Sometimes you can see something’s off with the company even 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.
#22
I f*****g hate all the b******t 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.
17points
#24
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.
16points
#26
Lists 35 different duties you will be responsible for, then finishes it off with "Other duties as assigned.".
Report
16points
#27
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.
16points
#28
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.
15points
#29
I interviewed to be a lecturer for a university. They sought me out and wined and dined me for a couple days and did a few presentations on the university. The presentations were on a TV hooked up to a VHS. This was in 2014.
13points
#30
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.
12points
#32
Literally everything in the restaurant industry.
Even when I worked fine dining, it was still a s**t show.
11points
#33
Boss fondles your breasts instead of a handshake.
10points
#34
Hiring you on the spot during first interview.
8points
#35
They don't respond to resumes. After a month they get put in my "do not apply" list.
6points