Why Vague and Inflated Answers from Candidates Are a Hiring Problem—And How You Can Fix It

One of the biggest challenges interviewers face today is sorting out actual capability from the good interviewer with inflated answers. Not to say everyone who is a good interviewer is over-inflating their answers, but as a person who prides themselves on explaining things in a simplified way for the masses, someone who is speaking in overly vague statements or exaggerating their accomplishments can feel like they’re hiding something. As Albert Einstein said, "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough." And I think that’s applicable here.

Vague Answers Make It Hard to Assess True Ability
Candidates who give broad, general statements like “I’m great at problem-solving” or “I led many successful projects” without specifics leave interviewers guessing whether the candidate actually has the skills they claim. This is a familiar hiring frustration: without clear examples, you can’t reliably evaluate whether the candidate can perform in the role.

But you can solve for this by asking for measurable outcomes and probing examples. Instead of accepting “We increased engagement,” follow up with, “By how much? What specific actions did you take?” This forces specificity and reveals the depth of the candidate’s involvement.

Over-The-Top Claims Can Be a Red Flag for Exaggeration
If you have a candidate you like and you believe they’ve over inflated their achievements, ask about that achievement again in the next round of interviews. See if the story is consistent when you hear it and when your colleagues do. If answers shift significantly, that’s a sign that the candidate may not be reporting a genuine experience.

Vague Responses Can Indicate Lack of Preparation
Broad answers during the interview can often signal that a candidate did not do their homework ahead of the interview. But, if they answer with more specificity and tailored examples, they most likely also took the time to understand the organization and the position they’re interviewing for.

By incorporating company-specific scenarios into your interviews, by asking something like, “Based on what you know about our product (or team), how would you approach X challenge?” You’ll be able to see how thoughtful their responses are and if they took the time to learn about you.

Surface-Level Talking Points Mirror Buzzword Rehashing
Some candidates rely on jargon, buzzwords, or overly broad leadership language (“I’m a strategic partner who champions synergy!”) that sounds impressive on the surface but lacks depth. This kind of “fluffy” communication doesn’t help differentiate truly qualified candidates.

Listen for jargon vs. substance. A strong candidate will anchor big ideas to real work they’ve done, clearly linking actions to results. Encourage them to share how they achieved outcomes, not just that they did.

Structured Interview Techniques Reduce Vagueness
One reason vague responses persist is inconsistent interview questioning. Structured interviews — where all candidates get the same core competency-based questions can help eliminate ambiguity in evaluation (this also helps reduce bias). When everyone gets the same question, especially when they’re multiple choice, you can see candidate performance and capability objectively. 

A Clear Response Is a Predictor of Clear Performance
Ultimately, the way candidates communicate during interviews is telling—not just what they say, but how they say it. And clear communication is rarely accidental—usually a good sign of strong performance.

When interviewing a candidate, don’t just listen for confidence, listen for substance.