3 Interview Mistakes That Kill Offers - Ex-Riot Hiring Manager

After running 200+ interviews as a Riot Games hiring manager, I can tell you the three mistakes that killed more candidates than bad resumes ever did. The candidates who got hired at Riot weren't smarter and they weren't always more experienced. Many didn't even have AAA experience. What separated them had almost nothing to do with their resume and everything to do with what happened in the first ten minutes of the interview. In this video I break down the three interview archetypes I saw reject candidates over and over again: the Rusher, the Performer, and the Rambler. Each one has a specific tell, a specific reason it kills your chances from the hiring manager's side of the table, and a specific fix you can apply before your next interview. I'll also show you the phrases hiring managers actually write on scorecards when they can't quite name what went wrong, and why "strong technically but concerns about communication" almost always means something very different from what you think it does. If you've got an interview coming up at Riot Games, Blizzard, EA, Ubisoft, or any gaming studio, this is the video nobody else in the interview coaching world is making. Most coaches drill you on STAR stories and behavioral questions because those are teachable in a worksheet. The thing that actually separates hires from rejects isn't, and that's exactly what we're covering here. Your skills get you the interview. Your calibration to the room gets you the offer. WEEKLY CAREER STRATEGIES (FREE) Join thousands of gaming professionals who get my best insights every week. 👉 Subscribe here: https://www.christran.gg/newsletter ABOUT ME I’m Chris Tran—former Riot Games leader turned career coach. I help mid-career gaming professionals get hired, get promoted, and stay relevant in a cutthroat industry. Let’s connect: ► Newsletter: https://www.christran.gg/newsletter ► LinkedIn:   / chrisltran   ► Website: https://www.christran.gg TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Why great resumes fail in gaming interviews 0:40 The AAA candidate who lost the offer in 10 minutes 2:27 The real pattern hiring managers look for 3:09 Interview mistake #1: The Rusher 5:33 Interview mistake #2: The Performer 8:18 Interview mistake #3: The Rambler 10:06 What hiring managers actually write on your scorecard 12:42 The phone recording exercise to diagnose yourself