People Are Sharing The Major Red Flags That Tell You A Company Will Be A Terrible Place To Work, And I'm Taking Notes
By Hannah Marder,
1 day ago
A while back, Reddit user u/SwagYoloThiccChilFam asked, " What's an immediate red flag to hear from HR during a job interview? " and the responses...well, you might want to bookmark these. Here are 49 things interviewers may do or say in an interview that let you know you should run, not walk, out the door.
1. "'We are in a period of a lot of change right now.' (Code for the business is failing, chaotic, a bunch of people quit, and you're about to walk into a total sh*tshow.)"
2. If they give you a "'work test' where they ask you to complete an unpaid assignment. That's free contract work, ladies and gents."
3. "'Overtime is strictly not allowed.' The last time I heard that, my employer tried to make me work overtime as regular time or didn't pay me extra at all. But it was expected I'd stay over. Never again. A company should never tell an employee they won't compensate them for working on their time."
4. "'We have unlimited vacation.' Translation: 'You technically can take as much time off as you need, but we're going to hem and haw about it so much that, effectively, you get very little time away from work.' Also, if/when you leave the company, you won't get any prorated vacation time paid out."
5. "'We offer a longevity bonus if you stay with the company for x time frame.' AKA, we have to pay people extra to stay here."
6. "Having you take personality tests like Myers Briggs or other pseudoscience BS."
"I'm a therapist, and nothing pisses me off more than when employers try to use personality inventories on their employees. It's fucking predatory and manipulative, in my opinion."
"I'm in HR. Those tests are unreliable AF. Thankfully, people are starting to phase it out."
7. "If the word 'family' is used."
— u/Yemto
"I heard 'we're a family' for years from an employer who later fired me under sketchy circumstances, with no warning or improvement plan (would have been hard since nobody ever actually told me anything I needed to improve), a few days after I told my boss my husband and I were starting the process to adopt.
Now, I work at a place where some of my team members genuinely feel like family, but nobody feels the need to say it 20 times a day because a company that actually treats its employees well doesn't need to resort to guilt trips to motivate you."
"'Family' or 'culture' means you're supposed to conform [and] never challenge the way things are done."
8. "Also, if actual family members work there. Never again. Sisters, kids, wife...majorly toxic."
9. "I interviewed for a job recently with a small startup, and they asked me if I had any questions. I told them work-life balance is important to me and asked what a typical workday looks like for their employees. They told me that was a risky thing to say in an interview, and most startups would consider that question a red flag. I said I didn't need to work for that kind of company."
"I had a recruiter reach out to me about a job months ago. I went through the process, and when I got to the last interview, I asked the VP about the work-life balance since I'm very happy with my current company's position in that regard. The recruiter reached out a few days later and told me that one question, which took two minutes, 'put them off,' and they decided to go a different direction. ... Bullet dodged, no doubt."
10. "'Do not discuss your compensation with other team members.' Somebody, probably the most senior person there, is getting screwed, and they can't afford to lose their experience. It will someday be your turn to get screwed."
11. "'We're no longer a startup, but still have the startup culture.' This really means 80-hour weeks and low pay even if the company is doing well."
"Or, 'We're a startup that's been in business for 10+ years.' No, you're a business, and that equity you're offering is worthless."
"The whole 'startup' tag is suspect. I did a job reference for a friend who was applying at an 11-year startup. If you are still hunting for investors after 11 years, you have to wonder about your business model. It seems to be a buzzword for cool, cutting edge, and a culture of overwork."
"We don't offer bonuses or raises, but we do have a pool table."
"Having a 'startup culture' also can mean that they don't have processes documented. The lack of processes and process owners written down also means that there may be more politicking because people don't know who's responsible for what and can make things up to suit their agendas. But 'move fast, break things,' right?"
12. "Not always, but I've discovered there's usually a reason — and it's not your resume — when they seem overly eager to recruit you. Ask specifically about the turnover rate."
"I went to an 'interview' for an assisted living place. The manager didn't ask me a single question; they just described the job and the shifts I would work and said, 'You're hired if you want it.' I had no previous experience with that kind of job, I had worked at a gas station my whole life, and all of a sudden I'm on my own taking care of dementia patients."
13. "'We will start you at $ because that is the approved position, but we will correct it at your first review.'"
14. Any excuse like..."'We might not be able to meet your pay expectations because we have to check things like the gender pay gap.' That actually happened. I was there about 18 months, but realistically, the writing was on the wall after about two or three."
15. "Pretending the firm isn't about making money, but actually making the world a better place or something. Means they will pretend the company 'mission' is partly a payment in itself to be a part of."
"I worked briefly for a private equity firm where they pushed the line that we were improving the world by creating drugs for rare diseases. Yes, that is part of what we produce...but most of what we produce are returns on investment for endowments, trusts, family offices, high-net-worth individuals, etc.
Why not just own that?? The pay was amazing, but sugar-coating it and having so many people jump on that line on an email thread felt culty to me."
16. "Sign this document saying you won't file an EEOC complaint…(true story)."
— u/amsco
17. "'What would be the lowest salary you would work for? The absolute minimum that you can tolerate?' What a nice way to make a possible new employee feel appreciated."
18. "That the job would probably not pay as much as I was asking for, but it had great training opportunities!"
19. "'Work hard, play hard.' Run as far and as fast as you can if you hear that."
"'We're extremely understaffed for the workload, but we order cheap pizza once a month.'"
20. "'We expect flexibility with regard to schedules from our employees. In addition to your regular weekday hours, the need may arise for you to work evenings and occasionally on weekends. So, always be prepared to accommodate staffing demands.'"
"For some jobs, overtime is understood as a necessary evil at times: manufacturing, medical, law enforcement, etc. For retail jobs, however, when they start talking about 'flexibility in scheduling,' you should be wary since that often means 'whenever the fuck we tell you to be here, you better be here,' and those jobs don't pay NEARLY ENOUGH for that shit. Talking about your weekends? Gone. They called you up on your day off? Be here in an hour. They worked you until midnight? You're scheduled to open the next day."
21. "Expected to be on call 24/7. This is literally from a job description for Universal Studios. Unless you're a brain surgeon, firefighter, etc. FUCK THAT."
"I work in IT, and that's been every job I've ever had for the last 25 years. Some have a rotation; some just expect you to be reachable. Some blatantly abuse it, some don't, but it's all abusive in as much as it takes advantage of salaried workers (expecting you to be available to work hours for which you won't be paid)."
22. "'We expect this position to be your priority.' Do not expect consistent hours that will allow you to plan for another job outside of this one — and fuck you, we won't pay you more, so that you don't have to do that."
"Or if they require full-time availability for a part-time job paying minimum wage."
23. "'You'll wear a lot of hats' = We're going to make you do the work of three people but only pay you for one."
"I heard this exact phrase in one of my first jobs in VFX. It actually meant this: 'Four people just quit, and their jobs are now yours, and we don't have time to train you properly.' I became the fifth person to quit three weeks later."
24. "'No two days are alike.' There's a good chance that means there's no leadership and the workplace is utter chaos. Maybe some people like not knowing what's going to be thrown in their lap from day to day, but I like some notice and the ability to plan."
25. "'Be able to work on different projects with tight deadlines.' This means you will be jumping from project to project, and of course, to finish them, you will have to work extra hours, weekends, etc. Constantly jumping from project to project will wear you out in the long run. Also, multitasking is not the most efficient way to do things. This also could mean you are doing two to three people's jobs."
26. "They can't describe how an ordinary workweek will look. Either it's because it's so dull that they won't share it or because they haven't really planned out this position well."
27. "A lot of restaurants through the years — 'Can you start tonight?' means they are super understaffed. One time, they asked if I could start now. Like, 'Interview's over; hop on the line.'"
"Interview for produce clerk at a grocery store:
Manager: 'You got the job! Can you start this afternoon?'
Me: 'Uhh, I've got this other commitment.'
Manager: 'You've only been here 30 seconds, and you're already making excuses to get out of your shifts. FINE! You can start tomorrow.'
28. "'We have a hard time keeping people in this role'=People realize this job sucks and bail out quick."
29. Or..."'We've had a hard time finding the right person for this position.'"
"Either they're too picky, or they don't pay market value for the job."
30. Similarly, be wary if there have been a lot of people in the position before you: "I interviewed with the Executive Director of a nonprofit not too long ago who said he'd been with the agency for eight years and then proceeded to list off seven executive assistants he'd had in that time. This one was great, this one should have been let go in the first 90 days but it was the pandemic...on and on. Like, bruh, maybe you're the problem."
31. "Umm yeah, we'll need you to come in for four more interviews, and then we'll discuss the salary."
"The other is 'It's dependent on the candidate.' If they are interviewing for a position, they know what it pays."
32. "Anything that changes [from the job description]. Job title, pay, manager, interviewers, work location (a lot are saying hybrid and then want you in every day), etc."
"On two occasions, I got a job offer, but the official salary was different from what was in the job listing. Each time, I was told it was because 'listing a higher salary attracts more qualified candidates.' Declined both offers right there on the spot."
33. And along those lines, "'The position being filled today is a bit different from the one you applied for.' It's always an entry-level POS job nobody would ever apply for and guaranteed nowhere near the money stated in the advertisement for the job. Get up, walk out, and ghost them."
34. "'We are looking for employees that have a passion for their job and aren't concerned as much about a paycheck.'"
35. "They are interviewing for a position that is currently held by another person. HR asks for discretion since they have not told the employee they are being let go yet."
36. "You need to buy X to start training."
"Or sign a contract that will charge you for training if you do not work there for so many years and a non-compete clause to force you into a different line of work if you leave. I believe some of these have been outlawed in some places now."
37. "'If you leave before one year, you owe us $10,000 that we had to pay the recruiter.' This actually happened. No, I did not continue the interview process."
38. "Any restaurant that charges the cooks to eat."
"If they can't feed employees, it means they are failing."
39. "I once had a potential employer who wanted me to take a day off of the current job I had at the time and go work for free for a whole day for her, and then only if she liked me was she going to hire me."
40. "'You give us 90 days at $, and we will give you $$.' The trades are infamous for offers like that, and they rarely work out."
"But then it's contingent on a 90-day review, and the manager responsible for the review is impossible to track down. Yup, been there."
"My husband was scammed by a 90-day policy. He started working for a small town UPS loading trucks and was told he had a 90-day probationary period and that after those 90 days, he would be making $5 an hour more. However, it wasn't 90 calendar days; it was 90 days that he actually worked. The shifts were 3 to 4 times a week, so it turned into way longer than 90 actual days of him working there. Then, right before his 90 shifts were up, they told him they had to lay him off because of center productivity."
41. Similarly, if they don't work with your schedule for the interview: "A company I was interested in arranged an interview and then told me when it was. When I told them that I had obligations on that day and time, they told me I was no longer being considered. Every other company I've interviewed with, whether or not I got the job, included me in the interview scheduling. I probably avoided a horrible job."
42. "When they tell you that your profile is overqualified, you know that they are gonna pay you shit."
43. "'We want someone who is willing to go the extra mile' = nice way of saying they're gonna break your balls."
44. "'The strongest stay at our company' = very high turnover, so they sugar coat it with different labels in hopes of finding more suckers to work for them."
45. "'Rapidly shifting priorities' is code for 'Management doesn't know what the eff they want.'"
46. "When they don't allow you to ask questions, or you ask questions and their responses seem vague or deceptive. Interviews are conversations, and so many people are horrible at conducting interviews. It’s 99% them grilling a candidate."
47. "'Big personalities.' I just quit a job after two years with nothing else lined up because the 'big personalities' were killing me."
"'You'll be working for X. They are super passionate and a genius in what we do. They can be demanding, but if you meet expectations, they are great to learn from.' I met the guy, and all his questions were aimed at how quickly I could figure things out and stop asking him questions. Easy decline."
48. "'Your coworkers will be really supportive; just ask them if you have any questions!' This translated to: 'You'll be ignored by leads/management, so hopefully your coworkers have the answer or a really great meme about no one having the answer.'"
49. "'We don't have a dedicated HR department, per se…' I worked for a Fortune 500 company whose HR was essentially nonexistent. If you have an issue, talk to your boss. If you have an issue with your boss, good luck."
And finally, we'll leave you with some tips...
"While waiting for an interview, look at other employees. How do they look? What do they do? What do they speak about? Do they look happy (well, content), friendly, or run as if a wasp nest is behind them? Ask a question at reception, like, 'Where is a toilet?' and see how they respond."
"Also, see what the toilets look like. If they are careful with their employees' well-being, the toilets will be clean and comfortable (I know because the washroom is where I spend most of my time at work)."
"Ask about how they handled the COVID pandemic. No matter your viewpoints on that topic, how they answer will give you a good insight into how they treat people."
"'What's your salary expectation?' Never, ever answer that. And as an insider, let me tell you they will ask several times in several ways, and they will pretend to be angry, hurt, offended, puzzled — they might even insult you — but never, ever answer that question. If they aren't telling you what they expect to pay, there's a reason. Small or big companies, all are the same on this."
"In trade school, they always told us to put [salary range] as 'Negotiable,' and if they ask us in person, make sure to keep it consistent and say that you're open to consideration and to keep the ball in their court. Until they're willing to give you an idea of what you're worth or could be worth to them, there's no reason to give them serious consideration."
Good luck. It's rough out there.
Submissions have been edited for length/clarity.
Most PopularIt’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.
Comments / 0