A viral r/AskReddit thread from October 23, 2026 asked HR professionals one blunt question: which interview red flags actually cost candidates the job? The answers ranged from sensible to savage. Not knowing anything about the company topped the list, with one commenter telling candidates not to“come in and be a robot.”Another said they rejected roughly 30 of 40 seemingly qualified interviewees over poor grooming and clothing. A hiring manager added that using AI during virtual interviews to feed you answers is easy to spot:“Yeah, we can tell.”
Not everyone was on board. One commenter argued the advice is moot because one interviewer’s red flag is another’s green flag, which tracks with how subjective hiring can be. The Daily Dot notes it couldn’t independently verify any of the accounts in the thread.
So the takeaway? Show up knowing the brand, look like you care, and maybe don’t let a chatbot answer for you. Have you ever bombed an interview, or caught someone using AI to cheat? Tell us your story.
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.