10 Job Interview Red Flags That Should Make You Run for the Door
Want to know how to recognize a terrible workplace from the moment you start your interview process? Here are some small (and massive) red flags to look out for during your interviewing process.
1. It Feels More Like a Sales Pitch Than an Interview
Industry and experience play into this, but if your job interview feels more like a cult recruitment, run! Something is off if they engage in a 20-minute monologue, selling themselves as the best without allowing you to speak or ask questions.
2. Vague Answers to Direct Questions
When you ask direct questions about things like your duties, wages, promotions, hours, turnover rate, and other standard questions and the interviewer doesn’t give a clear, concise answer, they may not be being honest. Ask another, and if they deflect or redirect the conversation without giving you a definitive answer, it’s likely they aren’t being truthful.
3. They Describe Themselves as a “Start-Up Environment”
Whoo, run for the hills! Lord, working for this boss is an impossible task that involves a lot of hard and extra work for minimal pay. I had the unfortunate experience of working for a man who spouted this “start-up environment” culture, and he was the most narcissistic, arrogant toddler that I’ve ever encountered. Always promising things he never delivered.
4. If the Interviewer Badmouths Employees
Whether it is the employee you would be replacing or anyone else on staff, if the job interviewer is badmouthing coworkers, that’s a toxic work environment you want no part of, respectively.
5. They Describe Themselves as a “Family”
If you hear, “We’re like a family here,” you can translate that to imply, “We expect you to be devoted to this job like it’s your mom.” I’ve worked in several establishments that spouted that rhetoric, and they were the most toxic environments. All they ever came with were headaches and the rare pizza party.
6. Meeting After Work Hours
When an interviewer wants to meet with you after work hours so the worker they are going to fire won’t see it coming, that is a red flag that signals — that is also how they will fire you.
7. When the Job Entails Wearing Too Many Hats
You can manage wearing a couple of hats, but if the job requires you to wear multiple hats, you can bet on stress, long hours, and minimal pay. You don’t want to become a hat rack or turn into the Mad Hatter.
8. Discreet About Salary and Position
If they aren’t open about the position’s salary or its responsibilities, it’s a scam. It usually means they want to pay you terribly and expect you to work well beyond the scope of your title. However, sometimes, it translates as a multi-level marketing (MLM) scam trying to hide behind real job opportunities.
9. If They Don’t Pay for Mandatory Training
Speaking of MLMs, if you have companies on employment sites like Indeed reaching out to you for sales, marketing, and management positions that require initial training calls or videos where you aren’t being paid, that’s likely an MLM, run far and fast!
10. The Employee’s Demeanor is Anything but Cheerful
If all the employees are missing conversation, smiles, and other pleasantries, that can indicate a miserable work environment. If everyone looks exhausted and overworked, there’s a good chance you’ll look like that after taking the job, too.
Elizabeth Ervin helps people embrace a change in money mindset to achieve their financial goals. After struggling for a decade as a single mother, consumed by the American debt cycle, she recognizes the value of financial education and lifestyle changes and aspires to motivate others to make those changes to obtain financial freedom. She heavily advocates for praying about and over your finances and speaking positive money affirmations to manifest abundance.
