TikToker Shares Why Hiring Managers Don't Hire The Best Candidate For Jobs

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A TikToker whose page is dedicated to sharing career and business tips, Runa Jiang, posted the video on 30 May with the caption "What Interviews Are Really About: Part 1."

In the video, Runa stated that recruiters and hirers tend to bring on employees that have "the least amount of risk."

Expressing her opinion, Runa explains, "As a hiring manager, they don't get paid more because you perform outstandingly, like you're the first of your team. But they do get penalised if their candidates keep on quitting early, or disobey authority."

Providing deeper insight, Runa stated that these kinds of candidates are usually the smartest or most qualified for the role (in terms of experience and intelligence).

"So if they don't want to hire the best candidates out there, who do they wanna hire? People with the least amount of risk. And that's what interview questions are — to measure your risk."

Going on to provide examples, Runa stipulated the real reason why employers or establishments ask certain questions.

"Why did you leave your company? — measures your risk of leaving again. What is your biggest weakness? — to see how bad you can screw up. It's really all psychology."

One commenter stated that big companies will often take in younger candidates, as they are inexperienced. 

Another daringly stated, in reference to the smartest and most intelligent candidates, that they will know when it's time to jump ship from the company.

Among the comments was a user who stated that these big companies also do not like hiring candidates that are financially stable outside of work, as they would pose a risk to the employer, should they decide to leave.

Job applicants also chimed in, with one user stating that they've been told by hiring managers during interviews that they pose a 'flight risk' to the company because of their qualifications. 

One more stated that they finally understand what it means to be 'overqualified' for a job.

One of the most shocking comments was related to personality tests candidates normally have to take as part of their job interview process. The user stated that right after their test results came back as "wanting to move up, or go", their employer terminated their contract.

Since the post on 30 May, Runa's video has received over 600,000 views, and more than 70,000 likes. 

Adding a disclaimer in the comment section, Runa stated, "There are definitely hiring managers who are fair and only choose the most qualified candidates, if you are one of them — kudos."

She continued on saying, "This is just pointing out that big company's reward and performance systems do not motivate this kind of human behaviour."

"In a fast-growth environment, they need high performers to solve problems. That is also another reason why you rarely hear questions like, 'What's your biggest weakness?' going into a start-up interview," said Runa in the follow-up video.

Continuing on, she provided more insight into the kind of questions start-up companies tend to ask, "Start-up interviews normally sound like, 'Here's a problem — how would you solve it?'"

Runa said that ultimately, start-ups normally use their early equity to provide better benefits, and pay their employees based on the problems they can solve rather than their years of experience.

"The biggest difference — start-ups rather you stay for three months and solve a big problem that they have, rather than you stay for three years and do absolutely nothing."