Candidate Hard Gates & Red Flags — EverAI Partner Hiring Wiki

#	Gate	Hard stop
⛔ Admin / eligibility
1	NSFW / explicit content comfort	☑ Hard stop
2	B2B / contractor working model	☑ Hard stop
3	Location / timezone	☑ Hard stop
4	Compensation alignment	☑ Hard stop
5	Availability, commitment & current employer	☑ Hard stop
6	English sufficiency	☑ Hard stop
🔍 Common evidence signals
7	Personal ownership and credible scale claims	Not a hard stop
8	Concrete, measurable impact	Not a hard stop
9	Current hands-on capability	Not a hard stop
10	Clear, direct communication	Not a hard stop
🧭 Behavioural signals
11	Preparation / engagement	Not a hard stop
12	Ownership in ambiguity and learning from mistakes	Not a hard stop
13	Blame / disrespect	Not a hard stop
14	Career trajectory & builder experience	Not a hard stop
15	Practical AI usage	Not a hard stop

⛔ Admin / eligibility

1. NSFW / explicit content comfort ☑ Hard stop

What to check	Confirm the candidate is comfortable working for an adult/explicit-content product. Where the role brief states direct exposure to explicit content, also confirm they are comfortable handling it.
Counts as evidence	An explicit yes from the candidate in any source: CV, application form, recruiter or interviewer notes, or interview. Previous adult-industry experience is not required.
Red flags	Not comfortable working for an adult/explicit-content product, or unwilling to handle explicit content where the role brief states direct exposure.
Probes	Our products can include explicit / NSFW content. Are you fully comfortable working in this environment as part of your day-to-day role?

2. B2B / contractor working model ☑ Hard stop

What to check	Confirm whether the candidate accepts a B2B contractor setup. B2B is required only where the role brief states it. Where the role brief does not state it and the candidate refuses B2B, mark as Maybe for TA to confirm the contract type. These are usually stated in the recruiter screening notes (sections on contract type, notice period and availability). Check them before marking Maybe.
Counts as evidence	The candidate states they accept or prefer B2B, contractor, freelance, self-employed, own company, or an invoicing platform (e.g. Deel, Mellow), in any source: CV, application form, recruiter or interviewer notes, or interview.
Red flags	The candidate refuses B2B where the role brief states B2B is required.
Probes	This role is on a B2B contractor basis by default. Does that work for you?

3. Location / timezone ☑ Hard stop

What to check	Check the candidate's country and timezone of residence against the location requirement in the role brief. Regions marked "preferred" are a preference, not a requirement. Where the role brief states no requirement, the requirement is Europe or a timezone within ±3 hours of CET. Temporary travel or working from other places for periods is not a change of residence. Where sources state different locations, use the most recent; where they lead to different results, mark as Maybe and name both. Where the calibration notes and the role brief/JD state different requirements, mark as Maybe and name both. Where the candidate is based in a blocked country (Afghanistan, Belarus, Cuba, Crimea, Democratic Republic of Congo, Donetsk, Iran, Iraq, Kherson, Libya, Luhansk, Myanmar, North Korea, Russia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, Yemen, Zaporizhzhia) or needs visa sponsorship, mark as Maybe for TA to confirm.
Counts as evidence	The candidate's stated country, city or timezone of residence, in any source: CV, application form, recruiter or interviewer notes, or interview.
Red flags	The candidate's country or timezone of residence does not meet the role brief requirement, or the candidate cannot work the overlap hours the role brief requires.
Probes	Where are you based, and which hours would you work day to day? Do you have the right to work where you are based?

4. Compensation alignment ☑ Hard stop

What to check	Compare the candidate's stated expectations with the range in the role brief, on the same basis (base, base + bonus, or total package) and in the same currency (convert approximately where currencies differ). Select the range in two steps. First the seniority: take it from the job title, or from notes stating the level the candidate is being considered for, or otherwise from the years-of-experience thresholds in the role brief. Where none of these gives a seniority, compare against every seniority range; where the result would differ between them, mark as Maybe and name them. Then the region: use the range for the region of the candidate's country of residence; where the country is not covered by any regional range, mark as Maybe. Name the range and seniority used. "Exceptional" ceilings are not the top of the range. Where the candidate does not state their basis, assume it is the same as the range and say so. Where the calibration notes and the role brief/JD state different ranges, mark as Maybe and name both.
Counts as evidence	Expectations within the range or up to 10% above its top (e.g. €80K–€100K → up to €110K), or the candidate states they would accept or are open to an offer in that band, in any source: CV, application form, recruiter or interviewer notes, or interview. Use only the candidate's stated expectations. Ignore current or previous salary.
Red flags	Expectations more than 10% above the top of the range, and the candidate does not state they would accept or are open to an offer in that band.
Probes	What are your compensation expectations, and in which currency? The range for this role is X–Y. Does that work for you?

5. Availability, commitment & current employer ☑ Hard stop

What to check	Confirm the candidate's notice period or earliest start date; a candidate who is not currently employed has no notice period. Where the role brief states the role is freelance or part-time, other work is allowed; instead, confirm the candidate can commit the hours or availability the role brief requires, and skip the only-commitment check. Otherwise, confirm that, once they start, EverAI will be the candidate's only professional commitment: no other job, business, freelance, consulting or advisory work. Personal projects that are not a business are not a competing commitment. The job the candidate will leave (covered by their notice period) is not a competing commitment. Where no source mentions any other work alongside this role, treat it as none. Where the candidate currently has other work (a business, freelance, consulting or a second role) and has not stated they will stop it, mark as Maybe. Check the candidate's current employer against the Off-Limits list (current employees only). Where the current employer is Docler, Byborg or LiveJasmin, mark as Maybe for TA to handle with care. Mark Yes when no part leads to Maybe or No. These are usually stated in the recruiter screening notes (sections on contract type, notice period and availability). Check them before marking Maybe.
Counts as evidence	A stated notice period or start date; a statement that the candidate will stop or has no other work; the current employer, in any source: CV, application form, recruiter or interviewer notes, or interview. A long notice period is acceptable unless it misses a required start date in the role brief.
Red flags	The candidate states they will keep another job, business, freelance, consulting or advisory work alongside EverAI, where the role brief does not state the role is freelance or part-time; the candidate cannot commit the hours the role brief requires; the earliest start date misses a required start date stated in the role brief; the candidate currently works at Aylo, Nutaku, Mindgeek, Traffic Stars, Advidi, Ovation, XVideos, xHamster, Traffic Junky, Twinred, Pika, KlingAI or Admaze.
Probes	What's your notice period and earliest start date? Would EverAI be your only professional commitment, or would you keep any other work, business or projects alongside it? For freelance roles: How many hours per week can you commit to us?

6. English sufficiency ☑ Hard stop

What to check	Confirm the candidate can work and communicate in English at the level the role's responsibilities require.
Counts as evidence	The English level stated in the CV (e.g. fluent, C1, C2, native, professional), written application answers, and communication in notes or interviews, in any source: CV, application form, recruiter or interviewer notes, or interview. Accent, non-native grammar, charisma and presentation style are not evidence unless the role brief requires them.
Red flags	The candidate's English is insufficient to perform the role's responsibilities.
Probes	Walk me through a recent project in your own words.

🔍 Common evidence signals

7. Personal ownership and credible scale claims Not a hard stop

What to check	Check the candidate can isolate their own contribution from team/company results, that scale claims reflect their direct control, and that facts and numbers are consistent across sources.
Counts as evidence	Specific decisions the candidate personally made and the parts under their direct control, in any source: CV, application form, recruiter or interviewer notes, or interview. Company name, title, pedigree and "we" outcomes are not proof.
Red flags	Relies on "we"/team/company outcomes without isolating their own contribution; large numbers presented as personal achievements without evidence of direct control; facts or figures that materially differ between sources, such as different names, amounts, dates, employers, locations or team sizes (rounding and approximations are not a difference; spelling or transcription variants of the same name, and dates differing by a few months, are not a difference); NDA used to avoid describing their own role or decisions in general terms.
Probes	What was specifically yours? Which decisions did you personally make? What did someone else own? What part was directly under your control, and what measurable outcome followed? Walk me through this timeline again. How does that number break down? Without naming the client, what did you personally decide, build, or change?

8. Concrete, measurable impact Not a hard stop

What to check	Check the candidate can explain the outcomes of their work, not just responsibilities, using role-relevant KPIs.
Counts as evidence	Outcomes such as revenue, growth, conversion, retention, quality, reliability, delivery speed, usage, risk or cost reduction, efficiency, or other role KPIs, in any source: CV, application form, recruiter or interviewer notes, or interview. Listing responsibilities alone does not count.
Red flags	The candidate cannot explain outcomes when asked two or more times in an interview.
Probes	What changed because of your work? What measurable outcome followed?

9. Current hands-on capability Not a hard stop

What to check	Check the candidate will personally execute the work the role requires. Accept either current hands-on execution, or previous hands-on experience in the required work plus a stated willingness to return to a hands-on role. Check the candidate had been working (employed, contracting, freelancing, consulting or running a business) within the 6 months before they applied. Where the candidate states a reason for a gap of 6 months or more (e.g. parental leave, health, caregiving, relocation), note it and mark as Maybe instead of a red flag.
Counts as evidence	Personal execution and tools/workflows/processes the candidate uses themselves, now or in previous roles; for candidates currently managing, a stated willingness to execute the work day to day; work dates, in any source: CV, application form, recruiter or interviewer notes, or interview. Seniority itself is not evidence against. The role brief defines the required work.
Red flags	No hands-on experience in the work the role requires; the candidate wants to manage, coordinate, advise or delegate work the role requires them to execute; adjacent experience presented as direct (management as execution, strategy as delivery, reporting as analysis ownership, coordination as expertise); not working for 6 months or more before they applied.
Probes	What did you personally execute recently, and which tools do you use yourself? This role is hands-on. Are you looking to execute the work yourself day to day? What have you been doing since your last role?

10. Clear, direct communication Not a hard stop

What to check	Check the candidate expresses themselves clearly and directly, in speech and in writing: answers the question asked, gets to the point, and makes clear what they did, what they owned, why they made decisions and what happened. Judge across all interviews and notes, not a single one. Misunderstanding a task or missing details in a case study is about task comprehension, not communication; note it in the rationale but do not count it here. Mark No only when unclear or evasive answers appear in two or more interviews.
Counts as evidence	Clear, structured, straightforward answers, in any source: CV, application form, recruiter or interviewer notes, or interview. A single misunderstanding that the candidate clarifies is not evidence against. An introverted style, perfect English, charisma and presentation style are not evidence unless the role brief requires them.
Red flags	Unclear or evasive answers in two or more interviews; repeatedly avoids the question asked; long answers that do not reach the point.
Probes	Can you give me the short version? Can you give me one concrete example?

🧭 Behavioural signals

11. Preparation / engagement Not a hard stop

What to check	Check whether the candidate reviewed the company/role, can explain why they are interested, and shows useful curiosity.
Counts as evidence	Specific knowledge of the company or product, a clear reason for interest, and relevant questions, in any source: CV, application form, recruiter or interviewer notes, or interview. Energy level and extroversion are not evidence.
Red flags	The candidate cannot explain what the company does or why they are interested in the role.
Probes	What do you know about what we do? Why this role?

12. Ownership in ambiguity and learning from mistakes Not a hard stop

What to check	Check the candidate moves forward without a complete playbook and discusses mistakes or weaknesses constructively. Mark Confirmed when at least one of the two is evidenced and no red flag appears; name the missing part in the rationale and add its probe.
Counts as evidence	Independent decisions or initiatives beyond their remit; a failure, weakness or piece of feedback they acknowledge together with what they changed (including a change of role or direction); a misunderstanding they recognise and correct during an interview, in any source: CV, application form, recruiter or interviewer notes, or interview. Asking for clarity is not evidence against.
Red flags	Blocked without a complete playbook; cannot identify any failure or lesson; defensive when challenged.
Probes	Tell me about a time you had no clear process. What did you do? Tell me about something that failed. What did you learn or change?

13. Blame / disrespect Not a hard stop

What to check	Check how the candidate describes others and treats recruiters and interviewers. Where interview notes show discriminatory or degrading comments, disrespect or hostility toward recruiters or interviewers, or repeated dismissiveness, mark as Needs validation and quote it as a concern. Where the candidate blames every previous employer or manager or takes no ownership in conflicts, mark as Needs validation. Mark Confirmed when no source shows blame or disrespect and the candidate's interactions and accounts of others are professional or balanced. Absence of a described conflict is not a reason for Needs validation.
Counts as evidence	Direct quotes or described behaviour, in any source: CV, application form, recruiter or interviewer notes, or interview. Respectfully challenging assumptions and factual criticism of a past employer are not evidence against.
Red flags	Clearly demonstrated discriminatory or degrading comments, disrespect or hostility toward recruiters or interviewers, or repeated dismissiveness.
Probes	Tell me about a disagreement with a manager or colleague. How did it end, and what was your part?

14. Career trajectory & builder experience Not a hard stop

What to check	Check the career timeline for a pattern of short tenures, and note positive signals: progression, fast-paced scale-up experience, and building something from 0 (founder, co-founder, or launching a new product, team, function or channel). A short tenure is a role that lasted under 18 months. Do not count the current role, internships, roles held while studying, or freelance, contract and project roles, unless the candidate has never held any role for 18 months or more. Mark Confirmed when there is no pattern of unexplained short tenures, and list any positive signals in the rationale. The absence of positive signals is not evidence against.
Counts as evidence	Increasing scope or seniority over time; roles at fast-growing companies; founding or launching something new with the candidate's own role made clear; personal projects the candidate built (not a business); reasonable explanations for short tenures (layoffs, contracts, acquisitions, restructuring, project-based work, role mismatch), in any source: CV, application form, recruiter or interviewer notes, or interview. Past career breaks, no promotion, a non-traditional path and no founder or scale-up experience are not evidence against.
Red flags	More than half of the candidate's last 4 roles were short tenures without a reasonable explanation, or the candidate has never held any role for 18 months or more.
Probes	What led to each move? How did your scope change from one role to the next? What did you build from 0, what was your role, and where did you take it?

15. Practical AI usage Not a hard stop

What to check	Check whether the candidate uses AI tools in their own work with good judgment: what they use, for which tasks, and how they check the output.
Counts as evidence	Named AI tools and the tasks they use them for, things they automated or built, and how they verify output, in any source: CV, application form, recruiter or interviewer notes, or interview. No AI background is not evidence against.
Red flags	Claims AI usage without any specific example; relies on AI output without checking it.
Probes	Which AI tools do you use, and for what? What have you automated or built with them? How do you check the output?

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