Insights
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6 Red flags that keep good candidates from getting hired
Boris Groysberg and Robin Abrahams
10/23/25
A survey of hundreds of executives point to six red flags that derail organizational hiring, sometimes preventing otherwise qualified candidates from securing roles to which they might be suited. (“Source: Harvard Business Review — read the full article.”)
Most organizations know the dire consequences associated with hiring the wrong person for a job: disrupted team dynamics, underperformance, missed opportunities, turnover costs, and more.
As a result, those involved in the recruitment process tend to be highly attuned to signs that a candidate might not be the right fit. Through an exercise we conducted with 350 HBS Executive Education participants (top and senior leaders from one of the 500 largest companies in Europe, a global consumer goods group, and more than 40 U.S. businesses in a variety of industries) we identified six primary categories of concern: poor self-awareness, lack of preparation, poor manners/lack of professionalism, excessive self-interest, problematic relationships with past/present employers, and a history of job-hopping. (Note: This research focused on the in-person stage of the hiring process, not on online applications or AI screenings.)
Successful job seekers must avoid raising any of these red flags. Meanwhile, organizations must ensure that they are picking up on real warning signs but also not rejecting good candidates over avoidable miscommunications. On both sides, this requires employing three Cs: (“Source: Harvard Business Review — read the full article.”)