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5 red flags in the job search

Addison Group
Addison Group's blog about red flags during the job search. Featuring a woman in a suit with a resume in hand.

Searching for a job is an exciting yet stressful process. If you’re desperate to get hired, you might be moving too quickly through the process and overlook red flags in a job that indicate the company has a hostile work environment. This can leave you with a job that makes you feel drained, out of place, and can potentially hurt your career.

You deserve a job that’s a good fit for you and helps you grow both personally and professionally, without burning you out. To avoid landing in a position that isn’t right for you, here are some red flags to watch out for throughout your job search.

Your potential boss is rude during the interview

Your boss at any job will have a significant impact on your quality of life. Supervisors determine what type of projects you’ll work on, how much recognition you’ll receive, future promotions, and more. These decisions directly affect your satisfaction and professional development.

If your potential manager is disrespectful or inattentive during the interview process, don’t assume their attitude will change when you’re hired. Take this as a sign to continue your job search and find a supervisor who has a positive demeanor.

The company has overwhelmingly terrible reviews

While online reviews aren’t always completely reliable, you should take the time to look into them. Every company might have some bad reviews from disgruntled employees. However, if there are a significant number of negative reviews, and the positive ones seem few and far between, you should pay attention and take it as a sign to reconsider your interest in that company.

There have been recent layoffs at the company

Layoffs can happen at any organization. However, if mass layoffs have occurred within the past year, that is a major red flag in the job search.

You can find out by checking whether the organization has WARN Act (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act of 1988) filings. WARN is federal legislation that requires employers to report if they’re conducting large layoffs. This information is public, and you should check if any company you’re interviewing has had massive layoffs. If they have, take it as a sign to keep looking.

There’s high turnover

High turnover is never an isolated problem on a team. Generally, it’s a symptom of larger organizational problems. High turnover rates can indicate the team is run by bad leadership, fosters an unhealthy work environment, or celebrates toxic individuals on a team. Regardless of the reason, you want to steer clear of an organization with high turnover. Accepting a job with known high turnover rates can spell out disaster for your personal and professional life – and a job is not worth making you feel miserable.

Bad interview

Sometimes it’s difficult to recognize a bad interview if you’re only focused on getting hired. Here’s how to tell if an interview didn’t go well:

  • The interviewer asks inappropriate questions about your marital status, age, or whether you have children.
  • There was no clarity on your future job responsibilities and/or who you would directly report to.
  • You get a job offer immediately and feel pressured to accept the position.
  • The hiring manager doesn’t share salary or benefits plan information with you throughout the interview process.

If you notice these, you should search for a job somewhere else. The right job won’t make you feel uncomfortable during the interview process or withhold important information about the position.

For more than 20 years, Addison Group has focused on creating the perfect match between candidates and companies. We’re focused on finding you the next job to propel your career forward. Visit our jobs page or contact us today!