What are subtle red flags at a job interview that say "working here would suck"?

[playyamy]

I always ask about training and learning curves. Every job I’ve had that went wrong- I notice that when that question came up they stumbled. The current job I have, when I asked the question they had sparks in their eyes as they explained the whole process from day 1 of shadowing to the transition to working solo. And even when covid hit they managed to continue without skipping a beat.

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[AAPPKK]

Was interviewed by a Senior programmer and the department head. The department head was continuously making condescending remarks towards the other interviewer. Poor guy just sounded broken. Hope he's somewhere else now.

[PEANUTUT]

Was interviewed by a Senior programmer and the department head. The department head was continuously making condescending remarks towards the other interviewer. Poor guy just sounded broken. Hope he's somewhere else now.

On a second interview the general manager brought me into the conference room with his 8 managers present. At first I thought it was a meet and greet but no, they grilled me for an hour and a half. Didn’t appreciate that along with a couple other things and politely withdrew from being considered.

Couple months later I’m playing in a ball tournament and come across one of the managers. I mentioned how weird that interview was. He says ‘Weird for you? Ha! I found out then and there you were being interviewed for my job!’.

Yep, dodged a bullet there.

[ZOOOOM]

I was once part of a group onboarding for an IT job. They handed us all the one-page new hire "contract" and everyone except me signed immediately. When I read the paperwork, I discovered we were signing a mystery document. Clauses included "I agree to abide by the personal search and seizure security policy (attached)." Without other pages, there was no way to determine what I was agreeing to. I kept requesting more and more pages until the HR drone said "ok, I guess [me] is just determined to hold everyone up. We will handle you separately if you're struggling so much."

After I walked out and drove home, I called the hiring manager to apologize for not taking the job. He informed me that HR reported I had walked out after refusing to be drug tested
10.5k

[KARSASA]

I was once part of a group onboarding for an IT job. They handed us all the one-page new hire "contract" and everyone except me signed immediately. When I read the paperwork, I discovered we were signing a mystery document. Clauses included "I agree to abide by the personal search and seizure security policy (attached)." Without other pages, there was no way to determine what I was agreeing to. I kept requesting more and more pages until the HR drone said "ok, I guess [me] is just determined to hold everyone up. We will handle you separately if you're struggling so much."

After I walked out and drove home, I called the hiring manager to apologize for not taking the job. He informed me that HR reported I had walked out after refusing to be drug tested
10.5k

I was asked to sign a contract that gave the employer full access to my medical records (it was supposedly for drug testing, but worded badly) I signed every other page, and got the job.

Would’ve been very interesting if they felt like drug testing me, and they weren’t able to...

[BAOLann]

Last job I worked.

"Yea, everyone here is new, but it's totally because of covid"

"The boss doesn't like people going out to get lunch because they're afraid you'll never come back, so being your own lunch"

"You'll get weird looks if you leave on time". It was a chinese owned company with heavy chinese work culture influence so you were expected to stay overtime all week.

Also "the people here are nice but it's pretty stressful".

Eta: also was told by my trainer "you want to know the best advice I can give you? Find another job". This was like...my 2nd week in.
6.0k

[viperor]

Last job I worked.

"Yea, everyone here is new, but it's totally because of covid"

"The boss doesn't like people going out to get lunch because they're afraid you'll never come back, so being your own lunch"

"You'll get weird looks if you leave on time". It was a chinese owned company with heavy chinese work culture influence so you were expected to stay overtime all week.

Also "the people here are nice but it's pretty stressful".

Eta: also was told by my trainer "you want to know the best advice I can give you? Find another job". This was like...my 2nd week in.
6.0k

My wife lived in Japan for a few years and worked at an educational center. Her work hours were from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. She was the only non-japanese person that worked there. Her first few weeks she worked until 8:30 p.m. because she noticed that when she got to leave at 5:00, nobody else budged and that everyone else worked much much later. She clarified with the recruiter that got her the job that she is not obligated to stay any later than 5:00 even if everyone else is staying later. She would get up and leave and everyone would give her dirty looks as she walked out. Asian work culture is toxic

[Photony]

Last job I worked.

"Yea, everyone here is new, but it's totally because of covid"

"The boss doesn't like people going out to get lunch because they're afraid you'll never come back, so being your own lunch"

"You'll get weird looks if you leave on time". It was a chinese owned company with heavy chinese work culture influence so you were expected to stay overtime all week.

Also "the people here are nice but it's pretty stressful".

Eta: also was told by my trainer "you want to know the best advice I can give you? Find another job". This was like...my 2nd week in.
6.0k

I worked for a Chinese preschool and let me tell you they are on another level. There are Chinese and English teachers in each classroom and you have to work together and the way they treat kids is not legal here in the US. But because it was Chinese owned and they’re from overseas they basically got to do whatever they wanted. I stayed there because it was very hard to get fired there since they knew us English teachers can turn around and report them. Many did in the past so they did everything they could to keep us happy but I hated it there.

[KBIGHTTT]

Last job I worked.

"Yea, everyone here is new, but it's totally because of covid"

"The boss doesn't like people going out to get lunch because they're afraid you'll never come back, so being your own lunch"

"You'll get weird looks if you leave on time". It was a chinese owned company with heavy chinese work culture influence so you were expected to stay overtime all week.

Also "the people here are nice but it's pretty stressful".

Eta: also was told by my trainer "you want to know the best advice I can give you? Find another job". This was like...my 2nd week in.
6.0k

True story about leaving during lunch: At one job I worked many years for, I would train almost every new employee that came in. I remember two people right now.

One girl I trained all morning, then lunch time came, and she asked if there were any restaurants around. I told her “here and there” and she drove off to get lunch. Waited for her to come back after lunch, but she never came back. Made me waste my entire morning for nothing.

Another guy I trained and during training, he QUICKLY grabs his backpack and nervously asks where the bathroom is. I thought, “Damn, this guy must need to go!” I thought him grabbing his backpack was just being protective of his belongings since you know, it is his first day.

We all thought he would come back, because right by his computer that he was at, he left his lunchbox. He never came back.

Now that I think of it, what the hell happened to that lunchbox?

[GALALAGA]

Last job I worked.

"Yea, everyone here is new, but it's totally because of covid"

"The boss doesn't like people going out to get lunch because they're afraid you'll never come back, so being your own lunch"

"You'll get weird looks if you leave on time". It was a chinese owned company with heavy chinese work culture influence so you were expected to stay overtime all week.

Also "the people here are nice but it's pretty stressful".

Eta: also was told by my trainer "you want to know the best advice I can give you? Find another job". This was like...my 2nd week in.
6.0k

at indian and chinese companies you are expected to work longer hours for less and when it is time for a review they diminish your efforts so that they can keep the salaries lower and funnel the money to their management bonuses. if you work less but do more during those hours that will only mean that you will get a lower salary.

swedish companies are like that too. when it is time to get rid of people they do all kind of harrassment so that you will leave yourself and they do not have to pay out anything you are entitled to according to the law. the retarded commie way.

[FAKerOR]

Jobs where the expectations of the position aren't clear. The person hiring you should be able to give a clear idea of your responsibilities are day to day in a practical way. It shows that the company understands what it wants out of the position.

I've worked a couple positions that had a really hard time figuring out who was supposed to do what that lead to a lot of confusion and both of them had this in the interviews. If the company you're working for can't define what success in that position looks like you won't be able to either.

[RainbowcityDAO]

Jobs where the expectations of the position aren't clear. The person hiring you should be able to give a clear idea of your responsibilities are day to day in a practical way. It shows that the company understands what it wants out of the position.

I've worked a couple positions that had a really hard time figuring out who was supposed to do what that lead to a lot of confusion and both of them had this in the interviews. If the company you're working for can't define what success in that position looks like you won't be able to either.

I was interviewed for a job like this. When I walked into the interview, it was made clear that the job was being offered and was mine if I wanted it, on my credentials alone. It was a library supervisor job at a rare items and fine arts library.

An hour into the interview, despite asking several times, they couldn’t tell me what I would be doing. Slowly, it came out that there were frequent fights in the library I would need to break up, student mental breakdowns I would somehow have to handle as a mental health professional. The kicker was that the library held a lot of fine art, and I would need to stop people from, literally, “stealing the Warhol’s.” They wanted a librarian who I guess was somehow Batman.

I got an email that the position was dissolved 6 months later.

[XIYEXIYE]

Jobs where the expectations of the position aren't clear. The person hiring you should be able to give a clear idea of your responsibilities are day to day in a practical way. It shows that the company understands what it wants out of the position.

I've worked a couple positions that had a really hard time figuring out who was supposed to do what that lead to a lot of confusion and both of them had this in the interviews. If the company you're working for can't define what success in that position looks like you won't be able to either.

A former workmate invited me to interview at a startup once, for a new position of "Director of Support".

Between the invite and the interview, the title of the position changed twice. When talking with management and then the technical director, they all seemed to have grand-but-fuzzy expectations out of the position... but I got the sense that everyone had their own idea of what the position was going to provide for them.

When asking my would-be boss for specifics about what my day-to-day role would be, he kept turning the question around: Well, that's what we are looking for YOU to answer!

He was one of those Elon Musk types who seemed to have a game of 4th dimensional chess going on in his head, but not enough communication skills to adequately express it- or else he would give you some weird Socratic question as an answer. Yeah, I'm an IT guy and I like solving problems... but solving my boss isn't one of them. Hard pass.

[xiaohuhu]

Jobs where the expectations of the position aren't clear. The person hiring you should be able to give a clear idea of your responsibilities are day to day in a practical way. It shows that the company understands what it wants out of the position.

I've worked a couple positions that had a really hard time figuring out who was supposed to do what that lead to a lot of confusion and both of them had this in the interviews. If the company you're working for can't define what success in that position looks like you won't be able to either.

usually its hr that doesn't know and is putting out the job description. sometimes that just shows that hr and management don't really talk a lot, or hr isn't always on site. could be red flag, could not be...

[Pavel leslie]

If you can see the floor before the interview, you can sometimes get a vibe about the place. I once went to interview for a sales position. Aside from the interviewer being 30 mins late, it did allow me to sit and observe the situation. I realized pretty quickly this was not going to be the place for me. Very quiet except a handful of people on the phones cold calling. Many reps trying to push for contacts on the other end, just painful to listen to. And when they’d hang up there wasn’t really any interaction with co workers. Just quiet, and then another call. It all seemed very tense. I noped out of their real quick after the five minutes the interview took. Dodged a bullet.

I had interviewed for a call center job at another place that’s as a complete 180 from that. Yes it’s a call center job so it is what it is, but there was laughter on the floor, people talking to floor managers, just a completely different vibe that was more inviting.

[Cullly]

If you can see the floor before the interview, you can sometimes get a vibe about the place. I once went to interview for a sales position. Aside from the interviewer being 30 mins late, it did allow me to sit and observe the situation. I realized pretty quickly this was not going to be the place for me. Very quiet except a handful of people on the phones cold calling. Many reps trying to push for contacts on the other end, just painful to listen to. And when they’d hang up there wasn’t really any interaction with co workers. Just quiet, and then another call. It all seemed very tense. I noped out of their real quick after the five minutes the interview took. Dodged a bullet.

I had interviewed for a call center job at another place that’s as a complete 180 from that. Yes it’s a call center job so it is what it is, but there was laughter on the floor, people talking to floor managers, just a completely different vibe that was more inviting.

I had the opposite experience from your first one: Interviewed for a callcenter, thinking I'd probably either just not take it at all because I imagined it would be really draining, or just do it for a couple of weeks until I found something better. But then decided to stay because everyone seemed really nice and chill about the whole deal. Still working there, and probably gonna stay until I'm done with uni.

[XUNing]

If you can see the floor before the interview, you can sometimes get a vibe about the place. I once went to interview for a sales position. Aside from the interviewer being 30 mins late, it did allow me to sit and observe the situation. I realized pretty quickly this was not going to be the place for me. Very quiet except a handful of people on the phones cold calling. Many reps trying to push for contacts on the other end, just painful to listen to. And when they’d hang up there wasn’t really any interaction with co workers. Just quiet, and then another call. It all seemed very tense. I noped out of their real quick after the five minutes the interview took. Dodged a bullet.

I had interviewed for a call center job at another place that’s as a complete 180 from that. Yes it’s a call center job so it is what it is, but there was laughter on the floor, people talking to floor managers, just a completely different vibe that was more inviting.

I remember going in for an interview, I waited in a small area on the job floor (open plan) and things seemed buzzing, people were getting up to talk to each other, the person who was supposed to interview me just finished a small meeting with an employee, giving them feedback on their last customer interaction (it was by their desk so I could overhear). It was a small office at a startup, but it was telling me it was a fun little place to work in. Unfortunately I didn't pass the interview, but I had a good time at the interview as I got asked interesting questions and the interviewer later called me to tell me I didn't make it and why, and added me on LinkedIn as well. I got some good experience and later got a job more fit for me.

[BlackPinker]

If you can see the floor before the interview, you can sometimes get a vibe about the place. I once went to interview for a sales position. Aside from the interviewer being 30 mins late, it did allow me to sit and observe the situation. I realized pretty quickly this was not going to be the place for me. Very quiet except a handful of people on the phones cold calling. Many reps trying to push for contacts on the other end, just painful to listen to. And when they’d hang up there wasn’t really any interaction with co workers. Just quiet, and then another call. It all seemed very tense. I noped out of their real quick after the five minutes the interview took. Dodged a bullet.

I had interviewed for a call center job at another place that’s as a complete 180 from that. Yes it’s a call center job so it is what it is, but there was laughter on the floor, people talking to floor managers, just a completely different vibe that was more inviting.

Yep, also the literal floor can tell you a lot.

First job interview I had was at a local restaurant chain. I walked in and there was old, moldy looking paper plastered all over the floor and it smelled like sulfur. Then the interviewing manager came out with a multipage script with him. I sat across from him and read the whole thing upside down before he got to the first question. Being an asshole teen and knowing there is no way in hell I'll accept this job at that point, my answer to the question "Why do you want to work here", was "Cock and balls and stuff" and running away to my car giggling like a child.

[boyptc]

It's easy to know since we use internet. Before an interview, you get to decide if you want to pursue that interview and working on that company.

But just with simple researching on the web by researching about that company through forums and facebook groups, you'll get a glimpse of their working culture from their past employees.

[libertasbella]

Last job I worked.

"Yea, everyone here is new, but it's totally because of covid"

"The boss doesn't like people going out to get lunch because they're afraid you'll never come back, so being your own lunch"

"You'll get weird looks if you leave on time". It was a chinese owned company with heavy chinese work culture influence so you were expected to stay overtime all week.

Also "the people here are nice but it's pretty stressful".

Eta: also was told by my trainer "you want to know the best advice I can give you? Find another job". This was like...my 2nd week in.
6.0k

My wife lived in Japan for a few years and worked at an educational center. Her work hours were from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. She was the only non-japanese person that worked there. Her first few weeks she worked until 8:30 p.m. because she noticed that when she got to leave at 5:00, nobody else budged and that everyone else worked much much later. She clarified with the recruiter that got her the job that she is not obligated to stay any later than 5:00 even if everyone else is staying later. She would get up and leave and everyone would give her dirty looks as she walked out. Asian work culture is toxic

I noticed the same thing when I worked in an Asian country. My coworkers all looked at me like I was removing my pants whenever I left at exactly 5pm. It never occured to me to care, I just felt sorry for them.