The first thing you check when searching for a job is, of course, the job description. It’s important to analyze if the responsibilities listed are what you want to do, if you are suitable for this position and in general what the company offers, salaries, benefits, etc. However, bear in mind that even if everything in the job description looks good, that’s not always exactly what the company is ready to offer.
Additionally, sometimes you don’t even notice a few additional words in the job posting that may mean something (most likely bad) that only people who have learned this the hard way know.
Recently, somebody asked in one of the Reddit communities to share job posting red flags that immediately scream “stay away”. Here are 42 things folks wish people knew so that they can avoid workplaces like these once they see at least one of these signs!
More info: Reddit
#1
I applied for a position on indeed, guy called me like an hour after I sent my resume, said he was traveling and was only going to be in town through today, but wanted me to come to his hotel room for an interview. I told him that sounds like how you get human trafficked and he immediately hung up. So, that, I guess.
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327points
#2
"Entry level" and "3-5 years experience required" don't belong in the same job posting.
290points
#3
As a wheelchair user, I stay away from job postings that require applicants to be able to lift 50 lbs, but the position is something like graphic designer, web content specialist, etc. I've even seen that listed for remote positions.
It's code for "we don't want to hire disabled people but it's illegal to say that overtly."
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232points
#4
"salary to be discussed".
Every single interview I've gone for that didn't disclose the salary upfront was severely underpaid.
189points
#5
*We are a family* companies expect you to be fine with getting underpaid and doing endless overtime because hey, they order food once in a while for the team which is soo cool...
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182points
#6
“You wear many hats”, we expect you to do the job of like 4 people and we’re going to under pay you
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180points
#8
Flexible schedule means we expect you to be very flexible with our poor scheduling
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162points
#10
Permanent "Now hiring" signs painted on buildings/trucks. It just means you can't keep staff.
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155points
#12
“Looking to hire a rock star” is code for overworked, underpaid, and willing to accept ego strokes over fair working conditions.
“Salary based on experience” is code for lowest possible salary.
If it is a government job and the salary range is 35,000-50,000…the salary is 35,000. No negotiations.
If the job has a date range that states when they will be accepting applications, and that range is less than seven days, they most likely already have an internal candidate for the job and are legally required to post the job for other applicants. State government and public universities do this all the time.
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144points
#13
"Fast paced enviornment" means insane deadlines and bosses breathing down your neck.
"Unique challenges" means constant clusterf**k.
"Occasional overtime" means just say goodbye to your family because you'll never leave the office again.
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129points
#15
"Bachelor's degree required. Starting pay $12.50/hr"
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118points
#17
Requires you to be bilingual and have experience but pay is 15 dollars an hour.
If my skills as a bilingual worker with experience only gets me minimum wage f**k you
If my skills as a bilingual worker with experience only gets me minimum wage f**k you
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109points
#18
"salary to be discussed"
This means they ARE going to lowball the daylights out of you.
"occasional overtime"
This means plan on working several evenings or Saturdays....sometimes on short notice.
92points
#19
They've been growing rapidly for the last fifty years, but you've never heard of them. It's probably going to be an MLM recruiting session, not an actual job interview.
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91points
#20
When the pay is advertised as "up to $XX" instead of actually saying the starting base pay amount.
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85points