As much as businesses use it to screen candidates, a job interview can tell applicants a lot about their potential employer too. It’s a two-party game. However, most of us aren’t as good at it as professional recruiters — they do it for a living and get to practice a whole lot more. So in order to successfully “compete” with them, we have to do our homework.
A recent Reddit thread, created by user u/BackgroundChapter970, can be a good place to start. It asked everyone on the platform “What is a red flag from an employer that people might not immediately recognize as a red flag?” Now, there are over 2,000 comments, many of which detail the warning signs jobseekers need to pay attention to.
#1
Selling “work culture”.. dude I just want to get paid, work reasonable hours and work with competent respectful colleagues. I don’t care about Halloween parties and happy hour.
Image source: tgbst88, fauxels
#2
When you hear “We’re like a family here”, run and don’t look back. The only “family” trait that’ll come from that job is the dysfunction, gaslighting, and lack of accountability.
Image source: Fake-And-Gay-Bot, Antonio Janeski
#3
Offering to pay you a lot less than market rate because you will “Learn so much” or “Will be working with a great team”. My bank does not take IQ points as a mortgage payment.
Image source: _three_piece_suit, Jp Valery
#4
Want to find the red flag fast? During your interview, when the employer asks if you have any questions, ask this: Can you tell me about a recent time one of your employees really excelled?
A good employer won’t have any trouble celebrating their team. A c**p employer will struggle hard to answer.
…And it’s a perfectly reasonable question.
Image source: strangereader, Mapbox
#5
When an employee quits or gets fired from the job and the company doesn’t hire anyone new to replace them.
It can be hard to tell as a red flag at first, but the temporary workload they added to your own over that was left over after the person left, slowly becomes your new permanent workload, without any changes to your pay or benefits to compensate for the additional tasks. The further out it goes without the position being filled, the larger and more obvious the red flag becomes.
Image source: Goatmanthealien, Nataliya Vaitkevich
#6
When you don’t get a review until you ask for a raise. Then, all of a sudden, you work is being questioned and you’re being berated.
Image source: BackgroundChapter970, KOBU Agency
#7
They tell you they’re anti union, or a union-free environment. I don’t care how you feel about unions, but the employees should be telling you there’s no reason to unionize, not the bosses.
Image source: Amateurbrewmaster531
#8
You check out glassdoor and there are a bunch of overwhelmingly positive reviews from “anonymous current employees” that under cons list “no cons that I can think of!”
Even the best place to work in the world has SOME cons.
Image source: seanofkelley, Christin Hume
#9
When a company tells you you’re required to be 10-15 minutes early for your shift. In previous jobs that I’ve quit, any time I remind a supervisor its illegal to require that, they clam up. If they are not paying for that 15 minutes, you are not required to show up then. At least thats the case in Ontario anyway.
Image source: theDart, Marius Mann
#10
Walking in and getting hired on the spot without a single question, especially as a young woman. It has happened to me a few times and it’s always when it’s a male interviewer.
And if they hire based on looks. I once went to a group interview and 3 of us showed up (all young women). The guy actually did ask a few questions. One woman had a business degree and she was a little bit overweight. Me and the other woman, who were both thin, didn’t have any higher education or any prior experience. At the end of the interview, he told me and the other thin girl that we were hired, and told the one with the business degree that he wouldn’t need her on the team. I said “no thank you”, walked out and never went back.
Image source: IceObvious2773, Tima Miroshnichenko
#11
When management talks poorly about the other employees, it might make you feel included/special at first but guaranteed they’re going to be talking about you next.
Image source: PhilMeYup, SHVETS production
#12
It’s a “fast-paced environment” excellent for “self-starters”.
Shuraz replied:
Translation: A f**kton of work, with no documentation, no training, no support and surly co-workers, for about 1/3 of what you SHOULD be paid to do 1/3 the work.
Image source: uiqsolo, Andrea Piacquadio
#13
High turnover rate. Ask them how often the position is left open/filled. Oftentimes, if retention rates are only 1 year… run.
Image source: thaixiong123, Dylan Gillis
#14
If you’re interviewing in person and on-site… look at the cars in the parking lot. Look at the “nice ride” to “sh**box” ratio. If there’s a bunch of sh**box, the place offers substandard wages.
Image source: NoesHowe2Spel, John Matychuk
#15
When everyone seems to “wear many hats” and have many unrelated duties.
It just means they’re trying to squeeze every drop of effort out of everyone instead of properly hiring for those positions.
Image source: forthe_loveof_grapes
#16
If they focus on how you handle conflict resolution during the interview process.
I got asked what I would do about a “hypothetical” hostile workmate who was being awful to others. Got the job, turned out it was NOT hypothetical.
Image source: heywassuphello87, Headway
#17
When they say stuff like “we’re definitely not a 9-to-5 place, we stay until the work is done,” they mean there will be lots of overtime, possibly due to poor planning or overcommitment by leadership.
It could still be a good job, but negotiate for equity, not just a salary.
Image source: AdmiralBofa, Annie Spratt
#18
Here’s one I wish I hadn’t ignored.
I was hired as support staff at a preschool meaning I’d be in and out of every room through the day. I was being led around the school by one of the bosses. Certain classrooms she was chatting and joking but others she just said “this is TheBrontosaurus she’s the new aid.” Then move on.
Obviously you’re going to get along better with certain coworkers than others. But I quickly learned that the management played strong favorites with the staff. It had nothing to do with ability but usually mostly physical appearance. Thin/pretty teachers were treated far better.
Image source: TheBrontosaurus
#19
Everybody is under the age of 35 who works there.
This means the job sucks.
Image source: Steakhouse42, Annie Spratt
#20
If they ask if you’ve turned in your two weeks to your current employer during the interview process. Had two short jobs fresh out of college that did this and realized too late that they were waiting for me to be desperate before hiring me, because the pay was actually much lower than advertised and the hours were much longer.
Image source: the-just-us-league
#21
Slowly normalizing working outside of regular hours.
Image source: Yak-Fucker-5000
#22
Regular mandatory overtime – in other words you’re salary but after 60 hours per week you’re not making a whole lot over minimum wage.
Image source: Moist-Taro, Magnet.me
#23
“We run with a lean team” that just means you will do the work of 2.5 FTE.
Image source: Alpaca_Stampede
#24
When they have nothing for you to actually do when you first start out. Prepare yourself for the worst management of your life that are all ideas with no actual planning involved.
Image source: Van_Bur3n
#25
“This generation is difficult to manage.” I applied for a management role at a bakery and they said this sentence and similar complaints about young staff members throughout the interview. It sounded to me like they just didn’t respect the needs of their younger staff members. I just asked for an absurd amount of money to give the next guy haggling power and I left.
Image source: Avbitten
#26
When low-level employees are asked to step in an fill the roles of high-level employees when they are on vacation/leave. At first this may seem like a great opportunity, where you get to prove you can do the big-kid work and sit at the adult’s table, but unless that comes with a temporary raise or a bonus, you’re just being asked to do $$$ work for $ money.
Image source: LikeTwentyBurritos, Microsoft 365
#27
When during the interview they make you take a personality test.
Image source: Birtalert
#28
If they claim to be a good place to work, especially if they have a purported third-party award for it, watch out.
If they claim to be a good place for women to work, specifically, be twice as careful.
It appears that many if not all of those “best place to work” awards are pay-to-play and purchased by the worst places to work.
Image source: BobSmith616, Ariel
#29
A new potential employer should be waiting for only you to arrive for your interview- if you are kept waiting in the same room as a bunch of other candidates leave. These people are rude and on a power trip. They get off on making people compete against each other and the workplace will be hostile and cutthroat.
Image source: Fragrant-Juggernaut
#30
Things like game machines, foosball, air hockey, beer, and/or hip hang-out spots at the job. They want and will expect you to spend every waking minute there.
Image source: thoawaydatrash, Alex Rosario
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