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Interviewing for a job is an overwhelmingly nerve-wracking experience for even the most confident people. You do your homework, pick out an outfit, and rehearse your strengths and weaknesses for hours on end only to meet total strangers in a position of power and be judged by a single conversation.

But out of fear of coming off as unfit for the desired company, we can forget a job interview is a two-way street. Just as employers deem whether candidates are a match for them, it's equally necessary for applicants to see whether the organization is in line with their goals and values. Sometimes, the interviewer may make an offensive comment or give out a downtrodden vibe of the office, and our intuition tells us to quickly run the other way.

"What are subtle red flags at a job interview that say, 'Working here would suck'?" asked one user over on Reddit and inspired thousands of people to chime in with their stories. From phrases like "fast-paced environment" to promises to be a part of their close family, people revealed warning signs to be on the lookout for. Below, you’ll find some of the most illuminating responses from the thread, so be sure to upvote the ones you agree with most. And if you know any additional indicators of hostile and toxic work environments, let us know all about them in the comments right below.

Psst! If you’re interested in even more job-interview madness, check out Bored Panda’s earlier piece right over here.

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#1

30 People Share Subtle Red Flags During A Job Interview That Indicate You Shouldn’t Take The Job 'we're a christian company'

if they say that... f*****g run. end the interview as fast and possible and f*****g run.

they're going to overwork you, underpay you, short you on benefits, and f**k you over at the first sign of trouble, but the owners will show up daily, driving their $150k cars that they paid cash for, so they can sit in their office and do f**k-all for a few hours and then leave so they can go yell at the contractors remodeling their houses for the fifth time in six years.

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Dave
Dave
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Whenever somebody invokes god or their religion in order to give themselves credibility, I know I am talking to the vilest, obnoxious, backstabbing piece of s**t.

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#2

"Must be a self-starter" = We won't train you.

"Fast-paced environment" = We will overwork you.

"Must be able to multitask" = We fired three people and want you to do all their jobs.

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John Smith
John Smith
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Right person could get quick promotion = Kiss the right a*s and we may give you a pay rise. Maybe.

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#3

30 People Share Subtle Red Flags During A Job Interview That Indicate You Shouldn’t Take The Job When the mournful eyed Filipina janitor bumps into you as you walk towards the restroom, slipping into your pocket a hastily scrawled note that says "you leave, is no good for you here".

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Random Anon
Random Anon
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If that ain't a sign to hightail it outta there, I don't know what is.

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#4

30 People Share Subtle Red Flags During A Job Interview That Indicate You Shouldn’t Take The Job I once interviewed for a company that said they'll be holding onto my passport and my university degrees as long as I work there.

While I had heard of such instances, I also knew it's against the law.

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SheamusFan1987
SheamusFan1987
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's illegal. No one should hold on to your personal ID and qualification papers. Just NOPE and report them after you walk out.

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#5

30 People Share Subtle Red Flags During A Job Interview That Indicate You Shouldn’t Take The Job While waiting in the lobby for my interviewer to come out, a man flung the work area door open as he was screaming and literally sobbing about the place being worse than hell. It was like a red flag factory exploded in my face.

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#6

30 People Share Subtle Red Flags During A Job Interview That Indicate You Shouldn’t Take The Job Not subtle at all - I went for an interview for a job that I was already doing with 5 years experience, with excellent reviews and even a recommendation from my current employer. It was a panel interview and as soon as I walked in one of the interviewers walked out to the parking lot. He comes back and goes "how do you plan to work this job with two kids still in car seats?" I told him he was asking an illegal question and was being straight up sexist and inappropriate. I knew right then that I wasn't taking the job.

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Nimues Child
Nimues Child
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2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Kudos for pointing that out and letting him know that such attitudes are not okay!

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#7

30 People Share Subtle Red Flags During A Job Interview That Indicate You Shouldn’t Take The Job One place my wife interviewed asked her if she had any kids or planned on getting pregnant soon.

Both questions are illegal to ask during an interview.

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Iifa A.
Iifa A.
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I got told at 27 why am I applying for a job that requires to be on call and 50-60hrs hands on work. I should be thinking of kids and finding myself a good man. Oh I answered in very detailed description.of.multiple miscarriages I have had, with blood transfusion and how my partner and I made a choice not to take any risks to my life. Then I left and reported him, while walking out I loudly complained on the phone every detail. Pretty sure by the time I left premises everyone knew what an a*****e SHE was. She looked younger than me, why was she there.

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#8

30 People Share Subtle Red Flags During A Job Interview That Indicate You Shouldn’t Take The Job I had an interview where the guy said "we - we work hard here. I'd like to say we play hard, too, but.. we work hard here".

Then, later on when I asked about what happened to the predecessor "he left. Unfortunately, he took on a little too much, became unhappy and left. He's taking some time off before he decides whether he wants to stay in IT or not."

So you overworked a guy to the point where he decided he needed a new career?

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Circa
Circa
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If an employer said they "play hard", I would be put off working there. Don't want a partying culture at work.

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#9

30 People Share Subtle Red Flags During A Job Interview That Indicate You Shouldn’t Take The Job Had an interview with a store owner once when I was in high school. Guy threw a pad of paper across the table at me and told me to list out my values.

The values of an 18 year-old. Applying for a job as a cashier at a sporting goods store. Uhhh, what?

Jotted some stuff down and he then proceeded to tell me why all my values were wrong.

"Family is great, but God is greater. God should be top of your list."

"School is only good if you get to work in your field."

"Work ethic? I'm just going to assume you don't know what that is."

"You definitely don't know what love is, so don't list your girlfriend anywhere in your values."

He then told me that I'd be less than minimum wage as a Trainee for as long as he saw fit to call me that and how that was completely and totally legit.

Promptly Noped the f**k outta there.

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#10

30 People Share Subtle Red Flags During A Job Interview That Indicate You Shouldn’t Take The Job If they say, "It's like a family here", they mean "the drama is unbelievable and yes, it gets very personal".

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SkekVi
SkekVi
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

'it's like a family here' translation: we are anti-union and culty about it.

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#11

30 People Share Subtle Red Flags During A Job Interview That Indicate You Shouldn’t Take The Job Applied for a Guitar Tech job at guitar center. Went through three levels of interviews. Right during the last one, this f*****g dude, goes through all my paperwork and is like "you got the job, we're gonna start you off in sales." And I was like "I didn't apply for sales, I've interviewed the last three weeks for the Guitar Tech position." An he just said, "I know." And had this sh*tty stupid smile on his dumb face. And that's when I realized, they probably don't care for their employees there.

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Guido Pisano
Guido Pisano
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I had an enterview for java developer, and when interview was almost over they told me that job position was for credit recovery. When I realized I stood up and went away...

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#12

I had an interview at a popularly known coffee shop that is orange, pink and brown.

I have a Engineering degree but couldn't find work in my area (it's a poor town and it's hard enough to find work without a degree).

The manger asked some of the following?

"Why don't you have an engineering job yet?" "Something must be wrong with you."

I explained the market and how a lot do my friend still didn't have jobs (which was true). I said I'd had a lot of interviews but nothing had resulted in an offer (which was also true).

"Well I think something is wrong with you and you are hiding it."

Well thanks...



She then proceeds to tell me if I have any form of anxiety I can't work there as I won't be able to complete my duties so to fess up. (I do have anxiety but 1.)I don't have to disclose that s**t and 2.)it's very very mild and I know it wouldn't impede me).

Lastly she tells me how she is going to be firing everyone that works there over the next month because they all suck.


She offered me the job, I accepted at the moment and was supposed to go in the next day to fill out my paperwork. I went home and stressed about how I knew I would be miserable there and what to do. I decided to decline it as my health and wellbeing were more important than this job. I sent a very nice email stating that it wasn't the right fit for me at the moment.

The next morning I received an offer from an Engineering company I interview at earlier in the week.


Apparently she still complains about how I decided to decline the job....

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SkekVi
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

this place has the WORST interviewers i swear. Had a similarly horrific interview experience with them once....

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#13

30 People Share Subtle Red Flags During A Job Interview That Indicate You Shouldn’t Take The Job If to move forward in the hiring process you have to pay them for anything

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#14

30 People Share Subtle Red Flags During A Job Interview That Indicate You Shouldn’t Take The Job I've only had a couple bad job experiences when I was younger and they both had one thing in common: They made me wait for 15+ minutes to start after the scheduled interview time.

If they don't respect you and your time before you start, they definitely won't respect you when you're working there.

Now that I've been on the other side and interview people, I would never even think of doing that, no matter how busy I am. I also personally call every employee I don't hire, explain why they weren't the perfect fit, and try to give them some positive encouragement going forward.

BOTTOM LINE: Just because you are the one looking for a job, doesn't mean that the potential employer shouldn't be courteous and treat you just as well as they treat a client/customer.

EDIT: Call back only people I've interviewed, not anyone who has ever sent a resume in.

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John Smith
John Smith
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Once got screwed around by a company during an interview. I turned up 10 mins early for the interview. No-one knew why I was there. An hour later they found the guy that had invited me in. He had forgotten to put it in the diary, then gone to the dentist. When he turned up, about 2 hours after the interview was supposed to be. He handed me a handful of papers, saying "do this test and get it back to us". I let him have it both barrels, dropped the papers in the bin and walked out. Since then I have had recruiters constantly trying to send me to the same company as they are almost always recruiting due to not being able to hold onto staff.

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#15

30 People Share Subtle Red Flags During A Job Interview That Indicate You Shouldn’t Take The Job Baker here, on my first day I was given a potted tree, I was told to plant it, if I was still baking when it got big enough to hang myself off, I should, because this is not the job you want for the rest of your life.

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#16

I told this tale, just the other day in response to a different question so, enjoy your duplicate post.

A company emailed me that they found my resume on Monster and were very interested in meeting to discuss an opportunity in their office and would I be available this Thursday at 10 am to meet with Scott?

Absolutely!

So, I show up at 10am. A girl rides up the elevator with me and gets off at the same floor. We both walked into the same door. The receptionist greeted us and the girl said, "I'm here to meet with Scott."

I thought, "Well, that's a little weird but, maybe she's super early."

The receptionist looks at me and, I said, "I'm also hear to meet with Scott. I have a 10am."

She escorted us to this conference room where I see 30 other people. Now my alarms are starting to go off. She tells us to find seats and watch the presentation. Scott will be in shortly.

So, sitting there in silence for 15 minutes before I finally lean over to the girl and ask, "What job are you interviewing for?"

She answered, "I'm... I'm not entirely certain."

I asked, "Well, what's on your resume? What job did you think you were being offered?"

She answered, "I'm a mechanical engineer. You?"

"I'm a software developer."

So, another 5 minutes goes by when Scott walks into the room. He's super excited to see us and this presentation will take about an hour. He's asking people their names and making an effort to use their names whenever possible as he's handing out copies of the power point slides. Tells us that we can take notes.

I start flipping through the slide deck and notice right away that all the slides are either blank or otherwise devoid of content. They might have a title on them but, the title is just words. No explanation whatsoever. Things like, 'Company History' and 'Compensation' but otherwise empty.

He tells us that there will be time after the presentation to ask questions but, in order to get done before lunch, he requests that all questions are held to the end of the presentation.

"Scott," I said, "I do have a quick question before we get started."

"There will be plenty of time after the presentation for all questions."

"Scott, I promise that this question will be quick and very relevant. Are all the positions available commissioned insurance sales?"

"Well, we are an insurance company."

"That's not what I asked, Scott. Are all the positions available commissioned insurance sales?"

"Well, yes."

I stood up and gathered up my resume and folder and said, "Thanks for wasting my time, Scott." And, I walked toward the door.

Scott rushed to beat me to the door and opened the side closest to me causing me to pause briefly. As I did, I heard a great deal of grumbling and paper shuffling behind me. I turned to look and literally everybody in the room except for 4 dudes in three-piece suits at the front of the room had stood up at their tables and were putting their s**t in their briefcases and notebooks.

I exited quickly enough that I got the elevator to myself but, looking back on it, I should have waited because I definitely want to know what their elevator conversation was.

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SkekVi
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

THIS EXACT THING HAPPENED TO ME OMG!!!! was is the duck. it was the duck wasn't it.

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#17

30 People Share Subtle Red Flags During A Job Interview That Indicate You Shouldn’t Take The Job They wanted me to explain my tardiness stats from high school.

I'm in my thirties.

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Kate Jones
Kate Jones
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

How did they even get them? And why the hell would they care?

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#18

30 People Share Subtle Red Flags During A Job Interview That Indicate You Shouldn’t Take The Job One that I've experienced- they asked me to start immediately.

"When can you start"?

"Tomorrow!"

"How about right now, we're way behind." *Thanks for joining the crew of the Titanic! Watch your step, she's listing about twenty degrees to starboard, but a finer luxury liner has never sailed the seas.*

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DennyS (denzoren)
DennyS (denzoren)
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oh yeah, I've had this one. Lol. The agency sent me over for the interview, interviewed at 9am, was asked to start at 10am, opted to start the next day. It was my first real job so I was excited. It was a bit hellish but I met some good people (still really good friends) who were also on the sinking ship lol

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#19

30 People Share Subtle Red Flags During A Job Interview That Indicate You Shouldn’t Take The Job When they mention the high turnover rate several times during the interview.

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#20

30 People Share Subtle Red Flags During A Job Interview That Indicate You Shouldn’t Take The Job Been through man job interviews, a few I've seen

* A "hostile" interview in which the interviewer deliberately acts difficult and challenging to see how you behave under pressure. If they're willing to treat you like s**t during the interview, they're willing to treat you like s**t at work.
* Never interviewing with your future boss. It's okay for early interviews to be screenings with HR, but at some point you should talk to people you're going to working with; a failure here indicates that they aren't investing much in you, and don't expect you to stick around very long.
* Vagueness in describing the job. If they can't tell you what your day-to-day is like, you probably won't like it.

The interview process with my current job, which I love, went like this:

1. Got a call from HR to set up a phone interview
2. Phone interview was with one of the two managers who run the department I would be working in (though not the manager I would be working for)
3. In person interviews with:

* The manger I would be working for
* His boss
* Managers of two different departments that I would be working closely with
* HR manager
* Going out to lunch with the team I would be joining

So, if you have an employer that does that...it's a good sign.

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badger
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

that would be a red flag for me - too many interviews, terrible decision-making processes.

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#21

30 People Share Subtle Red Flags During A Job Interview That Indicate You Shouldn’t Take The Job If you can you assess the coffee situation while moving through the office for interview.. Powdered creamer? Run. Liquid creamer in numerous flavors? Work there till death or retirement.

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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Aye judging a job by the refreshments sounds like a great idea...NOT

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#22

If they say that over time is expected. That just means they are under staffed and you will be putting a lot many hours you are not getting paid for.

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#23

30 People Share Subtle Red Flags During A Job Interview That Indicate You Shouldn’t Take The Job Hostile interviewers. I had an interview years ago, where they had a good cop, bad cop routine going. The good cop asked me about my hobbies, and seemed interested. The bad cop, scuffed and rolled his eyes.

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pink_panda
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ugh. I'm not a game player. This just sounds manipulative.

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#24

30 People Share Subtle Red Flags During A Job Interview That Indicate You Shouldn’t Take The Job Anything that implies that you'll be doing sales/cold calling. I once applied for a "Marketing Strategist" position that required a degree and slowly figured out that I would be cold calling people to sell them stuff they probably didn't want. Sorry but unless you're basically a sociopath, sales/cold-calling is an absolutely awful, soul crushing and highly stressful line of work that very few people can be successful in.

Be wary of vague job titles involving Marketing. Marketing offices are usually in nicer buildings as well, and not strip malls in an industrial park.

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SkekVi
SkekVi
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

cold-calling even if you AREN'T selling things is soul-destroying. Never work in a job where you're the 'Bad Guy', you'll regret it or you'll lose your humanity.

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#25

When the person interviewing you is the person whose job you'll be taking, and they're quitting because the job sucks.

This comment is oddly specific, but I'm currently interviewing candidates to take over my job. It's a real ethical dilemma, encouraging someone to take the job I'm leaving due to dissatisfaction, but I tell myself that they may enjoy it better than I have.

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Circa
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Not necessarily. Might be retiring, getting a promotion, moving to a different city, etc

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#26

30 People Share Subtle Red Flags During A Job Interview That Indicate You Shouldn’t Take The Job Group interviews. Seriously what a dumb idea. I think Walmart and a few others do this

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Nancy Collins
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

For a split second I thought they were talking about panel interviews and was like, "Oh, but that's quite normal!" In case anyone else had that moment of confusion: Group interview: Multiple people being interviewed at once; for sure a red flag. Panel interview: Multiple people taking turns asking questions; intimidating, but not a red flag

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#27

When they ask you to stand up and do a slow turn for them, then tell you you're only allowed to wear short shorts. (Was not for a strip club).

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#28

If interviewing with a large corp and you notice the office flooring/cubes/desks all look old and worn.

If it is a large corporation they normally can afford to update the carpet once in awhile. The fact they do not bother shows that management is too cheap to care about the environment they provide to their employees.

If your management does not care about the how the carpet/cube/desk in your work environment they sure as hell are not going to value you.

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Mtownmick
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Small business consultant here. If I walk into a company and all of the furniture is forty years old, so was the success of the company.

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#29

They mention their employees must wear "many hats".

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M. William Bell
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Premium 2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think one is highly dependent on the role. Many of us actively seek out roles where one can wear many hats. I often find myself working in startups and other small businesses that require someone to be adept in many different areas. In time, we will hire for all the roles, but in the early days, you simply can’t have that many bodies on payroll. Taking these rolls allows me to continue to grow my skill set, shape the direction of a fledgling business and, in some cases, either become and early investor in businesses that I see potential in, or I can negotiate a stock grants or options in exchange for other considerations on my end. For context, I’m not a business guru or an MBA. I’m a 40 year old high school dropout with a strong work ethic and a desire to learn (and no, the irony of that last sentence is not lost on me).

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#30

30 People Share Subtle Red Flags During A Job Interview That Indicate You Shouldn’t Take The Job I once interviewed with a company and they had a paper that showed the breakdown of how all the shifts reported. It was basically a flowchart with names... And start dates for their employment. Only one name had been there longer than a year.

Edit:

Also, this job was for a company (in the DC area) that makes RAM. I was interviewing to be an electronics technician responsible for the robots that handle the semiconductor material while it is in the clean room.
Edit 2: The name that had seniority there had a start date in 1998, and my interview was 2011.

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Novel Idesa
Novel Idesa
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is why I always ask an interviewer what the turnover rate for the position is. You can tell a lot by their response to that question. Sometimes they're straightforward about a high turnover, which is a red flag, but even worse is when they're cagey about it. If it throws them off, or they get defensive or stumble trying to come up with a lie, get out of there.

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#31

They put an absurd emphasis on "cool" perks like free beer/soda, ping pong tables, pizza parties etc. Those things sound fun, but usually are band aids to cover up more deeply rooted problems like low pay, poor benefits, long hours, incompetent leadership, and low job security.

Those perks sounded exciting when I was fresh out of college but nowadays I'll take a boring but stable 9-5 that pays well and has good benefits over a "cool" company that might expect me to work 60 hours a week and might lay me off at any time.

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WordWeaver
WordWeaver
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sounds like they intend to treat you like kids - and pay you the same.

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#32

I've had several interviews where I walked away from the offer...

1. I was interviewing for a IT Mgr job at some small-mid sized company. During the interview I asked about the person who I'd be replacing as it was mentioned that he was still there and the interview was hush-hush. I was told that he was being replaced because he was slow on getting things done. "Well we don't really know what he does. Nobody here is technical but him." I heard that as, "We don't know what he does but we want it done faster and we are firing him because of it."
2. Same interview... "So you don't have a college degree. Why should I hire you over some kid fresh out of college?" I dunno, my decade+ of solid work history and proven track record? I did get offered the job and turned them down.
3. I was left waiting in the lobby for 20 minutes after the interview was supposed to have started... the marched down endless rows of cubicles into a bland meeting room where I was group interviewed by 7 people. None of whom seemed to be having a good day. They then wanted to test me. Nevermind that I've years of Sr. Unix Admin work on my resume, ask me how to clear a printer queue...
4. The interview went well, really well, I even had a former co-worker who now worked for the company saying amazing things about me. The problem was the offer... They wanted me to go through an agency for 3 months to prove myself. Nope. Nopenopenopenope.

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Neb
Neb
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Just because the person has Unix admin position in resume, does not mean they know specific tasks you need to be done. Yes, I was talking to some people about their Unix server admin experience.

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#33

In all seriousness, check the bathroom for one-ply toilet paper. If they don't care about your a*s, they don't care about your a*s.

I've worked several places when I was younger and all the bad places fit this rule.

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#34

This wasn't during the interview but after the fact...I went for the interview at a dental office for reception work. Was offered the position about a week later. 20 minutes after I accepted the job, the lady called back and said "Dr so and so actually hired another person for a job at one of our other offices but they need to train here. Unfortunately, there isn't enough space in our office to train two people at once so we'll have you start in a few weeks."


It's been a year and they still haven't called me back. Luckily, about 45 minutes after that phone call, I got an interview at a different company, something in my gut said take the interview even though you were offered a job, and I got that second job two weeks later and I'm about ready to hit my year mark with that company and even got a promotion and raise 4 months ago. Sooo yea...good idea i didn't wait around for that other job.

Occasionally I want to stop by that dental office and ask them when I'm supposed to start.

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#35

30 People Share Subtle Red Flags During A Job Interview That Indicate You Shouldn’t Take The Job When they pay you through Paypal and you're two weeks in without any sign of a contract yet.

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John Smith
John Smith
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

no contract = no work. Been stung by that again. No matter how friendly they seem. If it isn't in writing. No way.

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#36

I had an interview at Tops where the interviewer talked for 5 minutes about how her honeymoon begins at the end of that workday.

I got the job, technically because she said she would contact me when she got back about when I could start working.

Years of unemployment had finally ended! I couldn't wait!

2 weeks and 4 days later I called to ask about the job only to be told "I don't remember you and I don't remember any interview."

I was devastated. A year more with no job and I began the rotation of searching again and got an interview. 8 to 10 years of cashier experience gets you an interview but never a job.

I went in to the second interview thinking it might be someone new. It wasn't. What she said when she saw me made me see red:

"Oh I remember you!"

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#37

"You are required to work a minimum of X hours per week."

Fresh out of college, I had my resume on Monster and I got a call from someone with Steve & Barry's (was a short lived clothing chain here on the east coast, supposed to be known for low prices. They over-expanded in the early 2000's and went under by 2008), about a management position there.

So the guy is describing the position and says "You are required to work a minimum of 52 hours per week." Not only is that suck, but they might as well just say you have to be here 6 days a week because obviously that's what they want.

I didn't take the job because I was pretty sure 52+ hours a week in a clothing store would lead to heavy drinking and/or insanity.

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#38

30 People Share Subtle Red Flags During A Job Interview That Indicate You Shouldn’t Take The Job I recently interviewed for a construction company to be brought on as a resident IT guy. I let them know very clearly beforehand that my background is mainly troubleshooting. Then they starting asking me if I could script them apps for iPhone, set up a new office location network and when not assigned to a task to be making sales calls. When I said I don't have experience in that field they started attacking me stating that this interview isn't going very well because I don't have a can do attitude.

I did a burnout in their parking lot after politely leaving.

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#39

I once went to a four hour job interview that was 4 different 50-60 minutes sessions each with a different group of people. Every single group asked me the same damn questions, while repeatedly warning me how busy the department was all year round.

It raised a red flag. If you're so f*****g busy all the time, then why don't you get more efficient and interview me all at once!!! I got the job and learned that this was pretty typical. They were always "busy" because they were inefficient. In reality, they really didn't have to be so busy all the time. I often did extra work to fill my time because I did things much more quickly than the previous person to do my job.

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moggie63
moggie63
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I once took on a temp assignment that was scheduled for 2 weeks. I'm sure it would have taken one of their staff 2 weeks but I finished the job by mid-afternoon on the 1st day. I was told I couldn't possibly have finished so quickly so I must have done it wrong. Nope. I pointed out that I was in a room on my own with a specific amount of work to do and no interruptions, no co-workers talking to me, no phone ringing and nobody micromanaging me. I always paced myself after that to make assignments last longer.

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#40

When your position "has huge opportunity for growth" but they don't have anything more to say other than "the executive team has a lot of plans for this department." If growth opportunity is important to you, get a 3 or 5 year plan. If there is no plan, there is no growth opportunity.

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#41

I had an interviewer that was interested in hiring me and when I asked if we could go around the office and meet his team, he didn't want to. Huge red flag, didn't take the job.

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#42

Assuming the interview is going well, I always ask how the team spends their lunch. I didn't ask it once and I found that it was expected to work through your lunch every day (even for an hourly position). I asked at my last interview and it actually opened up a great conversation about the day to day operations of the department.

It can be a risky question, but useful if asked correctly.

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#43

I just got out of an interview.

Red flag 1: was never informed that it was a group interview.

They said they were hiring for several positions as they were a new branch in a new market. Ok fine.

Red flag 2: when we walked in the office, the receptionist was on the phone. I heard her say "well no, the training isn't paid. It's only 5 days spread out across 2 weeks..."

Unpaid training means they don't want to invest in you until you've proven to be valuable. The only way they can afford this is to hire groups of desperate people and train them with no pay. The ones that stick around keep the sh*tty job.

Red flag 3: compensation was briefly mentioned as a commission rate on different products we would be selling.

Letting someone leave an interview without a realistic understanding of compensation means that you know that's a deal killer more often than not.

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#44

For people looking for jobs and reading this thread this is something I will say. When your questions are direct but the answers are not, you are getting mislead in one way or another. Try asking a question from a different angle, and if you still don't get a direct answer that is a red flag.

Ex. "How is your company culture?"

"We have a ping pong table and we have a nice office layout"

"How amicable and social are my future team?"(if you're looking for that)

"We have office events all the time and book drives"

Red. F*****g. Flag.

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#45

Posted this before but my roommate once was asked to do a trial run as a waitress since she had no experience. Sure that's cool. It was for Valentine's Day lunch, surely she will be shadowing and letting drinks and what not. Nope. They put her out there solo for a 5 hour shift THEN ASKED HER TO COME BACK THAT NIGHT TO WORK A DOUBLE. She never got paid for it and never returned.

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Nancy Collins
Nancy Collins
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you're in the states, they are legally required to pay her for work performed. She may or may not want to pursue it, since it can be quite a lot of trouble and if it's not much money, but they technically broke the law here.

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#46

30 People Share Subtle Red Flags During A Job Interview That Indicate You Shouldn’t Take The Job Mine was going for a corporate job that required travel ~40% of the time, which to me didn't sound so bad. I interviewed separately over a day with like 8 people on the team. I'd say about 4-5 of them had negative things to say about the travel aspect. So that was a red flag for me.

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Random Anon
Random Anon
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2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My first job out of college required travel to some not so peaceful countries. They were upfront about it. The ungodly hours, the middle of the night flights, the likelihood of getting shot. Major red flags right? Less 6 months in, I was promoted and within 3 months of that made lead. It's the ticket that really fast-tracked me in the industry as opposed to working as a junior for years to earn my stripes. It's not for everyone granted. But sometimes, these tougher assignments could really build your rep as long as the place isn't a toxic cesspool of backstabbing rats.

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#47

I was interviewing at a grocery store when I was like 17 or 18, and the first thing they say in the interview is "we are not union friendly."

Bruh, I'm 17 (or 18), I don't care about unions, I just need weed money.

That job sucked a*s, quit after 4 years, am currently in a union and absolutely love it.

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Guido Pisano
Guido Pisano
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

for a moment I read "onion friendly" and seemed weird expecially for a grocery...

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#48

When they interviewers are too informal. I generally try to be professional until I see them get a little less formal. This one interview the two people kept texting each other on their apple watches and giggling. Then after every response would turn my answer into a weakness. I wasn't offered the job but I wouldn't have taken it abyway

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Kate Jones
Kate Jones
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This should be higher and it's totally true. I'm not opposed to a more laid back atmosphere but... an interview is not the time for that. If you set the bar low for being professional than you don't get to be angry when people behave just like you thinking that it's okay. More than that- I'm an adult and I want to work with adults. I'm not interested at working at your hip start up with beanbag chairs and forced games. There's nothing sadder than the aging exec who comes into the office once a week and tries to acts like they're 28, walking in and telling everyone to drop everything for an impromptu game of tag. Like...I'm 40 I don't want to hurt my knees or my back sitting on the floor in your drum circle.

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#49

If the interviewer cancels and forgets to tell you.

I once drove an hour each way just to learn that my future boss took the day off. Not a sick day. She had booked a vacation months ago and didn't bother clearing her schedule (or checking it when scheduling my interview).

That job ended up being very short-lived and traumatic. She was fired like a month after I quit.

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#50

If it's a service industry job, or a job that has odd hours (as in not Monday-Friday and 9-5) and they emphasize that your open availability is a must, then they're going to not only expect you to work whenever, but they're hiring you to work the shifts the current employees won't.

This happened to me at a restaurant I worked at briefly. Since I was the only one they made close the store (6 days a week with the exception of Wednesday) I was also the only one expected to clean the bathrooms. I made the same if not less than my co-workers (less because it was South Florida and I'm not bilingual). I quit after two weeks and gave no notice, so my lazy a*s boss actually had to come in and do stuff.

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SkekVi
SkekVi
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah the magic kingdom demands 24/7 availability and it's as bad as it sounds. they even try and get you to waive your right to a lunch break. awful awful.

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#51

Unlimited earning potential.

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The Scout
The Scout
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Unlimited earning potential" usually stands for pyramid scheme...

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#52

When the interviewer's eyes have the cold, lifeless look of someone who's slowly dying on the inside.


You look into their eyes and see that all their hope and ambition is lost. They've come to accept their meaningless existence and know they will die a lonely death, looking back on a life full of regret.


If your interviewer gives you a vibe like that, don't take the job.

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Gladys Hayes Southerland
Gladys Hayes Southerland
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Seriously, pay attention to your gut, Spidey sense, intuition, God, whatever. Listen!

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#53

If they tell you that you *COULD* work a wide range of different duties and task but then ask "do you mind if your title is test engineer?" Guess what? You're going to be doing testing, not doing design or the other interesting things you *COULD* be working on.

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#54

The interviewer calls you by the wrong name after staring at your resume for nearly one hour and asking you questions totally unrelated to the position you're interviewing for.

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Neb
Neb
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Hint: they are probably starring at other person resume.

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#55

How much do you make now and how much do you want to make.... This is the worst. Basically "Can we hire you at a very low cost..." "Can we afford you." If a company is more worried about how much they have to pay you over the quality of employee they are going to get, they're going to suck.

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SkekVi
SkekVi
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

have learnt to ask the interivewer 'what's the budget for this position' to counter this!

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#56

People are way too excited about working there and are totally high on the company Kool Aid. Working there is the best thing EVER according to everyone you talk to. There's nothing they love more than slaving away for company XYZ.

They're either full of s**t and lying to you and cannot be trusted about anything -OR- they're truly high on the Kool Aid and you're going to be expected to similarly partake if you ever want to fit in.

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WordWeaver
WordWeaver
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Being a team player" is a big red flag for me - I work for you but the contract is never going to include me trading my brains in for "team Kool Aid".

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#57

If they show you large commission numbers from a few years ago. Hotels.com did this, but what they didn't say was the large checks were from a year ago and they changed their commission structure since then an those checks are no longer obtainable.

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