Jargon Overload

• Watch for terms used to impress, not clarify
• Note refusal to adjust to your level
• Probe whether the words map to real work
• Treat fluency as no proof of skill

Vague Answers

• Ask for specifics and measurable detail
• Flag broad statements that dodge the method
• Test whether they can explain their process
• Press for the how, not the what

Credential Lean

• Notice when titles lead over experience
• Watch for name-dropping to claim authority
• Redirect to what they actually did
• Separate the resume from the result

Story Drift

• Compare details across separate tellings
• Check timelines for alignment
• Flag gaps in stated responsibility
• Revisit the same question later

Pressure Test

• Introduce a complication mid-conversation
• Watch for defensiveness or evasion
• Assess adaptability to unexpected questions
• Note who steadies and who scrambles

Context Fit

• Check whether they read the environment
• Flag generic answers to specific situations
• Test situational awareness directly
• Match claimed expertise to the setting

Probing Tools

• Request a step-by-step walkthrough of past work
• Insert a scenario variable and watch adaptation
• Ask for timelines, durations, and frequency
• Request artifacts, logs, or references

Silence Test

• Use strategic pauses and observe comfort
• Let them fill the gap, then listen
• Read what they volunteer unprompted
• Watch for the urge to oversell