When the Interview Tells You Everything You Need to Know

I went into the interview prepared. I had done the research, reviewed the role, and knew my story inside out. The nerves I felt weren’t about readiness. They were physiological. That fight-or-flight surge when your body registers something is wrong before your brain fully processes it.

From the moment the Zoom call began, I felt it. No welcome, no effort to create connection, no eye contact. Just a panel of senior leaders jumping straight into questions as if I were a line item to be approved. This was an executive role. I was meeting my would-be peers, other SVPs. Instead of feeling like a conversation among leaders, it felt like a bad season of Succession where everyone is performing but no one is actually connecting. My body told me before my mind could: this wasn’t the job for me.

When I finally met the person who would have been my boss, the impression only deepened. He was the Chief Technical Officer, yet he appeared on screen from a cluttered home office that looked ignored for years. Stacks of paper, random objects, nothing intentional about the space. He sat far back from the camera, disengaged. He was phoning it in. It may sound small, but it spoke volumes. If this is how the CTO chose to present himself in one of the most important conversations with a prospective SVP, what would the culture look like on a regular Tuesday?

When companies fail to bring culture into the interview, there are consequences. Top candidates walk away. Word spreads quickly in professional circles about interviews that feel cold or dismissive. The very leaders who think they are in control end up shrinking their own talent pool.

Even in today’s buyer’s market, strong candidates still have options. They are comparing how they feel in your interview against how they feel in someone else’s. If your process signals disinterest, if your leaders seem disengaged, if the culture does not come through, the best people will self-select out.

And the damage does not stop there. Poor interview experiences ripple outward. They affect your reputation, your ability to recruit, and even how current employees view the leadership team. Culture shows up whether you plan it or not, and silence or indifference sends its own message.

In the age of Zoom interviews, this matters more than ever. Technology already creates distance. Without the natural cues of an office visit—the handshake, the walk through the lobby, the casual chat before sitting down—the human element can disappear fast. It is on the company to bridge that gap.

So what does it look like when companies actually get this right? Here are a few things I think every team should be doing in remote interviews:

• Welcome people at the start. Take one minute to make them feel seen. Small gestures matter, and they set the tone for a conversation that feels like a partnership instead of a transaction.
  
  
  

• Make eye contact and be engaged. Look into the camera. It shows respect and attention, which helps candidates relax and bring their best selves forward.
  
  
  

• Introduce yourselves. Don’t assume the candidate knows who is in the virtual room. Clear introductions build trust and prevent the dynamic from feeling anonymous or adversarial.

  
  
  

• Set the tone. An interview is not an interrogation. You are evaluating each other, and framing it that way creates a more authentic dialogue.
  
  
  

• Show your culture in action. Share a real example of how your team works. It gives candidates a concrete sense of what it feels like to be part of your company, not just a tagline on a slide.
  
  
  

• Unclutter your background. A messy, neglected backdrop sends a message, whether you realize it or not. Candidates see it as a reflection of how you lead, while a clean, intentional space signals that you take the conversation seriously.

Successful onboarding begins at the interview. When candidates experience culture and clarity from the very first conversation, they enter the role more confident, integrate faster, and ultimately deliver stronger results.

These details may seem minor, but together they create trust. They show candidates that your culture is intentional, that leadership takes people seriously, and that your company knows how to show up. In a crowded market, those moments separate the firms that attract top talent from the ones that watch it slip away.

For job seekers, the takeaway is simple: if the interview feels off, trust your instincts. What you see in those moments is often what you will get inside the company. In my case, the role was about leading with empathy as a digital and customer experience leader. I needed to know I wasn’t walking into a leadership table where empathy was absent. Being the lone voice on culture is not leadership, it is isolation.

Preparation gets you ready for the questions. Culture determines whether you want to stay for the answers.

If you’re navigating your own career pivot or looking to sharpen your leadership presence, I also offer mentorship sessions. They’re focused on practical guidance, portfolio reviews, and building confidence in high-stakes moments like interviews. You can learn more here.