“Unlocking the Secret: The ‘Red Flag Test’ Every CEO Swears By in Interviews!”

Ever found yourself in a job interview, fully confident that you’ve nailed every question, only to have your fate hinge on a seemingly innocuous inquiry? Our modern job hunts can feel like a gladiatorial arena—candidates preparing for weeks can still find themselves tossed out within minutes if they fail a critical “red flag test.” In a revealing moment shared by Gary Shapiro, the CEO of the Consumer Technology Association, he outlined this pivotal question during interviews: “When can you start?” But beware! The answer he’s looking for isn’t just about eagerness—it’s a test of character and respect towards your current employer that could make or break your chances. So, how do you navigate this peculiar paradox while keeping your enthusiasm intact? Make sure to take note, because this insight could be the difference between landing your dream job and walking away empty-handed. LEARN MORE.

A CEO and business leader has revealed his ‘red flag test’ that he will ask in all interviews. And if you fail it, you’re out.

Applying for a new job can be a brutal process. Candidates can prepare for weeks only to know they’ve bombed the interview process within minutes.

After all, a business knows what it is after. And even if you’re a quality candidate and great at what you do, sometimes you’re just not the right fit.

But even if you are everything a company is looking for, according to one chief executive, he won’t hire you if you flunk one of the most important questions asked to an interviewee.

Answer the ‘red flag test’ wrong and you might lose out (Getty Stock Images)

It is the latest insight in to the hiring process that bosses go through when filling gaps in their team.

Trent Innes, the former MD of Xero Australia, revealed he would often use the coffee test when interviewing candidates. Speaking to business podcast The Ventures, he said: “I will always take you for a walk down to one of our kitchens and somehow you always end up walking away with a drink. Then we take that back, have our interview, and one of the things I’m always looking for at the end of the interview is, does the person doing the interview want to take that empty cup back to the kitchen?”

Whether you get the job or not can be determined by that simple final act, Innes reveals. One interview expert isn’t convinced by Innes strategy, though, taking to TikTok to heavily criticise it.

Well, Gary Shapiro, the chief executive of U.S. trade association Consumer Technology Association, is here with another test. This time, it is all about red flags.

Gary Shapiro has a very particular answer he wants (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

The so-called ‘red flag test’ is something Shapiro revealed while speaking to American television network CNBC. For Shapiro, the ‘red flag test’ is a make or break moment in the interview.

So, there you are, having absolutely killed it during the entire hour or so. You think you’d be a great fit and so do the panel interviewing you for the position.

Then enters the all important question: when can you start?

For Shapiro, the answer is specific. And no, the correct response is not ‘right away’.

Instead, it’s all about being fair and showing you have a thought process that is not entirely selfish.

Speaking to CNBC, he explained: “They don’t get the job, because they’ll treat us the way they treat that former employer.”

Don’t leave your current employer high and dry (Getty Stock Images)

Shapiro added: “I want an [employee] with a level of commitment to their organisation, even if they don’t love their job, where they won’t leave their employer hanging.”

Speaking about when he hired his company’s chief operating officer, she told him she needed to give six weeks notice. He said: “I said, ‘that’s perfect, you got the job.'”

Obviously, if you’re in a period of unemployment or in consultation for voluntary redundancy, the rules apply differently and we’d expect the mindset to change as a result.

But, it’s clear to us that don’t be too eager to say you’ll leave your current employer high and dry, even if it comes from a place of excitement and passion for the new opportunity.