8 Signs You Shouldn't Take The Job

[mota bhai 2,675]

Which of these have you experienced during a job interview? My hiring manager at the last job I quit was guilty of #4, and I was just as guilty of letting it slide.

Another "sign" which isn't explicitly in this list (but it could be argued is similar to sign #3) which I've experienced is the hiring manager who forgot to book a conference room for the interview. She ended up interviewing me in the lunch room with people microwaving their lunches a few feet away from us. And then she walked me over to her boss and on the walk over I noticed 3, sometimes 4, people cramped up in one cube and she tells me it's been like that for a few months because of some construction somewhere. Her boss later tells me it's been like that for almost two years. She ended up not making an offer and I was kind of glad she didn't.

8 Signs You Shouldn't Take The Job

DEC. 11, 2013

There’s one little-heralded truth about job interviews: They’re a two-way street, and paying attention as you go through the process can show you a lot about what working there might really be like.

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If you keep your wits about you, you can determine a lot about the job you’re gunning for by reading between the lines. Of course, job number-one is to impress your interviewer and make them want you — you can always decline the offer if it doesn’t feel like a fit. But don’t forget to take stock while you’re busy knocking their socks off.

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Here are eight red flags to pay attention to before you sign on the dotted line.

1. Your interviewer is very late.

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Interviews are often scheduled with plenty of lead time, and most hiring managers should give themselves at least 15 minutes of prep before someone comes in. For your interviewer to sidle in considerably later than you agreed on, without an ounce of contrition, is a major red flag. “If they’re this rude at the interview, imagine how they would be as a manager,” she notes.

2. He badmouths the person you’d be replacing.
While it’s appropriate for your interviewer to talk about current roles in the department, or how it’s structured, be wary of any hiring manager who badmouths someone who just left the company, or the boss she currently works for.

3. The hiring manager hasn’t reviewed your résumé.
If you’re one of many candidates coming in that day, it’s entirely possible that the hiring manager may not have spent a lot of quality time with your résumé, but they also shouldn’t react as if you just dropped in from Mars.

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As for whether this is truly a deal-breaker, first consider who didn’t do her homework: If it’s a recruiter who meets with hundreds of candidates a day, file it away, but don’t be overly concerned. If it’s the person who would be your manager, pay closer attention and keep your eyes open for clues during the rest of the interview. She may just have been rushed that day, or it could signal a more serious issue.

4. Your would-be boss couldn’t explain the role clearly.
“If you’re having a hard time explaining the role to friends and family after an interview, that should raise some questions,” says David Lewis, a human resources consultant in Norwalk, Conn. “Sometimes hiring managers — especially ones who are visionary, entrepreneur types — think you’d be great at the company, but aren’t quite sure exactly what they want you to do. They’ll spend the interview talking about the company, the culture, but not exactly what you would do.”

Lewis says candidates shouldn’t be afraid to speak up and admit that the specifics of the role aren’t clear to them yet. “Sometimes people are afraid to do this, because they don’t want to rock the boat or make the hiring manager feel awkward,” he says.

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5. The company has high turnover, or a toxic culture.
Of course you’re going to do your homework before a job interview. Check LinkedIn to see what friends of friends you may know at a given company or organization, and read up.

When Kate Groebe, 36, was contacted about a senior role with a stellar salary at a well-known company, she considered relocating her family for the opportunity — until her husband forwarded her an in-depth and reputable article chronicling the firm’s aggressive, antagonistic work culture, promoted by the hard-driving C.E.O. That was one factor Groebe had overlooked while busy getting starry-eyed about the package.

Similarly, if a hiring manager mentions that they’re refilling the role for the second or third time in a short amount of time, it’s important to ask why.

6. The firm’s online reviews are bad.

Similarly, websites such as Glassdoor offer employees a place to anonymously review companies they’ve worked for. Since they are anonymous, they should be taken with a grain of salt ... it’s important to look for recurring themes in poor reviews.

If the reviews are recent and all seem to complain about the same thing — bad communication from management, low morale, etc. — that should carry some weight.

7. Your interviewer asks personal questions.

“An interview should be objective, not emotional,” counsels Gentile, “and your interviewer shouldn’t blather on about her personal life, or probe about yours.” In general, asking personal questions — about your family, marital status, etc. — is never O.K.

8. Your interviewer checks her email during your meeting.

Yes, we live in a digital age, but that doesn’t mean that someone should be checking their phone during the time they allotted to get to know you, says Manciagli. If they’re not paying attention during your interview, chances are they won’t be all ears when you’re an employee, either. Again, consider what role this person might play in your work life.

If it’s a recruiter, you probably needn’t be overly concerned. If it’s your future supervisor, and they demonstrate other less-than-courteous tendencies, take heed.

[TBoneTX 45,309]

*** Thread moved from Current Events/Hot Topics forum to the Finding Work in America forum as one of two better destination forums -- highly valuable subject matter can benefit immigrants and USCs alike. ***

[agnesb 47]

#1... Store manager at one of the well known shop brands, 25min late. I should have left after 10 min just to prove the point! Got the job offer but didn't accept due to unsociable hours.