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We\u2019ve all been there: midway through a video call, the audio freezes. Faces stop moving. A moment later, the dreaded message appears: Your connection is unstable.<\/em><\/p>\n For years, those glitches have been shrugged off as an unavoidable reality of remote work. But according to Shark Tank star Kevin O\u2019Leary, that grace period is officially over.\u00a0<\/p>\n More than five years after the pandemic pushed millions of workers onto Zoom calls, \u201cMr. Wonderful\u201d now said spotty internet is no longer an inconvenience\u2014it\u2019s a red flag, especially for someone looking for a job.<\/p>\n \u201cIn a hybrid world, your internet connection tells me everything,\u201d O\u2019Leary said on Instagram.<\/p>\n \u201cIf your audio cuts out, your video freezes, or you don\u2019t care enough to fix it\u2026you\u2019re telling me you\u2019re not serious about business,\u201d the 71-year-old added. \u201cThat r\u00e9sum\u00e9 goes straight in the garbage.\u201d<\/p>\n The message may sound harsh\u2014especially from a business leader who shows up to meetings in pink pajama pants and flip-flops. But for O\u2019Leary, the issue is more than just professionalism for its own sake\u2014it\u2019s about efficiency.<\/p>\n After all, what he values the most is time. And time, in his view, is money.<\/p>\n A strong internet connection isn\u2019t the only bar O\u2019Leary sets for prospective hires. Before a candidate ever reaches the interview stage, he wants proof of something else: execution\u2014and loyalty.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I can\u2019t stand is seeing a r\u00e9sum\u00e9 where every six months they job hop. To me that means they couldn\u2019t execute anything, and I take that r\u00e9sum\u00e9 into the garbage,\u201d O\u2019Leary said in a video posted to his social media last year. \u201cIf I see anything that\u2019s less than two [years], that\u2019s a red flag for me.<\/p>\n Rather than constantly chasing the next opportunity, O\u2019Leary encouraged young workers to embed themselves in a role, deliver results, and prove their value over time.<\/p>\n \u201cShow me you had a mandate and delivered on it over two years or more, that\u2019s gold,\u201d he added. \u201cDiscipline, focus, and results matter; that\u2019s how I decide who gets hired.\u201d<\/p>\n O\u2019Leary isn\u2019t alone in setting firm\u2014and sometimes unforgiving\u2014expectations for job candidates. For many top executives, the interview itself offers a clearer signal than anything written on a r\u00e9sum\u00e9.<\/p>\n For Twilio\u2019s CEO Khozema Shipchandler, it often comes down to what happens at the very end of the conversation.<\/p>\n \u201cThe number one red flag for me is when someone doesn\u2019t ask questions toward the end of an interview,\u201d Shipchandler previously told Fortune<\/em>. \u201cThat\u2019s a pretty significant mark against them being curious about what they\u2019re interviewing, the company, the way we might work together, chemistry, culture, all of those things.\u201d<\/p>\n Denny\u2019s CEO Kelli Valade has echoed a similar view, saying that the specific question matters less than the act of asking one at all. To her, it signals preparation, genuine interest, and that a candidate has done their homework.<\/p>\n General Motors CEO Mary Barra, who previously headed the automaker\u2019s human resources department, looks for something more subtle: language.\u00a0<\/p>\n The 64-year-old said she pays attention to how often people talk about GM using the pronoun \u201cwe\u201d instead of \u201cyou\u201d or \u201cthey\u201d\u2014an indication as to whether someone already sees themselves as part of the organization.<\/p>\n \u201cJump in the boat, own the problem, and be part of it,\u201d she said at the Wharton People Analytics Conference in 2018. \u201cYou can almost tell in an interview when they interview like they\u2019re already at the company\u2014but in a respectful way where they\u2019re not over assuming anything.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nWorkers need to ditch job-hopping\u2014or face not landing another role again<\/h2>\n
It\u2019s not just the r\u00e9sum\u00e9\u2014what you say in the interview can be a make-or-break<\/h2>\n