Don’t Tell Me About Yourself: Fixing Terrible Interviews, One Bad Question at a Time

This series was recorded live at HR Tech 2025 inside the HR Executive studios on the expo floor in partnership with the WRKdefined Podcast Network. Make sure you’re subscribed to the full series and visit HRExecutive.com for the news, analysis, and insights shaping the future of work. We break down the interview questions that make candidates run for the exits. Everything from “Do you actually need your salary?” to “What does your husband do?” to the classic “Tell me about yourself.” These moments aren’t rare. They’re everywhere. And they expose the blind spots most hiring managers never see. In this episode we talk about interviewing, candidate experience, bias, confidence, and the real stories hiding in comment sections. KEY TAKEAWAYS Bad interview questions are still everywhere and most hiring managers don’t realize they’re the problem. Ninety five percent of interview memories are negative because those moments stick. If someone asks illegal or personal questions in the interview, imagine what conversations look like once you work there. The “tell me about yourself” opener is usually wasted time and often intimidating. Hiring managers need training and structure or they default to habit and ego. Candidates feel validated when they learn what’s normal, what’s illegal, and what’s a red flag. Sharing bad examples is the fastest way to raise the bar and reset expectations. This series was recorded live at HR Tech 2025 inside the HR Executive studios on the expo floor in partnership with the WRKdefined Podcast Network. Make sure you’re subscribed to the full series and visit HRExecutive.com for the news, analysis, and insights shaping the future of work. CHAPTERS 0:00 Cold open – the questions candidates dread 0:54 The name of the show and why it matters 1:12 Why bad interviews go viral 1:49 The fear behind “tell me about yourself” 2:05 What really happens in the comments 2:30 Seven year case study on interviewing 3:13 How candidates interpret bad questions 3:49 Interview red flags and why they matter 4:05 Mixing education with real stories 4:22 The wild DMs candidates send 4:46 Candidate horror stories and reenactments 5:04 “Does that really happen?” Spoiler yes 5:17 Why good interviewers are still rare 6:00 Teaching hiring managers to see themselves 6:20 Positive experiences and why they’re powerful 6:31 Closing and the official show line Hosts: Lorna Erikson Co-founder Expert Interviewers Victoria Gates Co-founder Expert Interviewers Connect with WRKdefined on your favorite social network Site: http://www.wrkdefined.com TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wrkdefined LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wrkdefined Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WRKdefined/ Twitter (X): https://twitter.com/WRKdefined Substack: https://wrkdefined.substack.com/