Ex-Meta recruiter spills biggest mistake job seekers make in interviews

Job interviews can be nerve-wracking for job seekers and can force them to make small mistakes that could jeopardise their chances at the organisation.

One common mistake is not asking questions at the end of the interview, which can be a significant red flag, according to an ex-Meta recruiter.

Jenn Bouchard, former Meta talent head and current Figure8 chief people and administration officer, discussed the importance of good questions in setting candidates apart and the potential drawbacks of not having them.

"If candidates don’t have follow-up questions that they’ve pulled through from the interview or if they just say 'I've had all of my questions answered,' that's a red flag," Bouchard, who spent over a decade at Meta, told Fortune.

Bouchard believes that having no questions in a job interview indicates a candidate's "disinterest", as it is a "two-way experience" where the recruiter learns about the candidate and the candidate also gets to know more about the company's culture.

"I also want them to be curious about getting to know the role, the company, the culture, even the team that they might be walking into," she said.

She also advises candidates to send a follow-up email to the hiring manager to thank them after an interview.

It "really lets me know that they were present, engaged, and continuously excited about the roles that we have at the company," she said.

Other tech recruiters have shared similar advice.

Amy Hoover, a former TalentZoo employee, and Nolan Church, a former Google and DoorDash recruiter, emphasised the importance of having at least two prepared questions to appear intelligent and engaged while avoiding general questions.

Candidates should make sure their questions are specific to the company, its mission and leaders, Church told Business Insider.