Witten By Cari Borden

Let’s be honest: getting past ATS filters, AI screeners, and bot recruiters can feel like running a digital obstacle course. But once you land in front of a human, that’s where the real work, and the real opportunity, begins.

This is your no-fluff, human-first interview guide: how to research, what red flags to catch early, and the questions that separate candidates who want a job from those who want the right fit.

1) Do Recon Like a Pro (Before They Ever See Your Face)

• Company DNA: Read the last 6–12 months of blog posts, press releases, and LinkedIn updates. Note what they celebrate (profits only? people? customers?).
• Leadership tone: Scan execs’ LinkedIn posts. Are they all megaphone, no listening? Do they talk people development or just “hustle harder”?
• Employee commentary: Cross-check reviews on Glassdoor/Indeed/Blind. Ignore outliers; look for patterns—themes in workload, leadership, turnover.
• Social channels: Are values lived consistently, or just polished PR? Is community engagement real, or performative?
• Role clarity: Identify 3–5 measurable outcomes the role should drive in the first 90–180 days. Bring these into the conversation.

2) Red Flags to Catch Before You Say Yes

• Vibes over values: “We’re a family” + no clarity on pay, promotion, or boundaries.
• Evergreen hiring: Same role posted for months = churn or chaos.
• Hero culture: Glorifying late nights, “urgency,” or “rockstars.” Translation: chronic under-resourcing.
• Managers as scorekeepers, not coaches: No mention of feedback cadence, growth paths, or learning budget.
• DEI theater: Lots of statements, zero metrics or accountability.

3) Your Stories > Their Script

Humans remember stories, not bullet points.

• Prepare 3 tight STAR stories (Situation, Task, Action, Result) that show:
  1. turning ambiguity into progress,
  2. influencing across functions,
  3. learning fast after a miss.
• Tag each story to a business outcome (revenue, cost, quality, risk, CX).
• Practice out loud. Polished, not robotic.

4) Questions That Signal You’re a Peer (Not a Passenger)

Use these to evaluate fit, and to show you think like a partner:

• “What outcomes define success in the first 90 days—and what’s made that hard historically?”
• “How does this team give and receive feedback? What does a great 1:1 look like here?”
• “What’s the growth path from this role? Examples from the last year?”
• “Where has the strategy not gone to plan? What did you learn and change?”
• “How do you resource learning—budget, time, and expectations?”

5) Read the Room (and Yourself)

• Mirror their language (brief with brief, structured with structured) without shape-shifting your values.
• Clock their listening: Do they interrupt, dodge compensation questions, or sell culture without examples?
• Name the elephant—politely: “I’m hearing urgency around X with limited Y. How have you handled that trade-off before?”

6) Close Strong—Without Sounding Desperate

• Summarize your fit in one sentence: “Sounds like you need A, B, and C. I’ve delivered those by doing X, Y, Z.”
• Ask for the path: “What’s the next step and timeline?”
• Send a follow-up note with a 3-bullet recap of their priorities + one resource you’d use on week one.

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Quick Checklist (copy for your notes)

• ☐ Reviewed company/leadership content
• ☐ Scanned employee chatter for patterns
• ☐ Defined 3–5 role outcomes
• ☐ Prepped 3 STAR stories tied to metrics
• ☐ Drafted 5 “peer-level” questions
• ☐ Planned your 1-sentence close + follow-up

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Final Thought

Bots can’t measure chemistry. Algorithms don’t build trust. When you finally get in front of a human, preparation isn’t a nice-to-have, it’s your advantage.

Need a sparring partner before your next interview? I offer practical, human-first coaching—no fluff. Connect with me on LinkedIn or find me on Fiverr.