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Don’t Tell Me About Yourself

Don’t Tell Me About Yourself

Written by: WRKdefined Podcast Network
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About this listen

 “Don’t Tell Me About Yourself” is where old-school hiring meets a modern reality check. Hosted by Expert Interviewers Co-Founders Lorna Erickson and Victoria Gates, this show blends their combined 40 years of real-world experience with the unfiltered commentary that made 340K+ people laugh, cringe, and rethink how interviews actually work. Each week, they tackle the biggest news in hiring, from chaotic interview moments to ghost jobs and questions that should have been retired decades ago. Whether you hire, apply, or just love a good interview trainwreck, this show is for anyone who’s ever sat on either side of the interview table. Real stories. Real data. Real talk about how to make interviews actually work for everyone. Because great hiring isn’t luck—it's a skill.All rights reserved by WRKdefined Careers Economics Management Management & Leadership Personal Success
Episodes
  • Is This Even a "Real" Candidate?

    Is This Even a "Real" Candidate?
    Feb 18 2026
    Fake candidates are no longer rare headlines. They are a growing risk in remote hiring. In this episode, you will learn why hiring fraud is increasing, how AI is making it easier to fake qualifications, what whisper coaching and proxy interviews look like in real time, and how to protect your company without turning interviews into interrogations. You will walk away with practical guardrails, clear red flags to watch for, and a reminder that structured interviews and strong follow-up questions are still your best defense. Key Takeaways: Why one in three hiring managers report encountering fake candidates How remote hiring removes natural identity verification moments The difference between acceptable AI assistance and employment fraud What whisper coaching is and how it shows up in interviews How proxy interviews and identity swaps happen Early interview red flags such as polished but shallow answers Why organized hiring fraud can create serious system access risk How to use structured interviews to expose inconsistencies Why documentation and cross-interviewer visibility matter How to design hiring processes that make fraud harder without harming candidate experience Timestamps: 00:00 Why structured interviews still matter 01:10 Hiring fraud statistics and growth 02:00 How remote hiring changed verification 05:00 Who benefits from fake candidates 09:00 Organized fraud and system risk 12:30 What whisper coaching looks like 14:00 Application stage red flags 18:00 Early interview warning signs 23:00 Inconsistencies across interview rounds 29:00 Building guardrails that prevent fraud Keywords: Hiring fraud Fake candidates Deepfake interviews Whisper coaching Proxy interview AI in hiring Structured interviews Follow-up questions Identity verification Remote hiring
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    31 mins
  • AI Isn’t the Answer. It’s the Amplifier.

    AI Isn’t the Answer. It’s the Amplifier.
    Feb 11 2026
    AI is everywhere in hiring, but it’s not fixing broken processes — it’s accelerating them. In this episode, we break down how AI actually shows up in the hiring process, what it amplifies on both the candidate and company side, and why blaming the tool misses the real issue. You’ll learn where candidates unintentionally hurt themselves using AI, where companies break trust with automation, and how to use AI in ways that improve hiring without sacrificing judgment, fairness, or candidate experience. Key takeaways - AI is not good or bad; it amplifies the quality of your existing hiring process - Strong interview structure and trained interviewers make AI more effective - Candidates should use AI, but unedited, copy-paste outputs are easy to spot - If AI rewrites your experience so well you can’t explain it, you’re setting yourself up to fail - Using live AI during interviews can lead to poor hiring matches and distrust - Generic, AI-written job descriptions weaken employer brand and clarity - Automated rejections without human review damage trust and miss great talent - AI-generated interview questions often produce canned, low-signal answers - The safest, highest-value AI uses are scheduling and interview note-taking - Interview training and process design matter more than adding new tools Timestamps 00:48 — Why AI isn’t fixing hiring 01:26 — AI reveals strong vs broken processes 01:43 — Candidate AI panic and misconceptions 02:16 — Common mistakes candidates make with AI 04:03 — When resumes don’t match real experience 05:00 — Live AI use during interviews and risks 07:08 — How companies break trust with AI 08:59 — Automated rejections and candidate impact 13:16 — Why AI interview questions fail 18:54 — Where AI actually helps hiring teams Keywords AI in hiring interview process hiring automation AI interviews recruiting technology candidate experience interviewer training hiring bias AI recruiting tools structured interviews
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    26 mins
  • "We're Like a Family Here" and Other Interviewing Icks

    "We're Like a Family Here" and Other Interviewing Icks
    Feb 4 2026
    In this episode, you’ll learn how common interview “icks” subtle phrases, behaviors, and broken processes quietly push great candidates away. We break down the most frequent red flags candidates notice instantly, why they happen, and how hiring teams can fix them using one simple principle: if it would feel weird for a candidate to do it, don’t do it as an interviewer. You’ll walk away with practical ways to create interviews that feel respectful, human, and effective for both sides. Key takeaways: Why certain interview phrases instantly signal bad culture How vague corporate language creates mistrust with candidates The most damaging interviewer behaviors candidates never forget Why treating interviews like therapy sessions backfires How body language and distractions change power dynamics The hidden process flaws that create anxiety and drop-off Why surprise panels and group interviews hurt performance The real impact of unpaid homework assignments How salary secrecy wastes time for everyone Candidate behaviors that unintentionally hurt their chances Timestamps: 00:00 What interview “icks” really mean 01:17 Why candidate experience affects offer acceptance 01:41 The four categories of interview icks 02:34 Phrase icks and verbal red flags 08:17 Behavior icks interviewers overlook 13:28 Process icks hiding in plain sight 15:08 Surprise interviews and group interviews 16:41 Homework assignments and free labor 19:31 Salary transparency and late-stage surprises 22:10 Candidate behaviors that give interviewers the ick Keywords: interview icks bad interview experiences hiring mistakes candidate experience interviewer behavior interview process problems salary transparency job interview red flags hiring best practices recruiting mistakes
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    29 mins
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