To find your next job, you may have to go through several interviews. Not all of them will be positive experiences. There may be some situations where red flags can give you the green light to turn down a job offer. Here are a few interview red flags to watch for to help you decide when accepting a job.
Employees Don’t Look Happy
When you look around the office, what do you see? Are employees engaged and happy with the work they’re doing? Or do you see people whose hearts are not quite in it? Looking at the workplace culture and how people interact with each other will help inform your decision about accepting the job.
The Interviewer Isn’t Positive
It seems strange, but if you come across an interviewer more interested in “telling it like it is” than giving you a positive perspective on the job, maybe there’s a reason for that. You also want them to be positive and seem interested and engaged in hiring you as well.
They Don’t Ask About You
An interview should be a two-way street. You have questions for them; they have questions for you. But sometimes you find an interviewer who gets so caught up in describing the job or the company that they forget to ask the most basic question: “tell me about yourself.” You want to work with someone interested in what you bring to the table.
They Don’t Discuss Pay, Hours, or Opportunities
Salary can be a sticky situation, but you should still walk away from an interview knowing if the pay rate is at least in line with your expectations. An interviewer who doesn’t discuss pay may be hiding something. The same is true if they aren’t upfront about the hours for the job or potential future opportunities with the company.
They Make it Clear they Don’t Value Work/Life Balance
Sometimes these can be subtle hints such as “we work hard and make sacrifices for success.” Or it could be more overt, like asking you illegal questions such as whether you have kids or need to take time off. If they don’t value work/life balance, your new job can quickly evolve into a dissatisfying work experience.
But we also want to offer you this word of advice:
Don’t go into an interview looking for red flags. If they’re there, you’ll see them, but you don’t need to make problems that don’t exist.
Are you looking for your next interview opportunity with a great company?
Work with the staffing team at The Vision Companies today. Search our job board to get started, and we’ll be on your side!
