What Hiring Managers Complain About (That Job Seekers Don't Realize)
I spend a lot of time talking to hiring managers. Not just about whether someone got the job, but about what's actually happening behind closed doors when they're evaluating candidates. Over lunch, after hours, in debriefs—these conversations reveal a pattern of frustrations that most job seekers never hear about.
These aren't the obvious complaints like typos on resumes or showing up late to interviews. Those are Career Advice 101. What hiring managers grumble about are the subtle disconnects that cost otherwise qualified candidates the job. The things that make a hiring manager lean back in their chair after an interview and say, "I don't know, something was off."
Here's what they're really thinking—and what you can do about it.
They Can't Tell What You Actually Did
This is the number one complaint I hear, and it shows up everywhere from resumes to interviews. Hiring managers read your experience and they genuinely cannot figure out what you were responsible for versus what your team did versus what happened around you.
"Led a project that increased revenue by 30%" doesn't tell me if you were the architect of the strategy, if you managed the team executing it, or if you just attended the meetings. Did you do the analysis? Make the pitch? Build the model? Manage the stakeholders?
The problem gets worse in interviews. Candidates use a lot of "we" language, which is polite and shows you're a team player. That's great. But when every answer is "we did this" and "our team accomplished that," hiring managers start to wonder what you specifically bring to the table.
I worked with one hiring manager who interviewed a candidate for a senior finance role. The candidate had impressive accomplishments on paper. But in the interview, when pressed on details, it became clear they had been adjacent to success rather than driving it. They were in the room where it happened, but they weren't making it happen.
Here's the fix: use the "I did X, which led to Y" formula. Be specific about your individual contribution and the outcome. Then you can acknowledge the team context. "I built the financial model that identified $2M in cost savings, which I presented to the CFO. Our team then implemented the changes over the next quarter." That tells me exactly what you did.
You're Interviewing Them, Not Selling Yourself
There's a strange trend I've noticed over the past few years. Candidates come into interviews acting like they're the ones doing the evaluating. They're asking about culture and benefits and flexibility before they've demonstrated why the company should want them.
Don't get me wrong—you absolutely should evaluate whether a job is right for you. But timing matters. Hiring managers want to see that you actually want this job, not just a job.
One hiring manager told me about a candidate who spent the entire first interview asking questions about remote work policies, vacation time, and whether they could leave early on Fridays. The candidate never once explained why they were interested in the role or what they would bring to it. The hiring manager felt like they were being auditioned, not the other way around.
The best candidates I've seen strike a balance. They make it clear why they want the role and what value they offer. Then they ask thoughtful questions that show they're seriously considering fit. There's a huge difference between "What's the remote work policy?" and "You mentioned the team collaborates closely on client deliverables. How does that work with the hybrid schedule?"
The first question is about what you can get. The second shows you've been listening and you're thinking about how to succeed in the role.
They Think You're Just Checking Boxes
Hiring managers can spot box-checking from a mile away. It's the candidate who clearly applied to 47 jobs that day and yours happened to be one of them. It's the person who gives generic answers that could apply to any company in any industry.
"I'm passionate about this opportunity because I love working with people and solving problems." Okay, that's nice. But I could be hiring for anything from a customer service role to a product management position to an HR generalist. What specifically about this role at this company appeals to you?
I've seen hiring managers get genuinely frustrated when candidates can't articulate why they applied. Not because they expect you to have dreamed about working there since childhood, but because they want to know you've thought about it for more than thirty seconds.
The fix here isn't complicated, but it does require work. Before any interview, spend real time understanding what the company does, what challenges the department faces, and how the role fits into the bigger picture. Then connect that to your experience and interests in a specific way.
One candidate I worked with was interviewing for a finance role at a manufacturing company. Instead of generic answers, she talked about how her previous experience in supply chain costing would help her understand the operational side of the business, and she mentioned a recent article about the company's expansion into new markets. The hiring manager later told me that level of preparation stood out immediately.
You're Not Asking About the Work
Here's something that surprises people: hiring managers want you to ask questions. Not just any questions—questions about the actual work.
Too many candidates spend their question time asking about things that matter, but don't signal engagement with the role itself. Benefits, team size, reporting structure, growth opportunities—these are all fine questions. But if that's all you ask, you've missed an opportunity.
Hiring managers want to talk about the work because that's what they care about most. They have problems they need solved. They have projects that need execution. They have goals they're being measured on. When you ask about these things, you're showing that you're already thinking like someone who works there.
"What would success look like in this role in the first 90 days?" is a solid question. "What's the biggest challenge the team is facing right now that this role will help address?" is even better. It shows you understand that you're being hired to solve problems, not just to have a job.
I remember one hiring manager telling me about a candidate who asked, "If you could wave a magic wand and have this person start tomorrow with one specific skill or experience, what would it be?" The question led to a candid conversation about the team's gaps, and the candidate was able to speak directly to how her background filled those gaps. She got the offer.
They Wonder If You Can Actually Do the Job
This sounds obvious, but it's more nuanced than you think. Hiring managers aren't just wondering if you have the skills on paper. They're wondering if you can apply those skills in their specific environment, with their specific constraints, at their specific pace.
I worked with a hiring manager who passed on a candidate with an impressive background because, in the interview, every answer was about what they had done at their previous company, a Fortune 100 firm with massive resources. The role they were hiring for was at a mid-size company where people wore multiple hats and scrappiness mattered. The candidate never once acknowledged that difference or explained how they'd adapt.
Hiring managers need to see that you understand the context you're walking into. If you're moving from a large company to a small one, acknowledge it. If you're shifting industries, connect the dots. If the role requires more independence than you've had before, explain how you'll handle that.
The best way to address this is to ask questions that reveal the environment, then speak to how you work in that type of setting. "It sounds like this role requires a lot of autonomy and quick decision-making. In my last role, I worked in a similar environment where I had to..." That pattern shows you're listening and you're already connecting your experience to their needs.
You're Not Selling Your Potential, Just Your Past
Entry-level candidates and career changers hear this all the time: you need to show potential, not just experience. But honestly, this applies to everyone. Hiring managers aren't just hiring for what you've done. They're hiring for what you can do next.
This is especially true for roles that have any growth trajectory. If they're hiring someone who they hope will eventually move into a senior position, they need to see that capability. If they're hiring for a role where the industry is changing rapidly, they need to see that you can learn and adapt.
One hiring manager told me they passed on a candidate who was perfectly qualified on paper because every answer in the interview was backward-looking. There was no discussion of what they wanted to learn, where they wanted to grow, or how they thought about the future of their field. The hiring manager worried they were hiring someone who would do the job adequately but never push beyond it.
You can fix this by weaving forward-looking statements into your answers. "In my last role, I did X, and I'm excited about this opportunity because it would let me build on that by doing Y." Or when discussing the industry, share how you're staying current and what trends you're watching.
The Real Issue Beneath All of These
If there's a common thread through all these complaints, it's this: hiring managers are looking for evidence that you're genuinely interested, that you've thought about the role beyond the paycheck, and that you can connect your specific experience to their specific needs.
They're not expecting perfection. They know you're evaluating them too. They know you might not know everything about their business. But they want to see that you've done the homework, that you're engaged in the conversation, and that you're thinking critically about fit on both sides.
The job market is competitive enough without giving hiring managers reasons to doubt you. The good news is that most of these issues are fixable. They just require you to be more specific, more thoughtful, and more intentional about how you present yourself.
Show them what you actually did. Demonstrate genuine interest before you evaluate them. Ask about the work, not just the job. Connect your experience to their context. And make it clear that you're not just rehashing your past—you're ready to build your future.
Do that, and you'll stand out from the pile of candidates who are just checking boxes and hoping for the best.
Cole Sperry has been a recruiter and resume writer since 2015, working with tens of thousands of job seekers, and hundreds of employers. Today Cole runs a boutique advisory firm consulting with dozens of recruiting firms and is the Managing Editor at OptimCareers.com.
