You\u2019re sitting in the third round of interviews for a job that you thought was going to be perfect for you. When you first walked in, you were 87% sure you wanted it. But after meeting with the first interviewer, who texted her way through the entire interview, your interest dropped to about 68%. Then you were ferried off to the HR manager who, despite this being your third interview, had no idea of who you were and asked you to repeat your entire employment history. Still, the job as UX designer at a brand-new startup is intriguing to you, so you want to see where it goes.<\/p>\n
The HR manager leaves, and as you sit alone in the office, waiting for someone, anyone to come in and tell you what\u2019s going on, your interest starts to plummet. Then, after 20 minutes, when the HR manager rejoins you, he tells you that the company is almost ready to move forward with you, but first, the team wants you to complete a trial assignment\u2026<\/p>\n
Do I need to go on? It\u2019s red flag city, and the hypothetical \u201cyou\u201d would have to be a glutton for punishment to move forward with the job.<\/p>\n
As job seekers, we tend to automatically accept that we are not the ones with the power; that the onus is on us to jump through the employer\u2019s hoops and be happy with what we get. You deserve better! <\/strong>And if you\u2019re going through the interview process doubting the company, here are five telltale signs that this isn\u2019t the job for you.<\/p>\n With a well-funded startup, you can usually find information on at least the parent company \u2014 such as who signs your paychecks, the financial health of the company, and, more importantly, information that hints at the company\u2019s history and values. If you can\u2019t even find a LinkedIn page, it\u2019s time to worry.<\/p>\n Some people love that \u201cwe\u2019re building the airplane as we fly it!\u201d work ethos you find at start-ups. But without having a formal job description, how will you know how to set boundaries? How will you know if you\u2019re succeeding? An amorphous and frequently shifting job description could mean that the employer is already trying to figure out how much they can dump on you.<\/p>\n Take time and comb through the reviews because while it\u2019s true that people are more likely to go public with nuclear reviews than to spread some love, a slew of bad reviews should make you suspicious. At the very least, it should bring up some questions for you to ask the hiring manager about.<\/p>\n Treating you as if you\u2019re an old sofa at a flea market and lowballing your salary requirements well after you\u2019ve shared them is a huge sign of disrespect. Ultimately, it\u2019s up to you if the experience and other compensation are worth it, but if you accept a lowball offer, the message you\u2019re sending is, \u201cI will lower my standards and allow you not to appreciate my work.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s true that some jobs and staffing agencies may ask you to do small tests as part of the vetting process, but a significant project requiring any more than an hour should get your Spidey-senses tingling that the company is trying to take advantage of you, or crowd-source work so they don\u2019t have to pay for it.<\/p>\n If you still have questions and your would-be employer seems reluctant to answer, that\u2019s perhaps the biggest red flag of all. Time to get out of there!<\/p>\n Don\u2019t blame yourself or see it as a reflection of your professional worth. This kind of thing happens to anyone who will let it. Cut your losses and count your blessings \u2013 what if you\u2019d ignored all of these red flags and actually accepted the job? Take this as a sign to redouble your job efforts.<\/p>\n1. You can\u2019t find much information on the company.<\/h2>\n
2. The job description keeps changing.<\/h2>\n
3. The company is savaged on sites like Glassdoor and LinkedIn.<\/h2>\n
4. You get a lowball salary offer, even though you\u2019ve already talked numbers.<\/h2>\n
5. They ask you to do an unpaid trial, or you have to work for free before you get the job.<\/h2>\n
Remember, you have the power.<\/h2>\n
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