8 Biggest Interview Red Flags

Interviews. We all know how nervous they can make us. You can be so focused on trying to look good and say the right words that often we, as employees, tend to forget that we also have to be wary of what the recruiter or the interviewers are saying to us, their body language, and the way they talk about the company in general.

An interview is the first taste you’ll get of the?company’s culture, and you can get to know a lot about a business with only?the first interview?— of course, if you focus on the right things.

We, as talented people, have to be proud of what we offer, and the skills we can bring to new teams. That’s why you shouldn’t be looking for?any job,?but?the right job?— the place where your skills can shine the most. And believe me, the right job is out there waiting for you to take it!

There will be many, many, maaaaany job offers, so you should be picky with the one you end up choosing because, when it comes to companies, there are a lot of wolves dressed as sheep.

Companies will try to sugarcoat and hide their problems during?the interview process, but some details will always stand out. These are?the 8 Biggest Red Flags?you can see during an interview, make sure to pay close attention to them so that you can get to know companies much better with only the first interview.

1. Constant rescheduling and poor planning

Inconveniences can happen, either to you or to your interviewer. A tight schedule doesn’t get along well with unexpected situations, and we can be understanding and say that an interview may have to be rescheduled once or twice. However, it’s when it happens multiple times that’s when you notice something is not right.

Time is valuable, and to?reschedule a meeting or an interview?more than two times is just too much. If the company or the interviewer does this to you without a fair reason it just means that they value their time more than they value yours, and that right there is your first red flag.?

It not only shows their poor planning and?organization skills, but they are also telling you upfront that you are not important, and no matter how good the pay might be, if they don’t respect you, it’s not worth it.?

I firmly believe that employers have to be extremely conscious about getting back to job candidates quickly,?communicating with them clearly, and treating them as if they were employees. Otherwise, the candidates will go somewhere else.?

Remember that if they show this kind of disorganization, they don’t prioritize the people or the placement. And if?the communication?isn’t clear, the recruiters ghost you for long periods (like a week), and they are disorganized with their processes, I’d recommend you to truly consider whether or not you truly want to work for that company, because those are clear red flags you should be aware of.?

2. Lack of clarity to answers your questions

A big part of going through?a successful interview process, one where you can learn a lot about the business and the interviewer can learn a lot about you, is to learn how to ask the right questions: Questions that can help you clear your doubts as well as revealing some aspects of the company culture.?

Questions like,

• What are the?key responsibilities?of this position?
• How does this?position?fit into the company?
• Can you describe a?typical work day, or week, for this job?
• Is this a?new position? If not, what kind of position has the previous employee moved on to?
• How would you describe their?management style?
• How is?success?measured in this company?
• How would you describe the?culture?of this organization?

Will be useful for your next interviews, so make sure to write them down!

And they can help you?get a good feeling about the position?you are applying to,?the company culture, and the way they treat their employees. Information that will surely be of help to you when deciding whether you will choose the company or not.

And the way that the interviewer answers these kinds of questions is something that?we must pay attention to. If they answer you in vague or general statements without clear examples, are those the answers the type of answers they are expecting from you? You’ll notice the second red flag if you see them hesitate, or feel that they are not answering you clearly to your questions.?

In these cases, I’d advise you to?ask follow-up questions?until you feel like you’ve been given the specificity you need.?

3. Inappropriate questions or comments

You’ll for sure not be the only one talking and asking questions, and it’s entirely possible that an interviewer could ask highly?inappropriate?or?even illegal questions?or make an inappropriate comment.

Ageist, sexist, racist, or equally?offensive comments?are obvious red flags, and it’s something that you shouldn’t bear with. These kinds of comments show the type of place that you’ll be working at, a company that tolerates?offensive comments?and behaviors. Definitely, a must avoid.?

4. Disrespecting others

Every organization has some?natural tension and rivalry?between different departments. With a?good company culture?and fun events, these kinds of rivalries can be a rewarding and productive experience. Unfortunately, not every company is like this.?

If you have the opportunity to?meet employees?from different departments pay close attention to how well they behave with each other, and if they are able to talk freely about the?challenges and tensions of the job. Is there a?healthy competition, or are the employees just disrespectful to one another? If it’s the latter, that is a red flag, and it may indicate that the organization has a low psychological safety.?

A?stressed employee?is a bad employee, so be sure to pay attention to the way they communicate, their body language, and subtle micro-expressions say, even if the interview is on Zoom.?

5. Sudden role changes

If you applied to a job and when you are already on the interview?the role?starts to sound very different from the initial?job description?that prompted your application, run. We all know that changes and updates may happen, but if the hiring manager doesn’t explicitly highlight or?call out the change, is a clear red flag. It shows that they don’t?communicate?or?manage change?well, both internally and externally.?

Sudden changes like this make you wonder if the company really knows what they are doing, and who are they looking for? And it’s totally understandable if the change in the role makes the job less interesting to you. If you know your worth, and you know the type of job you want, don’t go for companies that want you to?“wear many hats”…

6. Don’t have an improvement mindset

When a position opens in a company, mostly in newly developed companies, is because the organization needs someone to?improve the current situation. E.G: Build better products, create operational efficiencies, attract new clients, improve performance, and such. Making these improvements more so than often will require?updates and changes?in the way the company does things, and if the person in charge is unwilling to support change and update the company to more recent and improved methods, they are basically hindering your work.?

Everyone is entitled to have an opinion, and, at the end of the day, the boss is the person that gives the call on whether a change happens or not.

However, if you are hired to?“improve a function”?in a company, and you feel like your?boss is not your ally?but your enemy, do you really think they wanted to make changes in the first place?

Many managers, CEOs, and business owners don’t have?an improvement mindset, they just want to keep the company running the same way it has been for the past years while looking down on any improved methods that might be offered to them.?

This?“if it isn’t broken don’t fix it” may seem like it works, but in a?rapidly changing environment?as it is with business, more and more organizations have to constantly look for ways to?improve their products and services, and if the company you are looking forward to working at doesn’t look for ways to further improve themselves, that’s one the biggest red flags you can find.?

7. Drawn-out interview process

The?interview process?should be efficiently planned and optimized to offer the candidate assessments and results possible, in most cases, is common for interview processes to have more than one milestone. However, too many milestones can be considered a big red flag.?

Some aspects show when the interview process is being drawn out, for example, 6 or more interviews, test, or any kind of assessment, the process extends for long periods of time, a?“practical interview”?in which you have to?work for the company for free?to see if you are a fit or not, and such. Either of these can be a?sign that the organization is indecisive, doesn’t have its priorities straight, or want to take advantage of you and get a month’s worth of work for free.?

Companies are actively looking to?shorten drawn-out interview processes?to be more competitive in?the war for talent, and when you are looking for a new job, sometimes you can’t afford to wait for more than one month to continue the interview. That’s why companies should be as clear and as efficient as possible when dealing with new candidates.?

8. Exploding offers

An?exploding offer?is a job offer that’s given with a firm and tight deadline, and after the said deadline, the offer expires. Even though these kinds of offers are rare, they still occur from time to time and the?pressure?that a tight deadline can inflict on a person may cause some people to accept a job offer that they didn’t really want to accept.?

This ultimately will backfire for the company because it means that workers will most likely?quit their jobs after a few months?of working at the company when they find a job that they truly like and enjoy.?

These exploding offers are basically ultimatums, and ultimatums don’t?show respect?for a person who deserves to make a thoughtful career decision and weigh their options that will affect their career and livelihood for years to come.

This about it, would you join a company because you are pressured into doing so, or because you really want to join? People (and organizations) usually show their true colors in the little details, and companies that issue exploding offers to put pressure on the candidates are not likely to?respect your wants and needs?once you’re on the job and are likely to be inflexible, bullying, and autocratic.

Look for a connection?

Remember that a good interview is a?two-way conversation?that leaves both, you and your interviewers, feeling energized and excited about the possibility of working together.?

If there is a?lack of connection?and you feel like the interviewer is just robotically asking questions as if following a script and not really trying to get to know you, it means that they are not interested in your profile, and that’s not a good sign. In these situations, there’s a huge chance that they already found the candidate that they were looking for, but they still have to go through the rest of the meetings.?

Still, no one can perfectly predict?how a new job will turn out, so my advice to you is to look for a connection, a gut feeling that tells you?“I have to do it”, without forgetting to stay alert to the potential red flags that I mentioned above.?

Being observant in your interviews, asking good follow-up questions, and knowing how the process is managed will help you?lower the chances of making a bad decision?and working for the wrong company.?

Stay alert, and good luck in?your next interviews!?

– Ender Cárdenas