Watch Out for these Six Red Flags when Accepting a Job Offer!

I often work with clients engaged in changing jobs or sometimes just looking to get back to work again. Here, I help them with their positioning, messaging, campaign, interviewing prep, salary negotiations, and getting started in a new job with their 100-Day plan. I also work with them after they get going. This is when I uncover the difference between what was promised or expected during interviews and the ground reality of what my clients experience in their new job. 

Recently, I came across some outliers of how an employer engages in the selection process and deals with the final negotiations that raised red flags for me. After witnessing the outcomes of a transition process from the beginning to end, where my client had a negotiated offer in hand, I realized that I need to write a blog about how to stave-off a potentially dangerous, career-damaging outcome when taking up such a job offer you already negotiated. 

This blog is about these recent, actual examples—use cases—that I witnessed first-hand. In some cases I advised my clients to stay away from joining; in others they went ahead and joined because I did not object strongly to stop them from taking on the new job, in yet others they were seduced by such incredible offers that they felt the risk was worth taking. 

1.     Elusive hiring manager:In this example of dealing with the selection process the hiring manager has the first phone interview (30-45 mins.) with you and then you are lined up with different interviewers in the company. You go in and you get different versions of what they tell you about your job. You ace all interviews, but you have not met the hiring manger face-to-face for a detailed discussion about your role, responsibilities, growth opportunities, and other important details to keep your résumé in good order after you take on this job. 

The next thing you hear is a call from the recruiter offering you the job with a great salary and compensation package to match. You tell the recruiter your need to meet with your hiring manager, but the recruiter cannot set this up, with a new excuse at every turn: Oh, he just left for China and is gone for a month; he is busy getting ready for the BoD meeting coming up next month, but I’ll see if I can get some time for you on his calendar; and on and on. Then the recruiter tells you that you have three days to accept the offer, otherwise they will tap the next candidate already screened and who is anxious to join. You want this job, so you say to yourself, How wrong can this be; I am going to accept the offer! 

In all such instances that I have encountered of this use case the outcomes have been less than favorable for my client. In some cases the actual job was very different from the job description, including responsibilities and other details that you expected to help you further your résumé by taking this on, but you realize that this job is a train wreck. 

My recommendation:If the hiring manger is not available for a face-to-face meeting have a video call and go through the details that you need to explore after hearing from other interviewers, especially if each one has a different take on your job. Otherwise, pass on this offer!

2.     Due-diligence subterfuge:This problem arises when an executive-level job is being filled, often through a reputable executive search firm. In a recent case where an SVP-level executive was being wooed by a $30B/Yr. MNC to run one of its major BUs, a well-known search firm approached my client, already placed highly in an even bigger company, and persuaded him into checking out the opportunity. They also told him that the current CEO of this business was going to move out in the next year or two, leaving open that role for the incumbent.

Intrigued with this prospect my client started the interview rounds at the top levels of this conglomerate and was soon seduced into taking this opportunity seriously. When he called me, all excited about how big a jump this was for him to get this plum job, I told him to look at the financials, talk to the customers, suppliers, and others in the ecosystem and get a complete picture of this business, which they claimed was exploding. 

In an anxiety to hurry up the offer, my client talked to the inside people who knew the customers instead of talking to the customers directly; when asked for the BU’s financials a C-level executive told him that the CFO would personally brief him during his interview; when he started probing into the product roadmap while talking to the engineering team they were evasive in giving him the details; and so on. 

When he met the CFO for his interview he told my client that the BU CEO was personally going to tell him about the financials. Finally, he got invited to meet the BU CEO for dinner with both their wives to get to know each other, so he could not get into these details during that dinner; it was more of a “let’s socialize and figure out our family compatibility and sociability factors.” As they were saying good-bye after that expensive dinner my client told the BU CEO that he wanted to look at the financials, the BU CEO told him that the CFO should have given that to him, but since my client was then going to meet the Chairman next week, he assured him that the Chairman would give him all the information he needed. 

That meeting was set up the following week for 30 mins. My client was already nervous about meeting this famous Chairman to “seal the deal,” and he did not think that there was enough time to explore what he wanted. Despite the fact that 30 min. meeting extended to nearly two hours, my client got all tangled up in wooing the Chairman trying to impress him throughout that long session that he forgot his mission and came out totally impressed by the Chairman, which was not really why he went to meet with him!

The upshot of all this theater was that my client never got to see the financials and decided to take the offer after this intense courtship because he felt somehow obligated. Soon after joining my client found out the sad truth about the BU and now is trying to figure out how to salvage his résumé. 

My recommendation:For C-level positions—and even others—never get blinded by how you get sucked in by the charm of the employers’ executives and their royal treatment during the selection process. Insist on the most basic company information before signing-up. 

3.     Hiring manager too eager:In a recent case one of my mid-level-manager clients was approached by a highly coveted major-name company for a role that would be a next-level promotion for him. My client had an impressive résumé, so when the hiring manager first interviewed him and liked what she saw she decided to champion him inside her company. In the process she went out of her way to give my client rich details about whom he was going to interview, how to address their key issues during the interview, even providing him inside information to help my client get an edge in the selection process. 

My client was, of course, quite flattered by this treatment and was delighted to get a great offer. We were able to even negotiate that offer to get what my client wanted and he accepted the offer. However, when he started working with his boss he soon uncovered that there was a dark side to her and that she was a tyrant, making his life hell right from the get-go. 

My recommendation:When the hiring manager champions you during the selection process, be wary when their cloysome effort exceeds your sensibilities. Always check out such managers before signing-up, even more thoroughly. 

4.     Hurrying to close:In the case cited in #2 above yet another red flag was about how we were able to negotiate the offer with terms that are usually outliers: severance pay; perquisites, including domestic and foreign travel reimbursements; telecommuting; among others. We were aggressive in asking for them because we expected them to drive a hard bargain on all of them when taken together as a package. Interestingly, they agreed to all the terms that were presented without any argument or counter. Their excuse was that they did not want to delay the offer and my client’s start date. 

My recommendation:When your potential employer readily agrees to ALL your terms of employment during offer negotiations, smell a rat. 

5.     Strange questions:In yet another use case one of my clients was interviewing for a global strategy role at a $50B/Yr. conglomerate. There were two red flags that were apparent during the interview process: The hiring manager gave my client only 30 mins. during their only interview, where my client was not allowed to ask any questions. Because this was an executive role the CEO also wanted to interview my client. During his interview the CEO asked my client a question that made my client very uncomfortable. Despite his discomfiture the CEO kept pressing him for a response. My client was stumped, but they came back with a great offer anyway, so we decided not to negotiate it further. But, I asked my client to seek another session with his hiring manager for role clarity, especially in view of the CEO interview, but the hiring manager refused to engage further, asking the recruiter to tell my client to “take it or leave it.” I asked my client to reject the offer. 

My recommendation:When you are not allowed a free and open exchange, especially with your own hiring manager, as the process gets serious, be wary of what you are getting into. Also, when higher-ups ask questions that make you uncomfortable think again if you want to subject yourself to work in a culture when such behavior is allowed. 

6.     Specious promises:This is yet another red flag when a hiring manager or even a recruiter (even more so) promises things, which appear alluring. For example, if you want a certain starting salary and the job offer is well below that figure it is typical for a hiring manager and a recruiter (especially) to mislead you into believing that once you start at their company and demonstrate good performance your first review—even in six months—will reflect a major increase to make up for the difference. The same holds true for titles. Let us say that currently you are leaving your company as a senior manager and they offer you a manager role with a promise that within that year they plan to make you a senior manager, followed by a director in a few years after that. You realize that the hiring manager himself is only a senior manager, so the promise he is making does not make much sense.

My recommendation:Get what you are looking for (salary, title, headcount) before you accept the offer and do not base your decision on false promises. Who knows, once you start, your hiring manager will disappear and no one will remember what was said before you took on this job. 

When transitioning into a new job it is best to be objective and separate yourself from your emotions because it is easy to get seduced by illusory promises or shiny objects. Do your homework and follow your instincts when taking on a new job. 

Good luck!