviewer asks what you can improve on, don’t use phrases that make it sound like you think you have nothing to learn,' Church explained.

'These can be phrases like "I work too hard" or "I’m a perfectionist"'. They’re framed as character flaws when, really, they’re compliments.'

Responses like these can portray a dishonest picture of you to the interviewer even if it wasn't intended.

'I’m not hiring you to be perfect,' Church assured. 'I’m hiring you to grow with us.'

Instead, he advised sharing a real example of a mistake you made and what you learned from it. This shows humility and a willingness to grow.

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Don't speak ill of former colleagues

According to Church, speaking negatively about a former colleague, manager or company, 'anything that transfers blame from you to someone else' is a red flag.

'The people you want to work with take full ownership and accountability,' he said.

Transferring blame to others suggests a lack of ownership and accountability.

'You want to work with people who have the self-awareness to know when they were wrong and to update their own mental models to fix it,' Church added.

Avoid saying 'I don't know'

Even if you can't think of what to say in response to a question, avoid blatantly saying: 'I don't know.'

When recruiters hear that, it can signal the end of the conversation and show a lack of interest in problem-solving.

Instead, Church recommends saying something like, 'I don't know, but here's how I'd figure it out.' This approach suggests a problem-solving mindset and willingness to learn and even applies to first-time job seekers with not much experience.