The Interview Trap Nobody Talks About

You’re Skipping the Real Reason People Fail at Work—And It’s Costing You

Skills matter. But they’re not what sink new hires.

The silent saboteurs? Personal attributes, attitude, and character.

Yet most interviews barely touch on them. Why?

Because they don’t know which ones matter—or how to ask about them.

Did you know that:

❌ 46% of newly-hired employees fail within 18 months ¹
⚠️ Only 19% achieve unequivocal success ¹
🛑 82% of hiring managers saw warning signs they ignored ¹
💀 Interview performers beat job performers too often

¹ Leadership IQ study - a three-year study of 5,247 hiring managers from 312 organizations who hired over 20,000 employees

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his book gives you the exact questions to ask—and what to look for in the answers—so you can spot the real collaborators, not the best rehearsed. These are the hires who’ll fuel innovation, cut through chaos, and help your team thrive when everything’s uncertain.

Because innovation isn’t just for tech companies anymore. It’s your edge.

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You’re in good company

Meet the Collaborative Innovator Profile

A complete system for spotting the attributes that fuel adaptive teams—and filtering out the ones that fake it.

The 7 traits?

They’re backed by behavioral science and tested in high-stakes roles—from civic tech to startups to social impact orgs.

Here’s what you’ll get:

You'll discover the 5 evidence markers that expose deception:

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The 7 traits that matter across any role (not just leadership)

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Interview questions that expose “derailers” and highlight true potential

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A complete coaching and evaluation system you can start using tomorrow

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A framework built to keep you competitive in fast-changing environments

Whether you're hiring an individual contributor or a COO, the same truth applies:

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If they lack integrity, nothing else sticks.

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If they avoid feedback, learning stalls.

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If they collapse under friction, innovation dies.

The Collaborative Innovator Profile (CIP) doesn’t just help you hire. It helps you build teams that keep working—when the world doesn’t.

What Partial Interviews Cost You

Every mis-hire doesn’t just hurt your budget—it damages your reputation, disrupts your team, and puts your own career advancement at risk.

Hiring managers know their reputation is on the line with every hire.

The average cost of a bad hire is $14,900 according to CareerBuilder research ², and it takes 5-8 months for new employees to reach full productivity according to Human Panel Research³.

² CareerBuilder (2017, December 7) - Nearly three in four employers affected by a bad hire, according to a recent CareerBuilder survey. PR Newswire.

³ Human Panel (2021, December 29) - Structure onboarding to speed time to productivity: 7 tips from CEO.

Meanwhile, polished candidates are getting better at faking it:

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ChatGPT just polished a project story for your candidate that never happened—and you’ll never spot the seam… unless you know Marker #3.

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They memorize STAR method responses that sound genuine but lack substance

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They’ve learned to turn every weakness into a "strength in disguise"

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They know exactly what you want to hear—and say it with conviction

You end up with smooth talkers who can’t execute, charming candidates who poison team dynamics, and "high performers" who crumble under real pressure.

Your instincts tell you something’s off, but you can’t put your finger on what. You make the hire anyway. And six months later, you’re dealing with missed deadlines, frustrated stakeholders, and starting the hiring process all over again.

Ashli Molina

Staff Technical PM, Transit Tech

“I've been following FirstWho since day one, and I love how it has evolved. Yes, FirstWho provides the tools but also the training because good hiring decisions depend on people.”

Jeff Liberty

CEO, Good Trouble Strategic Advisors

“FirstWho’s approach focuses on the fundamentals of great hiring: knowing who and what you’re looking for and preparing your interviewers for honest, authentic conversations that matter. Their unique process and tools help hiring teams differentiate interview charm from candidates’ real ability and potential.”

Paul Kim

Software Engineer Team Lead, Capital One

“The level of AI faking in technology interviews is off the charts. FirstWho is a game-changer for hiring managers who want to see through the smoke and mirrors to learn about the full candidate.”

From the CEO and co-author of the forthcoming book “Fakers”:

Ryan Mahoney is the CEO of FirstWho, where organizations learn proven methods to consistently hire top talent—right from the start.

A veteran hiring manager across government, nonprofit, and private sectors, Ryan helped build standout teams at MBTA, Blue State Digital, and TransitOPS. He’s also advised dozens of hiring managers—from Fortune 100 companies like Amazon to local YMCAs—on how to fill mission-critical roles with confidence.