What’s something that turned out to be a major red flag of a job, boss and/or company—but you didn’t realize it until AFTER you accepted the job and worked there for a while?

76 Comments

1. AnonymousMay 17,2022 at 1:44PM UTC

   -Vaguely complaining that the process needs to be improved but not being able to articulate goals clearly in an interview.

   -Pulling a new hire aside and saying things like, “I don’t care but ‘some people’ here do” about things that aren’t in a written policy like work hours, lunch break, dress code…

   -“we are a family”

   I could go on and on! I am currently in a new job that has major red flags, which I observed in the interview. I was unemployed and needed a job so I did not listen to my gut and now I am unhappy and stressed.

2. AnonymousMay 17,2022 at 1:48PM UTC

   Obsession with accuracy but a throw-you-under-the-bus mentality where no one will help review presentations with high importance and visibility.

   Micromagament

3. AnonymousMay 17,2022 at 1:52PM UTC

   I *hate* the “we are a family” mentality so much, agreed!

4. JJMay 17,2022 at 7:06PM UTC

   “We are a family” is the biggest red flag!

5. AnonymousMay 17,2022 at 3:07PM UTC

   This is a great question!

   One of the first things that come to mind is one my former employers hired and fired 8 new staff in less than 12 months in a small independent insurance agency. That level of turnover is a direct reflection of the (lack there of) leadership. Later on, I found he was paying staff unfairly, using unethical business practices and ran a toxic work culture. Needless to say, I didn't last long (only 6 months) and found new employment elsewhere.

6. AnonymousMay 17,2022 at 3:15PM UTC

   I specifically don't consider any job, boss, company or industry my "dream" whatever. I think this gets many people in hot water. I consider the current opportunity, how it will benefit my goals and life. Period. I ask critical thinking questions and make up my mind based on critical thinking, emotional intelligence and intuition.

7. AnonymousMay 17,2022 at 3:24PM UTC

   Oooo so much here to unpack but here's what top of mind for me:

   1. Micromanaging,
   2. always getting asked to "write a list of things that I can send up to higher ups of things you feel are a challenge" but no end result happens,
   3. no strategy and asking leaders if they have one for their initiative and they don't or you're met with defensive attitude,
   4. asking to see director's or division goals and never got them yet I was still required to write mine...hmmm
   5. no one owning nor driving key decisions even when you attempt to, you're told "you aren't a decision maker,"
   6. being told "I care too much/ too passionate" about my work and level of performance,
   7. high turnover & constant reorgs -- I was told reorging happens a lot and it should not be seen as a "bad thing." It's a "bad thing" to me when there's been no communication about such change yet there's an expectation to still pick up the work.
   8. Work requests and initiatives that have nothing to do with my scope of work yet we're on the hook to solution
8. Julie HumbirdMay 17,2022 at 3:44PM UTC

   I was there 3 months. The hiring Director and team were so warm and funny during my interviews (mostly women). I joined as an IT Manager with one co-manager (who was not in my interviews). Three days in, the co-manager directly insults our Director in a team meeting, he confronts her and they argue the rest of that meeting (toxic). There was no security in the building so I had to take my purse/laptop with me wherever I went. I found Admin passwords on sticky notes attached to workstations. Finally, I come into the office (no work from home option) to find the staff upset because the Director has posted 2 jobs that will report to me and the salaries are much more than others in the office. Then I see these salaries and know they are way too low for me to find and retain skilled engineers in Denver. I hate that all those nice people were so severely underpaid. I didn't even give 2 weeks notice.

9. AnonymousMay 17,2022 at 4:55PM UTC

   Multiple comments on how I'm a mother and if I can handle being a mom and a full time employee, there is a very apparent "good ol' boys club" in leadership, being lashed at for having a different opinion/view on what may be best for the department... the list goes on.

10. JJMay 17,2022 at 7:04PM UTC

    They would not give me detailed insight to their proprietary technology due to “privacy” until after I started and I thought it was because it must be super high level but it turns out it was non-existent and they were basically scamming clients.

11. AnonymousMay 17,2022 at 7:52PM UTC

    How the hiring manager treated her employees and contractors. That the main experiences I was hoping to get out of the job were all a lie since we counterpart had no intention of learning my side of the shop so I can get experience on her side of the shop. This person was not part of the interview.

12. AnonymousMay 18,2022 at 6:48AM UTC

    Getting hired by a recruiter who didn’t live in state. I got no feel for what my manager or supervisors would be like ahead of time. Not being interviewed at the job site also gave no insight on actual work culture. In this case I dealt with leadership from hell! It was so terrible I had to get out quickly.

13. amjjenkiMay 18,2022 at 12:16PM UTC

    When I started my new office was a complete mess, with boxes and boxes of files they thought I might need, there was no technology set up (no laptop, phone, printer), and I had to sit in a 6 hour recorded onboarding training about "how to be a professional", I have 15 years of work experience.

    Looking back this first day was an indication of how unorganized my company is. I've been here for three years and am looking for a new job because nothing has improved.

14. AnonymousMay 18,2022 at 12:30PM UTC

    At one previous job I had, I was informed in my first week after I started that there was a weekly 7am conference call that I was expected to attend.
    And this was NOT a global call where they had to coordinate time zones. Nobody mentioned this in the interview. I was polite but surprised when they told me. Then one of the directors asked me “Is that a problem?” in a snide manner. At first they said I could take the call from home but then it turned into me having to go to the office early for the call. Then that wasn’t good enough. On the call from my desk, in the middle of the call, I was told to hang up and get up and go to someone’s office so we could sit together to take the call. The thing about this was that they never mentioned this in the interview process. I probably would have taken the job anyway. But the lack of respect and downright meanness was what was the red flag. What if I was unavailable at 7am? What if I had to take kids to school at that time, etc.? Later on I learned that a few colleagues in the next time zone had to be on that weekly call at 6am their time. There were more red flags at that place and I was able to leave pretty quickly. But while I was there it was miserable.

15. AnonymousMay 18,2022 at 2:46PM UTC

    Having you hang up and go to someone else's office so you could all, "make the call together" seems like major control freak behavior. Glad you got out.

16. AnonymousMay 18,2022 at 5:43PM UTC

    Yes, it was really obnoxious. That’s probably one of the reasons why they couldn’t keep anyone in that role for very long. It was a revolving door.

17. AnonymousMay 18,2022 at 12:30PM UTC

    I had 2 interviews, both conducted off-site. It turned out that the person I was replacing didn't know she was being let go. The director was so disrespectful to the employees! She would yell at us for any little thing, even things that we had no control over. This was so triggering for me that I had to leave after 4 months. I wish I hadn't given her 2 weeks' notice, since my last 2 weeks were spent doing the most tedious jobs she could think of.

18. Crystal HowellMay 18,2022 at 12:40PM UTC

    Sometimes 2 weeks is too much in a toxic work place, this job doesn't need to be listed. Show a Career Break for 4 months.

19. AnonymousMay 18,2022 at 12:58PM UTC

    Ugh, yes I took a job that had some weird flags during the 3 interviews that I ignored. When I arrived, the computer wasn’t hooked up, there was no phone. They told me to go home the first day (an hour drive each way) to work from home. Happened again and again the first two weeks until the computer was set up. The very first company meeting was full of snide remarks and tension. I found out the position was open for almost two years and the previous person left because the job description wasn’t even close to the job duties. They also expected me to work for special events on weekends but this was not mentioned in any of the interviews. I left after a few months. Listen to your gut during job interviews and try to find out why the previous person left and how long they worked there.

20. AnonymousMay 18,2022 at 1:01PM UTC

    If they hired their kid.

21. Leigh Hammond-CarrilloMay 18,2022 at 4:30PM UTC

    If they have their 12-year old kids on the payroll.

22. AnonymousMay 18,2022 at 1:16PM UTC

    oh I have a list:

    -my boss telling me he was hung over in a meeting after Easter.

    -my boss bulldozing my meetings and ranting about topics that were not intended for the meeting.

    -2 different re-orgs in a 3 month span with no clear direction

    -halfway through the year and budget is still not finalized

    -told me I’m approved for 17 weeks maternity leave then they decided to change their mind 2 weeks before I go on leave and only provide me with 6.

    safe to say I’m looking for a new job at 8 months pregnant

23. Jennifer FingerMay 18,2022 at 1:17PM UTC

    Finding out that your responsibility will be to take on "emergency" situations and "paying dues" that prevent you from participating in company activities and receiving benefits that every other person in the company enjoys for an indefinite period of time because you are the new person.

24. AnonymousMay 18,2022 at 1:30PM UTC

    Minor red flags that didn’t stick out much at the time but once I worked there full swing it made total sense. First for my initial phone call interview the manager called me 5-10 minutes early - with how many spam calls I get daily I wasn’t even sure it was the interviewer calling

    since it was so early. Typically people call on time or a courtesy 1-2 minutes late. Then during the second interview the manager mentioned as long as work gets done she’s happy - but she phrased it as if

    you need to work until 8pm or later some days that’s expected. I imagined that would be occasional… but it was very regular at that job. With the manager also messaging and emailing at ALL hours. Knowing I logged on around 9am and sending messages at 7am then follow ups at 7:30am wondering if I had any updates when I was still asleep! Those red flags should have alerted me they had no respect for peoples time.

25. AnonymousMay 18,2022 at 1:53PM UTC

    An organization whose leaders had zero insight and intuition so they followed a well known management method with blinders on. Laborious and time consuming procedures when solutions were literally 15 minutes away. While managers were struggling to crank through and document conformance to the model leaders were manipulating events behind the scenes to get what they wanted. My position turned over 6 times in 3 yrs. One of the hardest things was the smirks and attitude from long term line staff who knew exactly what was going on.

26. Nick KossovanMay 18,2022 at 2:44PM UTC

    I suggest everyone reads my recent article:

    "When Job Hunting Make Finding a Great Boss Your Priority"

    [ https://bit.ly/38EKOWl ]

27. Sarah LarsonMay 18,2022 at 4:41PM UTC

    Great article!

28. EPMay 19,2022 at 5:24AM UTC

    So true. Great article.

29. AnonymousMay 20,2022 at 12:49AM UTC

    Excellent article. Thanks for posting.

30. AnonymousMay 18,2022 at 3:27PM UTC

    I hesitantly took a high paying job with a somewhat sketchy and very secretive business owner. Small office. One other person doing the same job I was doing. He and I got along well and he taught me the jobs procedures quickly. Something felt off from Day 1. The job was nothing like what I applied and interviewed for. The boss actually made a comment at the end of my first day that I would get used to this place…… ! There was certainly enough work for both of us and the other guy was way behind because he needed help. I find out after a couple days from the owner that he’s going to fire the other guy asap when I’m up and running! He never mentioned that in 3 interviews!! I told him to keep the other guy and hire someone else because I was not the expert in this area of work.

31. Chris RMay 18,2022 at 7:18PM UTC

    Similar situation as me! I was hired to replace a lady that was apparently fired but that the bosses offered to keep her until she found a job. I had no clue until I confronted the lady a few days into the job due to her attitude with me. I then understood why she was so bitchy with me. I should have left then.

32. AnonymousMay 18,2022 at 3:45PM UTC

    Management requests to be included on all meetings and emails, even though I too am a manager. I do not need to be included on all meetings or communications, as I trust my team members to do the job they were hired to do, and loop me in as needed.

33. AnonymousMay 19,2022 at 12:37PM UTC

    Reminds me of a previous job where two management people read everyone’s mail. When I asked why, I was told so they would know what’s going on and so people would do your work when you went on leave. I took a few days of leave once and no one did my work while I was gone. I just came back to open unanswered mail on my desk.

34. AnonymousMay 21,2022 at 2:48AM UTC

    Oh lord and the mandated open calendars. The amount of snooping and assumptions/suspicions are unreal

35. AnonymousMay 18,2022 at 5:27PM UTC

    I'll throw in something else that I don't see people posting about: newly created positions. One of my biggest mistakes is that my last role and my current role were brand new positions. There are places that may have exceptional strategy and vision but a lot of leaders don't know how to innovate, build and work with abstract concepts. I have done better in the past with established duties.

    With that being said, I guess what I'm trying to say is that some roles are these arbitrary "throw away" positions that companies create to try and make themselves look good publicly but they don't hold much value. "Hey look at us, we're growing" except that when you really scratch the surface they're phantom positions with no real substance except to look good for "business development." Maybe that's just capitalism writ large but my advice still stands. Make sure that your position is well scoped and provides value to the company and to your career goals.

36. AnonymousMay 19,2022 at 12:34PM UTC

    There’s a book about this kind of thing called “Bullshit Jobs.”

37. AnonymousMay 19,2022 at 6:23PM UTC

    I almost mentioned David Graeber in my original post but figured it would get too long if I went on a rant lol. I can truly say that my job has little to no function within the company, let alone to society. Not every job has some incredible purpose, but truly, I wouldn't even be offended if they said, "Hey, we have to let you go." I'm obviously on the hunt for what's next.

38. AnonymousMay 19,2022 at 12:42PM UTC

    I would say yes to this UNLESS it makes sense. My position was newly created because the company hired my boss who said "why don't I have people in these positions? What do you mean those positions don't exist? They're essential positions" and proceeded to fill them to build his team. We've cleaned up a lot, set up different processes and people have asked why our team wasn't in place years ago. So we're definitely not filler and we'd be noticed if the positions were dissolved.

39. AnonymousMay 20,2022 at 6:55PM UTC

    Great point. I'm in one of these "newly created positions" now. I interviewed for a higher salaried position within a startup but didn't get it. However, the manager created a role for me and I was both flattered and desperate. Turns out, it's a glorified admin role backfilling for consultants who were 'rolling off the project'. The job description made it seem like project management work. If I had talked to the consultants beforehand, I don't think I would have taken this role. Another red flag was that this nonprofit startup consisted of only executives and consultants, but I didn't really understand the dynamic until I got there. All roads are leading to burnout, and I've already been down that road before and refuse to do it again. I just accepted another position. I've never left a job this fast (3 months), but there were too many red flags I ignored due to desperation and low self-esteem.

40. Chris RMay 18,2022 at 7:13PM UTC

    The way my boss treated the lady I was apparently replacing. I should have left during that first week.

41. Chris RMay 18,2022 at 7:16PM UTC

    Oh and if you ever get a boss saying you're going to be wearing many hats, RUN! It's nice way of saying their going to use and abuse you until you're burned out.

42. AnonymousMay 18,2022 at 7:57PM UTC

    True! That and ‘we work hard and we play hard.’ Just…eeewwww.

43. AnonymousMay 19,2022 at 12:17AM UTC

    Too many smiles. I took a job after an in-person interview where I was upbeat and optimistic because it sounded like they were saying all the right things. It became clear later that I had mis-assessed the situation when after a few weeks I began settling in and started asking questions. They were looking for cheerleader not a teammate. (Among many, many other issues that were, in retrospect, actionable.)

44. Madam anon663May 19,2022 at 7:53AM UTC

    A joking around interview where my manager flirted with the co-worker also talking with me, which after hire proceeded into homophobic remarks about what I was wearing, having definite favorites, not communicating and having meetings with my customers behind my back, it turned into the most hostile work environment I have ever worked in.

45. Jessica DavisMay 19,2022 at 12:29PM UTC

    At the end of the interview, a HM said, "I thought you were really timid at first, but now I think you are just quiet." I AM quiet, but I speak up when I have an opinion and the expertise to provide it. She said a few things that rubbed me the wrong way; that is the one I remember. I remember waffling, but the role sounded interesting and I told myself she was just bluntly direct, which I have worked with successfully in the past. Turns out, she and I did not work well together at all. I quit after two months. One of my biggest regrets is leaving my previous role for that job. I wish I had listened to my gut!

46. AnonymousMay 22,2022 at 9:20PM UTC

    I had a similar experience! The lady called me a "girl", in the interview. I'm freaking 38 years old. What I didn't know at the time was that it was a hint that like with Jessica this person thought it was acceptable to try to make commentary about me personally without knowing me. And it's not. It's a workplace, you didn't be commenting on someone's looks, how much they do it don't talk, personality traits or how happy you think they are or are not. If you experience this your in a toxic work environment. Because the only thing that matters at work, is the work you do.

47. Heather (she/her)May 19,2022 at 12:35PM UTC

    Interviews where people emphasize that it's a "family" and/or anywhere that is actually run by a family.

48. AnonymousMay 20,2022 at 9:08AM UTC

    I currently work for a family business and it’s cray.

49. AnonymousMay 21,2022 at 2:20AM UTC

    And then the boundaries don’t exist

50. Mary JohnsonMay 19,2022 at 12:39PM UTC

    OMG - I can so relate to this post! Before my current job I'd been temping for a while, mum died suddenly elderly dad not really dealing well so I temped so I could be around for him. Decided to get back into work FT, applied for an Exec Asst role, got an interview - researched as much as I could based on the advert company name etc, interviewed - guy and his girlfriend who was also HR, she was maybe 20+ years younger but other than that nothing seemed weird. Took the job when offered.

    This was for a pharmacy chain and the owner, was Indian and used a nickname rather than his full name. One day some post came in his full name, so I being nosey googled him. I sat there that night thinking WTF have I done. He'd been in prison for handling stolen cars, arrested for handling medication/prescription drugs in unlicenced premises, was a rogue landlord, had been banned by the licencing authority due to going to prison and not declaring it. Served a 1 year suspension for that.

    He'd turn up to work stinking of booze, accused me of doing nothing all day (when I arrived all 5 shops had no first aid kits, fire extinguishers etc), and manhandle the younger girls in one of the shops (think hugs, swinging them round), and it became known that the licencing authority investigator for our region hated him and wanted him out.

    The final straw for me, wasn't him telling me how his marriage broke up and how she used to claim he r*aped her and he denied it. It was signing for a parcel one day, opening it and it was his legal documents ready for his next court case of allowing a drug addict to clean the pharmacy (not the shop the actual pharmacy where the drugs were), allowed methadone addicts to take their medication home (which some would sell on to buy harder drugs) and lending the same drug addict money.

    My notice period was a week during probation, a month afterwards. I'd not even got to 5 months before I knew I had to get out. So never mentioned my probation, interviewed couple of places, got this job and never looked back. I tried to use one day of leave on my last day so I didn't have to go in - he got grumpy, never talked to me about my resignation, never wished me well. He's now been struck off permanently as a pharmacist and can't practice again.

    I'm now with a fantastic boss who I adore (not in that way!), who I would go to the ends of the earth for. I've been promoted twice since 2016 and whilst there are moments I mutter 'I love my job, I love my job' like I'm in the Devil wears Prada I love it here.

51. AnonymousMay 19,2022 at 1:02PM UTC

    Saw a posting for a position for a company that had contacted me about a year prior. At that time, I was happy in my position but when I saw the posting a year later, things had changed so I applied. The Corp recruiter remembered contacting me before so reached out to me very quickly. I interviewed with several people and was offered the position. Went into the office the first week and noticed that my manager was introducing me as the new "xyz". I kept looking at them thinking they were wrong because that was not my position. I dug out my offer letter and sure enough, it was different than what they were calling me. We immediately had a chat about that. The manager said that they posted it higher to get a higher caliber of applicants but it was really what they were introducing me as. I was livid. I started interviewing immediately because that was deceitful. Then I changed my strategy. Rather than interview, I looked at the perks of the job and decided to stay. I also decided that they would NEVER get 8 hours of work out of me a day nor would they get 40 hours a week from me. I had meetings set on my calendar (code word for napping, extended lunches, shopping) or "I have an appointment today". We both can play games. I eventually moved on to another position.

52. AnonymousMay 19,2022 at 11:51PM UTC

    I had this happen, bait and switch. I did not stay very long, maybe a week a few days, got out of there asap without solidifying a new position. I was so angry by the change that I mentally had to run. Glad I did.

53. AnonymousMay 20,2022 at 12:39AM UTC

    I can see why you did what you did— that company was deceitful and deserved your contempt, but I think your first instinct — to start interviewing immediately — was the correct one. That said, glad that you’ve moved on.

54. AnonymousMay 19,2022 at 1:07PM UTC

    I had panel interviews with a non profit building entity.

    The Executive Director came to the with the second round of interviewers, proceeded to sit directly across the table from me and announce, “I tested positive for COVID;that’s why I’m wearing a mask.”

    Sheer horror welled up inside of me because we have been Social Hermits! I thought I’m vaxed/boosted and didn’t want to be “drama” in an interview.

    Hindsight being 20/20 I should have gotten up and left!

    Hmmmm… For some reason; I have COVID (1st time).

    They could offer me millions and I wouldn’t work for that person.

    Begs the question?!

    What other questionable tactics are happening!????

55. AnonymousMay 19,2022 at 1:12PM UTC

    What a terrific question. Well, call this weird, but I once interviewed with someone sporting a flawless manicure and a lot of ring-bling -- and I cannot explain why I suddenly had a sense that she was an utter do-nothing -- but that turned out to be the case. If she could fob a task off on someone else, she would.

    Then there was the boutique business that casually mentioned that "some" of their clients were more right-leaning. It was more like most of management *and* the clients, and it wasn't long before before I felt that I was working for an organization that went completely against my values. It didn't sit well with me at all (I never mentioned my very liberal, left-leaning politics) but I could not continue to work there. Going against my values ... no bueno.

56. AnonymousMay 19,2022 at 1:29PM UTC

    I found out the President (wife) and VP were married. I reported to the VP (husband). It was awful and there was no disclosure. Decisions would be made on our team and then changed at the dinner table with little to no communication to the team. Talk about spinning wheels that went nowhere.

57. AnonymousMay 19,2022 at 3:03PM UTC

    I didn't get to interview with my immediate peers on my team. When I started I found out why, they had interviewed for my job but didn't get it, and they are not really my peers. I can't say I wouldn't have taken the job if I met them, but at least I would have known better what I was getting into which is filling in for gaps in their knowledge and skills. So I am in month 2 and it has not been the best experience, and I am not sure it was the right choice for my own career path. I may have to start looking before I get too attached to this place.

58. AnonymousMay 22,2022 at 9:13PM UTC

    I'd upvoted this was as much as I can! I recently finished work for a client in which this will be exactly what happens to the person they hire. I know that they specifically but letting the new people meet the existing folks because they don't want them to know how bad it is there.

59. AnonymousMay 19,2022 at 3:08PM UTC

    This was a temp job, but for some reason I stayed for almost 6 months.

    -The person who had the position (full time) before they brought me in quit in the middle of a Monday.
    -I was the EA for the President, but reported to the Office Manager- I had to run everything through her. I sent a meeting agenda (for a meeting that was just the two of us!) to the Pres one time and the OM spent 10 minutes yelling at me for it.
    -The President and the CFO were life partners. The CFO wanted things run one way and told me to do it that way, the President would then do things another way and I was caught in the middle.
    -Everybody in the "bullpen" (open office) wore headphones all the time.
    -Parties and alcohol do not make up for toxic environments.

    I stayed way longer than I should have.

60. AnonymousMay 19,2022 at 3:44PM UTC

    I took a position predicated upon a specific salesperson I LOVED and who would be reporting to me, despite having doubts about the people to whom I would report. The culture was toxic from Day One. There were very clear favorites, who had access to teams that were relevant to my being able to do my job well. Despite conversations with HR, HR very much acted like a system in which women are blamed for sexual assault - HR always took the side of the poor acting person(s) and told me to stay away from those specific people, some of whom were / are morally reprehensible. This made it impossible to do my job. I stayed because the money was good and I am the primary earner. Although regrets are a waste of time, in retrospect I should have started searching for a new position immediately and left this position off of my resume. If you remotely have ANY doubts, your gut is likely the right answer and it's worth staying in your current role until you find the right fit.

61. Karen GongawareMay 19,2022 at 8:04PM UTC

    I took a job at an agency and my boss was unmedicated Bipolar Type 1. He would lock himself in his office and throw all the files in the air screaming and laughing, then take his shoes, socks, pants, and shirt off while laying on the floor rolling around on the files. Yep. Acted totally normal in the interviews!

    I would get the spare key, open his door, have his wife with me, and let her take him home. Then clean up after him and stress the importance of med management! Left after 2 years for a more normal work space.

62. AnonymousMay 21,2022 at 2:18AM UTC

    Wow. Was he aware he had it?

63. TiffanyMay 19,2022 at 9:50PM UTC

    Manipulative and bullying behavior. He also lied constantly.

64. AnonymousMay 20,2022 at 12:31AM UTC
    1. A company owner who said “You’ll start on (insert date),” rather than asking me what would be a convenient start date. It occurred to me that this was more controlling than not, but I wanted the job, so I agreed.
    2. Same company’s Day 1 paperwork had me sign an acknowledgment that the company was located in an employment “at will” state (meaning that I could be fired at will.) This is probably pretty common, but I recall thinking “Hmmmm. This is pretty interesting. Wonder if they fire a lot?”

    The same company owner took a dislike to me, although no one ever told me about any performance shortcomings. Indeed, my immediate manager told me when I asked that I needed no improvement.

    You can see where this is going: I was eased out after 9 months with a temporary consulting contract and severance.

    Unfortunately, my initial misgivings were correct.

65. AnonymousMay 20,2022 at 1:21AM UTC

    Been there. I'm sorry.

66. AnonymousMay 20,2022 at 12:43AM UTC

    Oh I knew they were red flags. 1. I didn't get to interview with my potential manager. 2. They didn't give me time to ask questions in the interview. I had a lot of reservations about accepting the offer and I did it anyway. Four weeks in and I don't regret leaving my old job, but I wish I had kept looking and not taken this one.

67. AnonymousMay 20,2022 at 8:56AM UTC

    Omg, same!

68. AnonymousMay 22,2022 at 9:09PM UTC

    Same here too! The manager I didn't get to interview turned out to be incredibly unstable. Her moods would change at the drop of a hat, she couldn't properly articulate what she wanted done, or the responsibilities that mysteriously after I was hired. I ALWAYS meet the manager and some of my peers now

69. AnonymousMay 20,2022 at 1:19AM UTC

    I just joined a company who told me I'd be working on some projects on-site , but mostly be working remotely. As it turns out the customer wants us back on-site full-time (plus unpaid OT). Then they told me I'd be working somewhere that's an an hour and a half each way for my commute. I'm looking for another job. If they lied this early in our relationship, they'll keep on doing it.

70. AnonymousMay 22,2022 at 9:07PM UTC

    Yes! Never trust non quantifiable answers. Things like "working mostly onsite", how often is mostly? When does it stop or start or change? Who's controlling that decision? The company or the customer? You have to ask follow-up questions

71. AnonymousMay 20,2022 at 10:35AM UTC

    Dealing with HR and one of the department supervisors when scheduling interviews and testing was extremely disorganized from the get go. No response for days, weeks, then all of a sudden they need a bunch of stuff from me by COB. Little things like saying "Monday Oct. 1" when Oct. 1 was actually a Wednesday. Misspelling my name. And a lot of simple silence to MY questions (e.g. parking. I realize now it's because they didn't know answers to simple questions, which speaks to incompetence going pretty far up). This was in the middle of the pandemic so I explained it away. We are all back to office, normal operating, and nothing has changed. Once I got in, a big red flag was lack of a department-specific employee handbook. Random one pagers handed around sporadically. No real protocols, no real strategy, no real accountability. But there are so many things you simply can't know until you're inside, so don't beat yourself up too much for not seeing things that are purposely (either by design or simple incompetent management) kept from view.

72. AnonymousMay 20,2022 at 9:08PM UTC

    1) Racists/Bigots: During the interview, the hiring manager ask "What is your ethnicity"".

    (My experience, both hiring managers made racist jokes for the duration of my time working in the environment after being hired, never stopped, was continuous-and I was their top performer)

    2) Hostile Boss/Micromanager: If your boss is hostile, jealous, visceral, adverse to everything that you do run, apply transition elsewhere, it will only get worse. (My experience, adversely affected, changed from high performer with previous boss to almost paralyzed with subsequent boss always dissatisfied, extreme weight gain. I was avid runner b4 the chaos.

    3) Setting Boundaries with Creepy Perverts especically in Leadership: I learned the hard way that by telling a male manager that him coming to my desk 3x in a 60 second period to ask me personal uncomfortable questions, while I am busy on a project only made me his target due to his fractured ego. I learned it is certainly an art setting boundaries with these types, still learning bc they are in all work settings.

    *It annoys me when on TV, podcasts you hear people who do not experience these things say...well why don't you tell someone. It is not that simple and until it happens to you, you will never EVER understand.

73. AnonymousMay 21,2022 at 2:40AM UTC

    The “what is your ethnicity” question is usually surefire to reveal bigotry in my experience

74. AnonymousMay 21,2022 at 8:33AM UTC

    exactly

75. AnonymousMay 22,2022 at 9:52PM UTC

    So many...

    Not necessarily in any order

    1. Contact-to-hire: I live in a right to work state, and this is super common for places with high turnover. I always tell any recruiter this is a deal breaker. If they can't take a "chance" on me, I'm certainly not leaving a job for them.

    2. Joking about not having a real HR: at the time I was young in my career and so far I had already experienced that HR is there to protect the company and not you. So I dismissed it. Huge mistake, I leaned that means every toxic personality and culture you can think of is present .

    3. Asked about DI and got "we're trying": Basically I asked about what they do (beyond hiring) to be inclusive giving my last company's many groups and having an executive sponsor them, as an example. They told me they had a group, harped on how small the company is and that they're still trying to navigate their way through. Since then I found out that no one in leadership sponsors this, and the entire group is treated like an afterthought.

    4. Weird technical questions: I work in I.T., so I'm very used having to take tests, be grilled on my knowledge, etc. The first time I got weird questions threw me off. By "weird" I mean, some of the questions were super super basic, some of them didn't make any sense, and others ended with me asking "does that answer your question" since I was lost at these weird questions. Which they responded with "well not really but it's fine". Turned out I was interviewing with folks who didn't know about the things they were asking me. Which meant I ended up working with two super toxic men who ended up bullying me. Since then I've learned not to take that lightly and not to underestimate myself either. If the person interviewing me can't keep up with the technical jargon, it's now a red flag.

    5. Wanting me to solve problems in a specific way: I recently ended an interview process due to learning my lesson in the past. My mind works the way it works and we all don't get to the same answer through the same path. A manager or boss who expects that doesn't want you to think yourself and you will forever be stuck as a "worker bee". If that's the type you want no worries, but I've finally got the place on my career that I'm embracing what is true about me and what it took my mentor repeating over and over again for me to hear "I'm brilliant". I do an amazing job at what I do and I don't want to be somewhere that no one wants to hear my thoughts.

    I'll cut myself off here since this is long, but I hope maybe this can help someone else. This was personally very helpful to read through everyone's responses and try to think about my own experiences and reflect on "what flags could I look for in the future?"

76. AnonymousMay 24,2022 at 12:34AM UTC

    After declining a helpful offer from a friend for several years, I finally accepted a position with his company that was part time and would help me transition back into the workforce and get back up on my feet. I didn’t feel comfortable about accepting the offer because he was a friend of the family. The title he gave me I believed was not appropriate and despite proposing alternatives he insisted on using it. There was no interview.

    I am learning a lot about working collaboratively in a remote workplace, embracing the opportunity to acquire new skills, and wrapping my head around multiple CRMs but concerned that if or when I decide to move on when I can move on it will cause a rift. The dynamic of the friendship already changed. I have set boundaries. But the longer I am there, and I have already heard it once, the more he has invested in me. But I too have invested my time and energy in helping him with his company in the best way I am able with the time I can give him. He cannot provide benefits for full time work either. The point of this diatribe is carefully consider long term consequences of working for a friend.