Social IssuesSEP 30, 2022

People List 30 Major Red Flags To Spot During A Job Interview That Scream ‘Bad Working Environment’

We all survive not one, not ten but a solid amount of job interviews throughout our lives. It would be hard to find a person who genuinely enjoys them unless they’re on the opposite end of the table and sit in the shoes of a recruiter.

And although many people dread them, every now and then we still have to pass them in order to stay in the increasingly competitive job market.

Sometimes, however, job seekers become too desperate to sell themselves and land a job so they forget that the company that’s interviewing them should also impress you. We may even be blind to the telling signs that show this workplace is not just unworthy of your attention, it’s downright toxic.

So today we looked at a handful of illuminating Reddit threads that got people sharing the red flags that scream not just walk, but run from this workplace, closing the door behind you. More telling signs of a job you do not want can be found in our previous article.

#1

People List 30 Major Red Flags To Spot During A Job Interview That Scream ‘Bad Working Environment’

Didn't even get to the interview. Got a call to set up interview. I say ok, I can do Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. He says "I need you to come in today." Okay. I need a job so I say I can try, where do I need to go. He was an hour away by car. I said I couldn't and he got all huffy. Like dude, if you're this shitty when I don't work for you I don't even want to know how you treat employees.

oui_ja, David Hahn

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128points

#2

I was once asked during a job interview about my tolerance to verbal abuse. When the person noticed that I was a bit taken aback by the question, he quickly followed up and said the keep in mind that he was asking about VERBAL abuse and not Physical abuse. I immediately realized that this would not be a job for me and I excused myself from further consideration for the position.

orange_cuse, Maranda Vandergriff

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123points

#3

In a lot of industries, "We work really long hours sometimes, so we're really looking for someone who's willing to put in the hours and is interested in making a bigger impact" is code for "we're looking for someone to sacrifice their weekends on the alter of our arbitrary goals and expectations because we can't be bothered to pay a second person for this role."

etennui, Jonas Leupe

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112points

“The biggest piece of advice I can give relating to any red flags that arise during an interview is to take them seriously,” Christine Mitterbauer, a licensed and ICF-approved career coach and serial entrepreneur told Bored Panda in an interview.

“Often when we go for interviews, we focus so hard on performing well and getting the job offer, that we forget that an interview is a two-way process. This is also a chance for you to decide whether the job is right for you,” the career coach explained.

#4

When you walk through the site and you don't see a single person smiling. I don't mean those fake customer service smiles, either. If everyone there looks miserable I'm out, life is too short for that.

max_and_friends, Jose Losada

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105points

#5

"Would you be willing to give up a few vacation days to help out some of your fellow co-workers finish their work?"

lol nope

whatscrakalakin, Microsoft Edge

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105points

#6

My father-in-law said he recently had an interview at a place and some of the perks were food: breakfast lunch and dinner were all provided.

... wait why would I need dinner?

I don't plan on being here for dinner.

That was a red flag if i've every heard one.

coolhand1205

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105points

According to Mitterbauer, red flags are often based on hunches, but hunches are based on subconscious experiences gathered over time. “You really should listen to it if you want to avoid falling into the trap of just accepting an offer because you ‘got it’,” she said.

Mitterbauer’s advice is to go into the interview with an open mind, having done thorough research on the role and company beforehand, and collect some important questions. “Be prepared to walk out of the interview if it didn’t feel right, even if you can’t immediately put your finger on why.”

What’s more, “never accept an offer right there and then, always say you need to think about it/ discuss it with your partner. Often when we sleep on things, we wake up seeing things with new eyes and a fresh perspective.”

#7

I always ask directly "have you ever had to lay off employees as a result of budgeting issues?"

I don't want to lose my job because someone couldn't responsibly allocate the funds to pay me.

puckbeaverton, ANTONI SHKRABA production

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101points

#8

I used to be in commercial fishing, and one of ny first skippers gave me this advice:

When you're checking out a potential boat to take a position on make sure to look in the engine room first. If it's neat, clean, and orderly then that's a solid boat to work on. If it's filthy, cluttered, and in disarray then get off the boat and don't take the job.

tonderthrowaway, Wonderlane

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92points

#9

Anyone using the phrase "work hard and play hard" during the interview

NoKindofHero, Christina @ wocintechchat.com

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92points

When asked what are the signs that a workplace is not for you, Mitterbauer said that any bad feeling you got during an interview, “whether it was due to what was asked or said, or the way it was communicated by the interviewer, is a red flag that you shouldn’t ignore.”

“Even if you can’t put your finger on why it gave you a bad reaction, sleep on it, and consider discussing the experience with someone close to you. Particularly, some signs could be the interviewer putting pressure on you, saying something that sounds too good to be true, or saying anything that simply goes against your personal values,” the career coach concluded.

#10

If they ask if you are on medications and if so, what medications and why?

Rizumu972, Laurynas Mereckas

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92points

#11

He asked me (on the phone) whether I was good looking? He asked me what my body was like etc. I was like okay, I’m going to hang up now. This was a job advertised in the London Evening Standard, a respected newspaper. They were really pissed off when I told them and this guy must have realized he crossed a line because he wouldn’t answer the phone when they tried to get in touch.

What pisses me off is that I was so desperate for work that I stayed on that phone a few moments longer than I should have instead of telling him to f—k off straight away. I hate it when people in a position of power abuse it.

Edit: I’m a woman. If you’re wondering whether I’m good looking and what my body is like I have been told that by goblin standards I am quite a beauty.

FloppyEaredDog, Patrick Pierre

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92points

#12

People who visibly show they haven’t looked at your resume. I have no issues go in depth about my experience or things that may need clarification. But, to blatantly not know anything about the person interviewing shows they don’t even value their potential employees at a minimum.

btashawn, Van Tay Media

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86points

#13

Was invited to interview for a remote position, but did some research and found out they made employees install software that took a photo of their face every 9 minutes to ensure they weren’t goofing off. Can you imagine? I don’t want my employer to have a huge collection of the awkward a*s facial expressions I make. Declined interview.

seaotterbutt, Hack Capital

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84points

#14

Asking for a feee before you can get started.

Le_LapinNoir, Karolina Grabowska

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80points

#15

Interview was at 10AM, they made me wait until 10:45 before someone could finally see me.

First question they asked me was how I feel about working overtime. They asked me another 2-3 times if I was REALLY sure I was okay with it, which tells me that A. They're going to make me work over a lot and B. they've had people quit shortly after being hired because this job clearly SUCKS.

When I asked them to describe the work environment/culture, one guy says they get at each other's throats sometimes and its intense, but they're like a big dysfunctional family. No thanks.

dylangoesfast

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80points

#16

"You decide how much you make!"

anon, Karolina Grabowska

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77points

#17

I'm actually looking out for a job and the other day the HR asked why I wanted to leave my current job. I said I was done with 12hr shifts and being forced to work an extra day on a weekend on a small incentive.

He said, "That's how outsourcing works my friend"

I politely refused.

TH4DD3U5, Headway

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77points

#18

When asked if they had a radius requirement (that I needed to live within X miles in case of emergency), they laughed and said "doesn't matter, you won't be going [home] very often."

NoxRiddle, Kevin Yudhistira Alloni

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75points

#19

Right after college I got an interview to be a store manager for an Abercrombie and Fitch clothing store. Before the interview I was told to dress in my own personal style but that "in" clothes would be preferred. I was then given a list of what that meant. At the interview I was asked to make fun of or be judgmental of people walking around us, what they were wearing, their style, Hair styles, designs on shirts etc. For example, when a lady walked past us wearing jeans and red Mickey Mouse sweatshirt. The lady interview me scoffed and said, can you believe her wearing that out in public? I mean what is she? like 12."

I shrugged and said "What does it matter if that's her style?"

I didn't get the job. I realized she was trying to see if I was a judgmental prick and when I wasn't she chose not to hire me. Later on I found out this was a standard practice for Abercrombie.

totspur1982, Korie Cull

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70points

#20

"We're a human-sized company with a great start up spirit"

--> Unpaid extra hours + micro management

Vladnar, Israel Andrade

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70points