Interviewing? Don't Ignore These Red Flags

It happened! You were just invited to interview for a dream job! You’re excited and begin prepping for your interview right away, because you really want this job. However, no matter how excited you are for a potential job, don’t let the excitement cloud the red flags which may appear during the interview. Here are some of the many red flags to be aware of:

•  When you walk into the office and you don’t have a good feeling about the atmosphere (employee behavior, a lot of complaining, a seemingly chaotic environment, etc.).
• When the interviewer is late for your interview. Obviously, there may be a valid reason for being late, but one of my clients waited over an hour. He did not apologize or thank her for waiting. He just got busy and forgot. Whatever reason is given (or not given), it may be an indication of how it may be to work for this person (unorganized, not respectful of your time, rude, etc.).
• When you ask to see a complete job description and the interviewer pauses; then says you can look at it, but you cannot take a copy home to review at a later time.
• When one of the first questions the interviewer asks is, “How would you feel about learning how to XXXX?” which is a duty completely unrelated to the job for which you are interviewing.
• When one of the questions you ask is, “What will be one of the biggest challenges with this position?” and the interviewer immediately talks about a duty that isn’t on your job description (see above). And, if you would have known about this major duty, you would not have applied for the position.
•  When they ask you the same question, three different ways. Note: One of my clients was asked three different ways about how she handles and deals with stress. It was fairly obvious that the job was a stressful one.
• When you ask the question, “What do you like most about working at this company?” and there is a big pause.
• When they give you a vague reason about why the person before you left. Note: You could also ask, “How long was the former employee in the position?” and/or “How many people have held this position in the past 3 years?”
• When your gut is just telling you, “This doesn’t feel right.”

 Even if a job might seem perfect on paper, it’s always important to be aware of the red flags. They may be indicating your dream job might be a nightmare job.

Have any red flags appeared during any of your interviews? If so, I would love for you to share them.

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