Candidate red flags in the AI era: What tech leaders need to look out for
The resumes are cleaner. The cover letters are more articulate. The GitHub activity looks robust. But something doesn’t feel right.
Welcome to hiring in 2025, where the candidate red flags in the AI era aren’t as obvious as they used to be.
AI has given candidates new tools, but it’s also made it harder to tell who’s genuinely qualified and who just knows how to game the system. For SMB tech leaders, this means reevaluating how you screen, interview, and assess talent.
What are the biggest candidate red flags in the AI era?
1. Overly perfect or generic answers in interviews
If it sounds like ChatGPT wrote it, it probably did.
Many candidates now use AI to prep interview scripts. While this isn’t inherently bad, it becomes a red flag when their answers lack personal detail or adaptability.
What to do:
Go deeper. Ask for real examples. Change the context of the question to see if they can pivot naturally.
2. Inconsistent or “too polished” personal branding
A perfectly optimized resume… but a half-filled LinkedIn. Or GitHub contributions that don’t align with project claims.
In the AI era, candidates can fabricate impressive-looking portfolios using auto-generative tools. What you see might not be what they’ve done.
In a 2025 Software Finder survey, over 77% of job seekers admitted using AI to “significantly enhance” their experience, and nearly 1 in 5 job seekers have lied about using AI in their applications.
What to do:
Cross-check everything. Ask candidates to walk through projects live. Look for gaps between claims and clarity.
3. Shaky on follow-up questions
AI can help someone pass a technical screen. But it can’t fake problem-solving under pressure or interpersonal alignment.
What to do:
Introduce layered follow-ups:
“What would you do if X failed halfway through?”
“How would you handle pushback from your PM?”
These reveal depth, or a lack of it.
4. Lack of curiosity or critical thinking
Some AI-trained candidates are skilled at giving “correct” answers but struggle with ambiguity or challenge.
If they don’t ask questions about your product, team, or stack, consider that a red flag in disguise.
In 2025, Harvard Business School reported that CTOs ranked curiosity as one of the top 3 soft skills in post-AI hiring, yet it’s increasingly rare.
Final thought
The candidate red flags in the AI era aren’t about what’s missing; they’re about what seems too perfect.
If you want real contributors, look past the polish. Build hiring processes that test curiosity, adaptability, and truthfulness.
➡️ Want help spotting the red flags before they reach your shortlist? Talk to us
➡️ More like this: Why We Don’t Automate Hiring—and What We Do Instead
Key takeaways
What are red flags to look for in AI-era candidates?
Over-polished resumes, generic interview answers, inconsistent profiles, and poor adaptability are common red flags in AI-driven hiring.
How do I know if a candidate used AI to fake skills?
Cross-reference projects, ask layered follow-ups, and validate experience with behavioral interviews.
Are AI-generated resumes a dealbreaker?
Not necessarily, only when they mask weak fundamentals or don’t align with live conversation and practical skills.