People Break Down The Biggest Red Flags They've Seen In A Job Interview
There's nothing more awkward than a job interview.
Reddit user, ToxtethOGradyUSA, wanted to know what to keep an eye out for when on the job hunt when they asked:
"What's the biggest red flag you've seen in a job interview?"
A ill-fated request can completely put you off of a job. All they have to do is ask you something you don't want to do, something immoral or unethical, and that's it. You're out.
The Worst Kind Of Intimidation
"We're legally not allowed to tell you not to take your breaks, but nobody here does it, so keep that in mind."
SanaJisu
I Listed It. That's It.
"When the first thing they ask is if you're a available outside of your listed availability"
Twitch_YungFeetGod69
Clearly I've Come Overdressed
"I was once desperate for a paycheck and set up an interview for a truck washing job. I showed up in my nice clothes only to find that not only were they interviewing 3 candidates at the same time for 1 open position, but that it was a “learning interview”, so we would be washing trucks while interviewing. I told them I had to use the bathroom, walked out a bay door, and never looked back."
Sometimes it's asking the person to elaborate on what you do outside your job. Why would they need to know that?
Unless they wanted you to come in on your off-time.
Just Making Everyone Uncomfortable
"I have a weird one, the interviewer asked me about my hobbies and I mentioned some typical ones: reading, writing, cooking, etc. He then asked about my writing and I just mentioned I've been working on a novel in my spare time."
"Hmm, in my experience, writers make poor engineers," he said."
"I didn't really know how to respond to that. He elaborated that, "Writers typically think that they will hit it big once they finish their book and don't focus on the job," I assured him that I applied for an engineering job because I wanted to do engineering and that writing was a hobby. Kind of thankful I didn't get that job."
Pay Us To Hire You
"Two things, really."
"I was interviewing in for a job to work on a new Windows based spreadsheet (a long time ago.) The group of people I interviewed with all seemed in fear. That was the first thing."
"The second thing was that on the way out, talking with HR, they said that they had paid $10,000 to the recruiter to send recruits, and if I left before one year, I would have to pay them back $10,000. It would be in my employment contract."
"You could not pay me enough to work for that place. I never want to talk to them, ever. Next."
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"When I switched jobs earlier this year I was specifically looking for something that was a remote/work from home situation. One interview began with an explanation that they used something similar to test proctoring software for their remote employees and that I was expected to have my webcam on for the full eight hours so they could ensure nobody “seemed distracted.”
"Come the f-ck on….we’re all professionals here. I’m not going to sit there on camera for eight hours while I work so that you can ensure you’re milking every second of productivity out of me. Only the second time in my life I’ve left an interview early."
AbortRetryImplode
And then there's these, the red flags that should signal a complete and utter departure from the interview room to a hasty exit.
Leave.
Flashing Red
"When asked if they had a radius requirement (that I needed to live within X miles in case of emergency), they laughed and said "doesn't matter, you won't be going [home] very often."
"... wow that is not even a red flag anymore, that’s a red light with sirens going off."
Let's Run The Gamut Of Classic BS
-“We’re like a family here”
-“We follow an effort based reward system”
-“We will require you to complete training which the company will partly reimburse.”
TheNatanist
"Initial salary might seem low but you’ll earn much more from bonuses"
Ok_Understanding267
You'll Be Involved In The Growth Of The Company, Meet Lots Of Different People, And Sit In A Cubicle With A Headset All Day...
"I had applied for a marketing position with a local tech company. A woman called to set up the interview, but a few things seemed a little too vague in the job description. Since I really didn't need the job I was very direct with her and asked "is this an actual marketing job or is this a sales job that's been given a marketing title?" I had run into that a couple times, but usually the job description clarifies it. Her response was, "all I can tell you is what is in the job description."
"So there's the red flag, but because the office was only a block away from where I was already working I figured I would go and entertain myself. Anyway, to make a long story short, I was right. It was a sales job, and to make matters worse it was probably the slimiest company I have ever applied for, and I once went to an Amway meeting so that should say something."
Link-to-the-Pastiche
Be selective about the job you're seeking. Don't always settle if you don't have to, as a tad more searching could lead you to a career with zero red flags.
Keep at it. It's out there.
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Interviewers Share The Absolute Worst Questions Candidates Have Ever Asked In A Job Interview
Job interviews can be nerve-wracking. You might go into one wondering what to say, what to ask. You might be acutely aware of your heart pounding in your chest.
But then you manage to ace the interview and get the job.
But what about the people who seem to have no conception of what a job interview entails?
These are the people who ask the wildest questions, as we were so kindly reminded by Redditor Butchbunny, who asked the online community,
"Interviewers: what's the worst question someone has asked at the end of a job interview?"
"I politely but quickly excuse myself..."
"I interviewed a gentleman older than I once who continuously asked who the boss was. I said I was the manager and left it at that. He wasn't satisfied and went on and on about what jerk the owner was."
"I own the company, started it from scratch. He said the owner screwed him out of a job once (never applied before). So I was just finishing the interview out of courtesy and my own pettiness."
"As I asked when and where he met the owner I see my frantic husband walk in the front door and a few employees go with him. So I'm half listening to this guy ramble on about meeting in Vegas, and so much other crap, as an employee burst into the office and says that I'm needed up front."
"I politely but quickly excuse myself to go out front to see my kid busted his nose bleeding everywhere."
"I go back in and explain I would cut the interview short and said I needed to run my child to the ER. This POS thought saying 'that's why women make crappy management' was a smart choice. It wasn't."
"First off I own this company from the idea to every last brick, I've never been to Vegas and you have never applied here. He stood dumbfounded and walked out."
"The next week he called asking for the status of his application."
mortmama
He had some nerve!
Must have been funny hearing this guy mouth off while sitting with the literal owner of the company.
"I was hiring a nanny..."
"I was hiring a nanny for my 2-year-old. I've hired people for a business before so I followed pretty standard interviewing procedure."
"At the end of the interview, I of course asked if she had any questions. She asked how often I spank my daughter, do I use a wooden spoon or hairbrush, how often do I expect her to implement spanking as a disciplinary technique."
"Blew my mind. I was seriously speechless."
Bullydaddy
Spanking doesn't help kids.
The American Psychological Association (APA) has noted that many studies "have shown that physical punishment— including spanking, hitting and other means of causing pain—can lead to increased aggression, antisocial behavior, physical injury and mental health problems for children."
"A bit after the end of the interview..."
"A bit after the end of an interview and happened to a co-worker, but it deserves an honorable mention."
"A guy stole the HR manager's wallet from the orientation and bought beer with his credit card. Manager went to the store, got to see the tape, then went across the street to where the new hire was drinking the beer and demanded his wallet back."
"After denying it at first, the new hire eventually gives the wallet back. He then asks the HR manager if he can keep his job."
"He did not keep his job."
aesirmazer
Of course he didn't!
Oh, the drama. It's delicious.
"Do any women work here?"
"'Do any women work here? They're attracted to me like bees to honey. I find it better to not work around them than to be hit on constantly.'"
"He did not make it to the next round of interviews!"
GunSaleAtTheChurch
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"I was baffled..."
"I work at a chicken plant. The guy asked, 'Do yall kill the chickens or do yall pick up dead ones and bring them here because I don't really condone killing.'"
"I was baffled because he LITERALLY worked at a place as a bombshell loader in the state over before moving here."
"I told him we do kill them, but not to worry we pray over all the birds. He seemed content with that."
jonbon1992
Well, that's one way to win over a prospective employee.
"She was currently applying..."
"'Do I need to quit my other job?'"
"She was currently applying for a full-time job while working a full-time job. She went on to try to convince us that she's so bored at her current job she could totally get away with doing this job at the other place."
theotherside0728
Um, yes, you do need to leave your other job.
What is up with people?
"Asked about..."
"Asked about a company car and company credit card — it was a call center job."
TheUpperHand
A company car and credit card would be the one thing–well, two things–that would make call center work tolerable.
"I was called in..."
"Seriously I heard this one (second hand but immediately after), 'Are those real?' eying the interviewer's breasts."
"The answer was a pause, giggle, gulp, 'I think we're done here.' I was called in to escort the guy out."
Smokey_Katt
The "I think we're done here" bit had me cackling.
"That's a big no."
"Work in finance. Had a guy fresh out of school ask if we could fudge the numbers if the boss asks us to."
"That's a big no."
dymba
Note: Don't ask if you can commit crimes.
Well, well, well... next time you're on an interview, you might want to refer back to these stories.
There's being nervous and then just being clueless.
Have some opinions of your own? Feel free to tell us more in the comments below!
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Putting together a proper resume can be a challenging task. It does so many things. You want it to be clean, precise, and chock full of your greatest hits. You also need it to represent you and they say it should thoroughly original so that you stand out from the over crowded field. Yes. That is a whole lot for one or two pieces of paper. A lot people have a deft hand and can create a CV masterpiece and others... well others should probably see a therapist before they submit.
Redditor u/ThanosIsMyRealFather wanted to hear from the hiring managers out there about a resume or three by asking:
Hiring managers of Reddit, what was something on someone's CV/resume that made you either immediately want to hire them or immediately reject them?
Oh Mother..
"I had one application dropped off by the applicant's mother. She told me "If you hire him, you probably shouldn't trust him with money."
"*update edit: I threw the application away after she turned around. I was hiring for a sales clerk position at my family bakery."
So Basic...
"Hiring a software engineer. Among his impressive list of skills were Notepad and Wordpad."
"I mean gotta get through the keywords scanner. I left Microsoft Office Suite off my resume until an HR lady was like "We really need someone with PowerPoint and excel experience."
"I had Python, C++, multiple CAD and FEA software packages, among other things listed on my resume... yeah I can do spreadsheets and slide shows."
A GDPR proof binder....
Giphy"I have several CV's that will never make the cut. I keep them in a non GDPR proof binder hidden out of view. I work as an IT recruiter."
- "Normal CV on the job site. Junior profile, 18 years old , just finished school. Pretty normal CV, except , at the bottom, he writes that he has a small penis and likes guys. The CV goes back and forth in the office. Eventually we decide to call him and ask why he put that on his CV. Turns out he had to make the CV for school, left his PC open and one of his class mates thought it was funny to add that to his profile."
- "A CV with a picture a man in only his boxers. No headshot, just his abs , boxers and legs. We did not call the guy."
- "Several CV's with people ranting against the government, religion or anything else. Obvious proof of mental disabilities. People writing things such as "I will do the time for the crime I may or may not have committed". I haven't called any of them."
- "Cover letters with the wrong company name on it. So many cover letters with the wrong company on it. Recruiters will forget to change your name when sending you an in mail , applicants will forget to change the name when applying. We really need to get rid of mandatory cover letters. I'll still call them if their profile is decent."
- "People being open about just putting their CV online so they can keep their unemployment benefits. At least they don't waste my time."magaruis
Expert in What?
"I had a candidate who worked in counseling in the past, mostly with kids who had been through trauma. They had a line on their resume that said:"
"Expert in child kidnapping"
"I had to at least give them an interview because I understood the intent but the wording was just hilariously unfortunate."
"Edit: For those seeking clarity, he was an expert in kidnapping cases."
"No, he didn't get the job. Nice guy, but not a good fit for the role. :)"
Please Read Carefully.
"I would like to work at your factory" I don't have a factory. Read the damn job description."
"I don't think your job offering is good enough for me if you don't even have a factory. Please delete my information, thank you. No factory? Jesus."
Seeing Ghosts.
Giphy"Guy submitted a resume claiming to be a 'ghost writer' for a local college."
"In lieu of a college degree, he listed the units he wrote assignments for and the average grades his clients got."
An "Off" Day.
"We used to do this, we would reject on a faux pas. Then we realized we were chewing through good candidates who didn't have the money to use a professional writing service. If we are hiring for a developmental role (someone we expect needs to grow) then we shouldn't hold them to the standard we would expect after they have developed."
"We decided to start picking resume's for experience we think we want and ignore minor mistakes or odd formatting choices. We have even re-interviewed people who we think just had an 'off' day. Now, we have to do this because qualified candidates for our positions are fairly rare so we have to be a little more flexible."
Really Sir?
"A guy was said we had to hire him because he had a disability and it would be discrimination if we didn't. He wasn't hired, he called the CEO a few times to complain. We went thru it at least 3x over the course of multiple hirings."
A lot of cleave....
"Was looking for a casual sales person, this 18yo put a selfie of her which was taken in a car showing a lot of cleavage. Not what I was looking for. I guess she was hoping I was a middle aged single man."
I'm Baaaaaack!
Giphy"Had a résumé come in from a guy we fired about 2 years previously? Had a gap in his employment where the time was he had been with us, so not even like he didn't realize!"
Papy & Micro?
Giphy"Someone sent over their CV written entirely in the Papyrus font from Microsoft word. May as well have gone all out and used wingdings."
The Performance.
"I had someone hand me a resume with the html code of a porn url mixed in mid-way through. I guess he was watching porn while updating his resume and somehow dragged in a link. Guess he didn't proof read it."
"It was his porn. Wanted to give you an honest audition of his performance."
Patootie.
"I had a resume from a potential interview candidate that listed his reason for leaving his last job as: "I found a body." No further explanation. You bet your sweet patootie I called him in for an interview. (As a strategy to get an interview, it worked!) The condensed story is that he found a body while walking the grounds at his job checking to make sure all gated areas were secure and clear of debris. When he found the body, he called the police. He was fired because he broke internal reporting protocol. He was supposed to notify his immediate supervisor and not outside authorities. It was the supervisor's responsibility to call the police."
The Great Fit.
"I was hiring for a very competitive IT role last year and one guy, who didn't have the best real world experience, added a single QR code at the bottom of his CV. I scanned it and it took me to an online portfolio, including a secure lab with simulations he'd ran, allowing ME to test scripts he'd written and also play around in his lab environment. Honestly, I'd never seen anything like it. The guy got the job and has continued to be a great fit."
The Gift of Humor.
Giphy"I received a resume from an applicant that included a letter of recommendation from his cat. The letter was hilarious and signed with a clipart paw print. I thought it was great and wanted to bring him in, but the manager for the position wasn't as crazy about it. I guess the point is, humor in an application can work for you, but it really depends on the person."
The Basics.
"Hiring for retail. Two all time favorites:"
"Experienced at stalking the cooler."
"Responsible for closing paperwork after each poop."
The Stats...
"A guy put his bench, squat and deadlift numbers in his personal skills section for a bar job."
"It spawned a long tradition of asking bartenders what they could bench when they applied for a job."
"Well if the bar was looking for a bouncer I could maybe understand trying to impress them by how mentioning how strong they are."
For Creative Purposes.
"My uncle works in marketing and told me about an applicant who sent them a video file as resume where he presented himself like one would present a product in a commercial. He immediately wanted to hire him for his creativity alone."
"That person nailed it, for a marketing job that's a great way to stand out. But some of these people are doing that for like tech jobs or something where it makes no sense, I don't know how so many people can't read situations correctly."
Semi-pornographic cartoon people....
"I was working for a small digital agency and we were looking for designers and illustrators - general multi skilled creative types."
"The boss wanders in with a sly grin and a big folder. It was from a guy who wanted a job. I came over and he started flicking through it. Page after page of sexy cartoons. Lots of them furry type stuff. Boob, butts, lips, figures intertwined, lots of detailed musculature."
"So I was like "Well it's quite good for what it is... but what else is there? Is there another section?"
"Nope. Nothing else. Just a folder completely full of semi-pornographic cartoon people and sexy anthropomorphised animals."
I work at an Escape Room.
Giphy"I work at an Escape Room. We once received a resume that consisted in a webpage address protected by a password, and three well-crafted riddles that we had to solve to get the password. We spent an hour doing it with two colleagues, and it included decrypting a code from a specific frame of Zodiac by David Fincher. It was simply amazing."
"Sadly, we weren't hiring at the time, and she had found another job we we started hiring again."
We are taking notes on all of these. Do you have similar stories to share? Let us know in the comments below.