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Interviewing: Red Flags of Potential "Problem-Employee"

The best indicator of future performance in a job applicant, is their past performance.

There are many things a manager can do to screen potentially problematic employees. The following is a list red flags to watch for in the interviewing process and on applications, that could be indicators of future problematic behavior:

  •    Frequent job changes
  •     Marginal performer
  •     Victim mentality – blames others
  •     Is suspicious of other’s motives
  •     Defensive
  •     Angry
  •     Defiant
  •     Thinks employer “owes him”
  •     Moral righteousness
  •     Few friends or family ties
  •     Unexplained gaps in employment
  •     Holds grudges
  •     Fantasizes about retaliation
  •     Owns guns or weapons
  •     History of violence
  •     Violence in the family or extreme dysfunction