Sometimes you can see something’s off with thecompanyeven before joining it. Whether it’s a comment the hiring manager makes during the interview or an odd bullet point on the job listing—or any other suspicious-looking detail, for that matter—it can be enough to make a potential applicant wary or lead to them skipping applying altogether.Members of the ‘Ask Reddit’ community have recently discussed things that raise suspicion after one user asked them to name the biggest red flag about a company that screams “Don’t Join Us”. Netizens had plenty to share, so if you’re curious to see what they consider the biggest warning signs, scroll down to find their answers on the list below.This post may includeaffiliate links.
Sometimes you can see something’s off with thecompanyeven before joining it. Whether it’s a comment the hiring manager makes during the interview or an odd bullet point on the job listing—or any other suspicious-looking detail, for that matter—it can be enough to make a potential applicant wary or lead to them skipping applying altogether.
Members of the ‘Ask Reddit’ community have recently discussed things that raise suspicion after one user asked them to name the biggest red flag about a company that screams “Don’t Join Us”. Netizens had plenty to share, so if you’re curious to see what they consider the biggest warning signs, scroll down to find their answers on the list below.
This post may includeaffiliate links.
“We work hard, and play hard!“Look…you’re my employer. I have no desire to “play hard” with you outside of work. You are literally paying me to hang out with you during work hours, but when I’m off the clock and you’re not paying me?You can f**k off. I’m going home.
“Fast Paced, ever chagning, multi task environment! “Means they’re gonna over work you or make you do s**t that isn’t in your job description.
‘‘can perform well under stress'‘they will stress tf outta you bruv.
We are a big family, usually means a disfunctional family, that only the senior people reap the true benefits of the profits . the underlings are expected to be loyal, but when its time for budget cuts, it is not meritocracy.
At one interview they asked “are you tough enough to work here?”.. That’s not a red flag or anything.
Posters on the walls talking about NOT discussing pay.
Just 1? In no particular order…”Competitive Salary” - But kept secret.🤫Wild salary ranges - ”75k to 750k”. 🧮Any mention of “Family” in a JD or otherwise. 🧑🧑🧒🧒One way interviews.🪞Pseudo-Science based assesments. 👨🏻🔬More rounds of interviews than the CEO position. 👨🏻💼An over abundance of outdated motivational posters. 🏞️“Do not apply” unless (insert list of questionable demands). 📋Requesting hours of free work, ‘as part of the hiring process’. 💸I could go on, but…🤦🏻♂️.
The interviewers scowl when you say one of your priorities is “work-life balance”.
Competitive wages and flexible hours…Means they are offering minimum wage with little negotiation beyond it and the hours are “flexible” for them the schedule you anytime within your availability - some weeks can be filled to the brim while others only have a few hours.
When employees are leaving in droves, it’s a strong signal that something’s amiss. It could indicate poor management, a toxic work culture, or lack of growth opportunities.
This might be a German thing: There are quite a few companies advertising a “fruit basket” (fresh fruits for employees) as a benefit in job ads. Many see that as a red flag because if a company is offering this little and even bragging about it then it’s misleading. Offering fresh fruit is certainly not a bad thing per se but it can be a red flag if it’s overemphasised.
Complaining about employee behavior in the listing.
If you’ve seen the same job ad come up before, (in the last 12 months) it can indicate there is high turnover for the role and people aren’t hanging around. It must be a real s**t show. Speaking from my own personal mistake on that one!Flaky motherhood statements are also a flag that they are more show than go.
They’re looking for a “rock star”.
A permanent “Now Hiring” sign or Job Listing.
In France, there is a bunch of mandatory avantages like meal tickets, transportation card… If it’s mentioned as a plus it’s a big redflag.
Passionate self-starter.Means they want you to work extra hours without being told to with no direction.
“Fun” = not fun.
More than three interviews.
I fg hate all the bt fake questions and hoops you have to jump through when you’re job searching and interviewing. BUT, if a company essentially does the bare minimum to vet you, the interview process is a breeze, and they hire you, they probably have a very high turnover, and it’s because they f****g suck.
Their GlassDoor reviews.
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Unlimited PTO. Never held a job with that, but Ive heard from many people who have that its code for ‘We will work you so much that you will never have time to take PTO"I actively avoid all job postings that say Unlimited PTO unless the pay is ungodly.
Personality profile test required.
Lists 35 different duties you will be responsible for, then finishes it off with “Other duties as assigned.”.
One time, I was leaving a company because they were a bunch of racist f***s. There was an expose written about how discriminatory they were a few months after I made my first complaint because it was baked into the company culture.But the company was too dumb to understand that I hated the company and was just biding my time for the stock vest, so they made me conduct interviews.I just told the candidate that this company was a toxic wasteland, to look up the article, that everything in the article is true, and good luck.If an interviewer basically tells you all this during the “do you have any questions for me” phase, then it’s probably best to not join that company.
When you ask about the training period during the interview and they say “we’re still figuring that out"Been at my job for almost a year and I have access to 10% of the systems I was “trained” on. Three of us were hired for this position, mid level IT stuff. They have almost no documentation, and they keep having to pull people from other teams to handle the systems we don’t have access to yet. We’ve asked over and over again about getting access and everyone seems to think someone else is handling it… sometimes they say “checking” and then don’t respond for a week.I currently have maybe an hour of work a day because of this, so I’m not complaining. Still getting paid for 8! Working from home, so I have too much free time. But if you want a fulfilling career, this is certainly not it.
I agree with everybody saying that “We’re a family” is a huge red flag for any company. Hell, sometimes when it’s the literal truth it still sucks. My cousin used to work for my uncle’s company back when he was in college and he’d always complain about never being off the clock because his dad would ask him about work stuff when they were at home and if he complained or refused he’d get offended.
Sad employees.
Literally everything in the restaurant industry.Even when I worked fine dining, it was still a s**t show.
Boss fondles your breasts instead of a handshake.
Hiring you on the spot during first interview.
They don’t respond to resumes. After a month they get put in my “do not apply” list.
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Justinas Keturka
Gabija Saveiskyte
Indrė Lukošiūtė
Work & Money
