{"id":62152,"date":"2023-04-18T08:58:05","date_gmt":"2023-04-18T12:58:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/motor-junkie.com\/?p=62152"},"modified":"2023-04-18T09:02:24","modified_gmt":"2023-04-18T13:02:24","slug":"why-you-should-heed-these-job-interview-red-flags","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.motor-junkie.com\/why-you-should-heed-these-job-interview-red-flags\/62152\/","title":{"rendered":"Why You Should Heed These Job Interview Red Flags"},"content":{"rendered":"
The job interview process is one of the most important steps in securing a new job. While it can be exciting to meet with potential employers and learn about the company, it’s also important to be aware of any warning signs that may indicate a negative work environment. In this article, we explore the job interview red flags that real people have experienced and why you should heed them. Whether it’s a lack of professionalism, a condescending tone, or a lack of transparency, these red flags can signal a toxic work environment that you should avoid. Don’t compromise your happiness and well-being by ignoring these red flags. Instead, use this guide to protect yourself from a bad workplace experience.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n I just declined a job offer because someone walked into the interviewer’s office, bent over her shoulder and said “how much longer?” She said, “we started 10 minutes ago.” He repeated, “so how much time?” She showed him her progress on the interview notes. Again “how long will you be?” She ended up saying I don’t know and he left. It was so unprofessional and I could see her discomfort the whole time. Before going to the interview I read reviews and saw someone say the workplace was very overbearing with people always over your shoulder, I didn’t think it was literal until I saw it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Had an interview in a nice part of my city, so I assumed that this company was well-established. I showed up to a pretty office building with huge sparkling windows and company names in gold lettering. When I actually got to the company’s office, there were boxes stacked in the waiting room and the only employees present were the receptionist and the interviewer. My belief was that this was a sales position, and I wasn’t wrong. When I asked the interviewer what it is the company sells, he responded that they work hard and are a family. I asked what the product is and he replied “our product is dedication and faith in the company”. I thanked him for his time and left.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n Interviewed as a waitress for a local busy deli I loved eating at. The manager\/owner was very irritable and kept interrupting the interview to bark orders at employees. Spent most of the interview b*tching about her lazy no-good employees.<\/p>\n Told me she needed someone to whip them into shape and make them work harder. Told me, “it’s so hard to find good help these days”<\/p>\n I am professional so let her finish. She offered me the job. I thanked her for her time and let her know I wouldn’t be returning as either a waitress or a guest. Haven’t been back since.<\/p>\n I miss that pastrami tho 🙁<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This actually happened to me:<\/p>\n Interviewer: Do you have any questions for us?<\/p>\n Me: what is a challenge this department has recently faced?<\/p>\n Interviewer: Job security<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I brought up a company’s awful Glassdoor reviews and they got so mad they ended the interview. Well. Guess I dodged that bullet<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I interviewed to be a property manager for an office complex. We did the interview with a regional director and the company’s HR director. The interview took place in the office of the property manager they were to hire. About 15 minutes into the interview the regional director’s phone rang on loud. Instead of apologizing and continuing on, he answered the call. He was very loud on the phone and didn’t even say anything about being in the middle of an interview. The HR director looked at me and gave me a look that was like, sorry, he thinks he is a big deal. I looked around while he was on the phone and noticed there was a camera on the ceiling with their company logo on it that faced the property manager’s desk. That was the last straw. I stood up and shook the HR director’s hand and thanked him for his time. The regional director, who was still on the phone, asked me what was going on. I told him he is rude for not only answering his phone but taking the call, no one is that important and he can go to h*ll. Felt good walking out of there and never regretted it at all.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I asked this at one of my first interviews right out of school.<\/p>\n My interviewer went, “That’s a good question.” and was ruminating for a good 2 minutes.<\/p>\n She went with, “We get pretty good parking spots…” and quickly followed with, “…and the people are nice.”<\/p>\n Umm…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I once interviewed for a job wherein the interviewer actually directly told me that the job was extremely stressful and they’d had a slew of new hires quit within a month or two. (The job was at a psychiatric hospital). I thanked her for being honest with me and said that I was not interested. As she was walking me out, she leaned in and said, “you’re doing the right thing. Our last hire quit because he said he was having palpitations all the time here and was worried he would have a heart attack.”<\/p>\n About 3 years later, at another company, I saw one of the women who had interviewed me. She worked in a totally different position in a totally different setting. She said that the other woman who had interviewed me, the one who gave me the warning actually DID suffer a heart attack! She survived, and she stopped working there. I was so thankful she warned me. Most interviewers wouldn’t do that.<\/p>\n Edit: and in thinking more about that woman, obviously SHE was very stressed and SHE was having to cover work for that position that needed to be filled. She could have easily (and understandably) gone into survival mode and thought “you know what, let’s just hire her [meaning me] and then at least I will have some relief for a month or two until this one quits too.”<\/p>\n But she didn’t do that, she thought of my welfare, a stranger, over her own interests. And clearly, she was suffering. I would have relocated for that job too, about 150 miles. She was aware of that–maybe that played into her decision to warn me, maybe not. Either way, she was an extraordinary person.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I didn’t know it at the time, but “you’ll be wearing many hats” was a sign that they were going to give me the work of four positions and the wage of one. I didn’t last a year there before I left and now I won’t even finish reading job ads that include that line.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “You are required to wear clothing that has the company logo. You must purchase it yourself. From the company.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n I once showed up for an interview and the manager wasn’t there that day. No one called me to let me know.<\/p>\n The assistant manager was not apologetic for the scheduling issue at all. She was literally just like “oh, she’s not here today” in a tone that suggested I should somehow already know that. She said they would call me to reschedule sometime the next week. I told her I was currently unavailable M-W but could come in any time Th-F. She said if I couldn’t make time for the interview, I probably wouldn’t be a good fit. I said okay, and went on to my other interviews and ended up working elsewhere.<\/p>\n You’d think that would be the end of it, but both the manager and the assistant manager badmouthed me to a few other people in the industry, including one of my friends.<\/p>\n Hello? I made time for an interview. You disrespected me by not calling me to let me know it was canceled. I gave you the times I was available to reschedule, and that was disrespectful somehow.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “We don’t like ‘clockwatchers’ here. We expect everyone to be committed.” Expecting more work for no extra pay. Getting mad at you when you leave at 5 even though your stated work hours end a 5<\/p>\n Kirill47<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n During my last semester in nursing school, I went ahead and started applying for jobs. One was on a neuro floor (adults) at a local hospital. Interestingly enough, my own neurologist worked at that hospital. Anyway, the posting showed day shift 3 12’s, which is what I wanted. I got a call to interview 2 days after applying. When I got on the floor, everyone looked absolutely exhausted. However, the part that bothered me was that no one said hi or smiled when I introduced myself. They just ignored me while I was waiting on the supervisor. I interviewed her, as well as three other nurses on the floor. There was desperation on their faces, and I think they were hoping this new grad would be grateful for a job. However, the supervisor told me the position was actually night shift. I explained that I could not do that, for several reasons (sleep deprivation = seizures for me). She said, no worries, we will just change it to the day shift. You can go ahead and start after graduation (even before I took the NCLEX). Suspicious…I got a call the next day with an offer. I actually did accept though, but I ended up changing my mind. The day before graduation, another job on another neuro floor (different hospital), was offered to me. More money and a sign-on bonus.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Employees are either new hires or have been there for 15+ years with no in-between. There is no room for improvement – it’s better to leave for advancement<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When you are signing all the forms they give you and you are taking your time to read over every document so that you can fully understand what you are getting into and people come in and start telling you that you don’t need to read this and that just sign here and so on.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Had an online interview with a company a few years ago.<\/p>\n Was interviewed by the regional manager, seemed like a normal interview.<\/p>\n Halfway through, he let slip that there were six other people from his company watching and listening in, but the software was set up so I could not see or hear them.<\/p>\n And he actually got a kick out of telling me this.<\/p>\n It was like being on a first date with someone, and finding out later she had a hidden camera on her and her parents and six other family members were watching the whole time.<\/p>\n I’m like, yeah. No. F*ck that noise.<\/p>\n coffeeinvenice<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n I was once told, “Sometimes the hourly workers go on strike and they lock us in to keep the production line running, but management brings us steaks and we have an informal agreement with the unions so you can cross the picket lines once a week to visit your wife.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I’ve come in at four in the morning to find people still in the office from the day before.<\/p>\n No matter how much money is offered, I categorically tell recruiters to go f*ck themselves when they send me never-ending “amazing opportunities.”<\/p>\n I will never go back to that life.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I worked at a pizza place once, as the opener. I worked 9 to 5, and the first few hours of my job were just me prepping ingredients. I usually showed up 15 minutes early because that’s just how my schedule worked.<\/p>\n One of the other managers (I was technically a manager because I worked alone) said people thought it was rude that I always left at 5 sharp. Even if the place was super busy and people were struggling, 5 pm hit and I was out the door. He asked me, “Why do you leave at 5 even though we need help?” and I replied, “Because that’s when you stop paying me.”<\/p>\n I think a lot of people forget that labour is exchanged for currency, and there is no other transaction taking place. I get the money so I can leave and use the money to do the things I’d like to be doing if I didn’t have to work.<\/p>\n shaidyn<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n I was told we want a long-term employment. Don’t just leave after 5-6 years. Ok. What do you pay, and what about raises? His response. $12 an hour. 3-4% increases every year. Nope. Told him I’m all set. This was an armored truck service. I had to carry my gun and wear a vest. They did offer to pay for it, they just took it out of your pay. $600 for the handgun and $400 for the vest. (You had to possess a permit to carry prior to applying)<\/p>\n I went back to Private EMS. Same pay, but I didn’t have to protect other people’s money with my life for peanuts.<\/p>\n My issue with this is that this seemed like a place that would absolutely abuse you if anyone ever found out you were looking somewhere else. We want long-term employment and will pay you sh*t. To me, this means “we will retaliate and make your life h*ll if you try to leave”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When they tell you “what I’m paying you stays between you and me, don’t discuss pay with anyone else” usually means they are trying to pay you less than your coworkers who do the same job and don’t want you to know.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “You not going to have kids anytime soon, are you?”.<\/p>\n “What are your childcare arrangements?”.<\/p>\n These are both things my wife has been on the receiving end of. You’d assume you wouldn’t apply if it was an issue, right? Funnily enough, I’m a man and I’ve never been asked.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “We have a very special work culture here, it takes special people to thrive.”<\/p>\n Not always, but often means that the workplace is a pressured h*ll-hole with unreasonable demands heaped on staff and a kind of nasty employee-blaming mindset when things don’t work out.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Did an interview at a university a while back for a faculty position. At the point of the interview process where I met other members of the department’s faculty, they were telling me about and laughing at two previously interviewed contenders for the position. They were obnoxiously cruel, insensitive, and boorish as they mocked the previous interviewees.<\/p>\n Their behavior around a total stranger who was also interviewing for the position told me everything I needed to know about them as professionals, human beings, and potential future ‘friends’.<\/p>\n I was offered the job… I took a different position at a different university. Never looked back.<\/p>\n QuestionableAI<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n I scheduled an interview at a nursing home for a night nurse position. I arrived 15 minutes early, told the front desk who I was, and then sat and waited. Then waited some more. 35 minutes later, they still didn’t know who was going to interview me. They were talking about it right in the lobby I was sitting in. After 45 minutes, I stood up and said “I’ll just make it easier on you, I’m not interested.”<\/p>\n On my way to my car, I passed some professionally dressed women loudly discussing how they were “going to go in and write everybody up”. I turned to look at them and made eye contact, then left.<\/p>\n No thank you!<\/p>\n ThisIsMockingjay2020<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n I tried to get a part-time job at the university but the interviewer out of the gate said he didn’t think a woman could do the job. I showed up to the interview to find he’d “forgotten” to tell me I had to prove I could lift a 30lb rock core, and obviously I couldn’t do that in my interview dress and heels. He wasn’t happy when I disproved him.<\/p>\n If the sexism wasn’t enough, he then said the job was 30 hours a week during the day – exactly during the time of 90% of the college classes. When I pointed this out, he said to switch to night classes (mid-semester)or drop out.<\/p>\n I left and reported him to student employment services.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “Company image is a priority, we expect our employees to conduct themselves appropriately during off hours.”<\/p>\n Basically, “WE F*CKING OWN YOU. YOU DRESS HOW WE WANT, LOOK HOW WE WANT, AND ACT HOW WE WANT FROM NOW ON.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I’m a nurse, and I interviewed for two positions at the same company (two different units). At the end when they asked if I had any questions, I asked both managers, “What are some changes or transitions your unit is currently working through?” Both<\/em> of them mentioned they were leaving by the end of the month. I felt like if management was leaving and if they were both desperate to hire nurses, something bigger must be going on behind the scenes.<\/p>\n1. Looking Over Your Shoulder<\/h2>\n
2. Dedication and Faith<\/h2>\n
3. Hard to Come By<\/h2>\n
4. Isn’t That What Comes First?<\/h2>\n
5. Got Away With It<\/h2>\n
6. No One is That Important<\/h2>\n
7. For a Good Two Minutes<\/h2>\n
8. Having a Heart Attack Fear<\/h2>\n
9. A Lot of Different Things<\/h2>\n
10. Side Business<\/h2>\n
11. Find For The Interview<\/h2>\n
12. More Work, Less Pay<\/h2>\n
13. No One Made Eye Contact<\/h2>\n
14. No Room Exists<\/h2>\n
15. Without Having to Read<\/h2>\n
16. Extremely Inconsiderate<\/h2>\n
17. A Once-Told Story<\/h2>\n
18. Never Go Back to That Life<\/h2>\n
19. When Five O’clock Came Around<\/h2>\n
20. Retaliate and Ruin Your Life<\/h2>\n
21. Between You and Me<\/h2>\n
22. If There Was a Problem<\/h2>\n
23. Unreasonable Demands<\/h2>\n
24. Friends Like That?<\/h2>\n
25. No, Thank You!<\/h2>\n
26. He Had No Respect<\/h2>\n
27. They Control You<\/h2>\n
28. In a Desperate Situation<\/h2>\n