When a company is hiring, an applicant should assume that they (the company) are on their “best behavior” during the process. So, if arrangements are disorganized, interviewers seem unfriendly, people around the office seem unhappy or disgruntled, someone makes a snide remark about the boss or HR is unclear about the position’s duties – consider yourself forewarned.
In Watch for Interview Warning Signs, Liz Ryan echos this sentiment for BusinessWeek.
So often, job seekers, maybe desperate for a new opportunity (or any opportunity) or dazzled by a high salary, close their eyes to all of the red flags raised during the process. DON’T DO IT! If you aren’t treated well and with respect during the interview and negotiations, assume things will only get worse once you are on the payroll.
You can almost guarantee that the red flags you noticed but ignored during the process will come into play as an employee. Unfortunately, the reverse guarantee isn’t true. If everything smells like roses and proverbial harps play before you are hired, it is no guarantee that you’ve landed at Utopia, Inc. Remember, everyone is on their best behavior!
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
This has happened to me more than once and has led to employment gaps because I’ve left jobs I shouldn’t have taken in the first place. I always have to explain those gaps during interviews, and even though I have a reason why I voluntarily left each job, I wish I would have been smarter about my choices in the past so I could have had longer employment periods and few gaps. You don’t think about how quitting a job will make future employment more difficult until you rack up a few of those and have to list them on a resume!
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What if the person who dropped the ball twice (like the person in the original post experienced) was the HR manager at a large company, but when you made it past him, (the gateway guard), the people that you’ll actually be working with/for are timely, informative, communicative, etc.?
Susan – You never know. It is certainly possible. You know what they say about first impressions, though! That is why I suggest each job seeker evaluate each situation on the individual merits!
This is very difficult to adhere to in this tough market but so true. I had an 2nd interview with someone who was very rude. I am sure he thought he was being “tough” but when I went home and thought about the meeting I realized he wasn’t someone I would want to work with. If that’s the way he treated someone in an interview then I am sure his treatment of his team was even worse.
Tracy – I agree – it is very had to adhere to “taking care of yourself” in this market, but it is better to be aware and to try to avoid a problem later – leaving after 3 months, trying to look for a job when you have one (takes a lot of time), etc. Good for you for realizing what you need (and don’t). Thanks for commenting!