7 Red Flags a Job Interview You CANNOT Ignore

You had a job interview and it was weird… was there a job interview red flag? Or several? There are a few red flights in a job interview that can help you avoid a bad employer and even a toxic work environment. The thing is, they are much subtler than most will have you believe. In this video I’m sharing 7 job interview red flags you MUST watch out for, and what to do if the red flags are flying and you know that not only would you decline a job offer, but you want to walk out of the interview (without destroying your professional reputation)

CHAPTERS
0:00 Greetings!
0:27 They aren't trying to sell you
2:54 They are lovebombing you
4:28 They are chaotic
6:39 Cringe example from a real job interview
7:57 Inappropriate conduct or questions
11:30 Interactions with each other
13:07 How they respond to you
14:29 Vibe
16:06 BONUS Should you end the job interview (and what to say)

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[JenniferBrick]

What job interview red flags would you add to the list?

[freedomring]

I actually had a guy in an interview tell me, "there is no real experience on your resume that could benefit us here" ... I responded then why are we wasting each other's time. He was not expecting that response. Not sure what he was trying to do, but I had plenty of experience for the job they were hiring for. My only guess is he was trying to get my experience at a lower salary?

He tried to move on to the next question but I asked him again, if I have no experience that benefits you why am I here? He tried to answer it so he could move on with the interview. Said something to the affect of "we like to bring all applicants in for an interview" ... I then turned the interview on him and was grilling him with questions. "what do you do here? why is my experience not applicable?" I went on for a good 20 minutes. You can tell he was so uncomfortable. It was great. Needless to say I didn't get the job, but reality is after his dumb question I didn't want the job either.

[ashleychemise]

Red flags:
-the interviewer arrives late
-hearing, “it’s a family atmosphere here”
-when the interviewer mentions “cross training” without pay incentives
-look at how clean or dirty the bathroom is.... there are exceptions to this but I find a dirty bathroom = drama/toxic work place
-casually ask if work colleagues socialize after work, if so, get ready for a drama reality show

[pixie]

Anyone organizatuon that says they are a "family". Run from that place. They do not have boundaries. Plus, you will not be "family " the minute you push back on bad policies.

[kiprandom]

I was asked "are your hard worker?"
My answer is always NO, I'm an smart and efficient worker. You pay me to get things done not work hard.
It usually doesn't fly with the interviewer. I have a fairly stern sarcastic natural tone of voice.

[ClarisseRockinThatBow]

Jennifer, I have a great red flag for you: I went in for a job interview once for receptionist. When I told the woman at the reception desk I was there for an interview, she asked, "Oh - for what position?" I couldn't just say, "Uh...your's?" I said for administrative assistant. I went into the glass wall conference room facing the reception desk to wait. The managers came in and started interviewing me. I said, "Ummm...am I going to replace her? She doesn't seem to know that you're letting her go? I thought you said she'd already left?" The managers looked uncomfortable but said that they planned to let her go the following Friday. I told them this situation made me really uneasy and decided to remove myself from the interview. Why would I want to work for a company that lied to me about the position - and am I going to be in that same position in a year when they fire me? When I was leaving, that poor receptionist wished me good luck...and I so wanted to tell her they were going to fire her in a few days but obviously restrained myself. Jerks.

[wlessfanable]

I can't stress or say simply enough that if an employer references ANYTHING about how they are "a big family", halt the conversation right there there, gather your things, and flee as if your life depended on it.
Think of it as leaving a cult.
I learned this lesson the hard way from many of employers.

[kencrouch]

I once submitted a resume to a company- got a call from a HR person- answered all of her questions - she set me up an interview- I showed up on time - met with her and she said some other people would be talking to me - I waited and waited. She finally told me the people were ready to talk to me - I could see a couple of people in the distance eyeing me - the HR lady put me in a conference room and I waited and waited and waited. No one came in the room. After 20 minutes - I got up and left. The HR lady called me back 3 days later and apologized "for the mix up" and asked me if I wanted to come back and interview. I politely declined. I was in my late 40s to early 50s then. The people that I saw in the distance were all younger than me - I figured out that this was supposed to be some type of group interview. I am guessing that since they saw that I was older that the group didn't even want to give me a chance. If you are reading this and you are younger - remember this - you will hopefully get old one day and need a job and want a chance. I had a job then so it was not an issue for me- I look at things like that as they did me a favor!

[martinenglish]

I interviewed for a company and a manager was dressing down a clerk to tears in the waiting area. I immediately intervened and told the clerk she needed to quit and she was a human deserving of respect and I stood down the manager toe to toe. I told him to tell the interview board the shove the job and left!

[TimErwin]

Jennifer, you are spot on about all of these reasons. I've been in many bad jobs, and looking back, all of these flags are clearly visible in the interview. The problem comes when you're desperate for income and you feel you need to choose anything, so you ignore the flags.

The solution for avoiding bad jobs is to always have an emergency fund and to interview with multiple companies before taking a job. Knowing you have options puts your mind at ease so you can make the best decision.

[princessmarlena]

They expect you to return to another interview after ghosting you for three weeks. You have a life to live, and other job opportunities in which to find. Don’t let them jerk you around like that.

[stephenbayer]

They ask for proof of your salary at your last job. This actually happened to me, they asked for my most recent W2 and then the job offer matched that salary exactly. Thankfully, asking for proof of salary history is now illegal in many states.

[khrazy_one]

When a job description says “other duties as assigned”. It means they are gonna make you do the work of multiple people and only pay you for one job and at a low rate. I work for a company that made me do the job of 2-4 people and was only paying me 12.75 an hour. I was always tired, unappreciated and severely underpaid. I guess they took advantage of it being my first job ever as I don’t even know what it was like to work for someone.

[Seattle-]

1) "We're a family business" (equals Nepotism), 2) Interview question: "If you were one part of an automobile, what would you be?", 3) "What was your salary at your last/current job? Does that include bonuses?" 4) The office is really ugly, but interviewer brags about how great a manager/businessman he is, 5) Everyone in the office appears to be unhappy, 6) "We lost some people, but we're looking to build back up", 7) "We have a great work/life balance here" (usually the opposite is true if they have to say this), 8) They work on outdated software, and mention that they're "transitioning into" software that's been an industry standard for at least five years. 9) They mention standard benefits as "future goals".

[dhunches]

Jennifer you forgot a major red flag. If they don't offer you a quick tour. I'll end a interview if I don't get a tour! You may think your in a cubicle with your team when actually they place you in a broom closet. Where does the team work? I've seen places where the team works in a hot warehouse while the leaders and sups get to be in a AC office. I've been on interviews that my future office was a storage room! Ive been in environments where everyone had two computer screens and they offer you just one! Plus on a tour you meet your future colleagues. Will you get along or not with them?

[urbanfabchic]

I’ve had a number of nonprofit & government interviews were they ask you to do a presentation (and the topic is their current problem) .basically they want you to do consulting for free.

[feudini]

"How do you do your laundry ?" was the only question asked by the HR person at my interview. I told her how I do my laundry and when they asked if I had any questions I asked the HR person how she does her laundry.

[mikebravo]

Writing this from Veneto, Italy.

They asked me to do two UNPAID workdays as a "trial". Their original plan was a week or two, I've heard.
I accepted because I was very naive and I liked the field of this job.
I had a very strange vibe with my guts, but I went over it and accepted.
One year later, I've sent my resignation letter, I accepted the risk to remain without a job.

It is a toxic workplace and I hope that my notice period will be far shorter than what Italian laws expect!

[tdemmingjr]

If the person conducting the interview isn't going to be your direct supervisor or manager. Due to an experience I had where I passed my interviews, but didn't mesh with the dysfunctional team I ended up on, I always ask to be interviewed by my potential direct supervisor or manager. If the organization can't grant me that, in most instances, I would turn down the employment offer and state the interview as the reason. If a supervisor or leadership won't or aren't allowed to conduct interviews to build their teams, that could be an indicator of a poorly led organization.

[kkhalifah]

My favourite question is, "How many people in the department had resigned in the last 6 months?". It tells you everything.