An Aussie boss has revealed the major mistake she has noticed job seekers making during interviews. Australia is facing a tight job market, with recruiters reporting hundreds of applications are being received for individual roles.

Kim Brindell, co-founder and chief operating officer of Nudo, said she was “desperate” for job seekers to ask her questions during interviews to clarify information. Brindell told Yahoo Finance she was recently interviewing to fill three roles at her Melbourne wedding and event venue company and noticed none of the candidates did this.

“The biggest thing for me is it shows genuine curiosity in the role and in the workplace. It goes just a big way to make the interview feel more natural and conversational as well,” Brindell said.

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“I think when you do have that confidence to ask questions, get a bit curious and clarifying where you need to as well, it not only makes the interviewer impressed but it also goes a long way to putting yourself at ease as well as the interviewee.”

Brindell said asking clarifying questions was a “powerful thing” for candidates to do in interviews and could help them become "front runners".

She added that asking for more information could help job seekers give the interviewer better answers that were "more tailored and strategic".

Brindell, who employs 250 staff members, admitted that when hiring for senior roles she would sometimes intentionally ask them questions that were ambiguous to see if candidates would ask for clarification.

“I’m not intentionally being confusing because that implies malintent. However, we do run a company that is only six years old, we are growing very quickly and as we grow information is moving and changing very fast,” she said.

Brindell said asking clarifying questions showed the candidate's problem-solving skills and the ability to think on their toes.

Do you have a work story to share? Contact tamika.seeto@yahooinc.com

‘Surprising’ number of candidates who don’t ask any questions

Brindell also urged candidates to ask questions more generally throughout the interview process.

“I actually open the interview with ‘Do you have any questions’ and then I’ll also end it with ‘Do you have any questions?’” she told Yahoo Finance.

“I think it would be surprising to hear how many times people actually say no to that question.”