So, you’ve been job searching for ages, and you finally got an offer, but your gut says something doesn’t feel right and you’re wondering whether you should take the job. This can be a difficult thing to face. You might need a job – but do you need this job?
If you are already employed and just looking for something else, or have some financial cushioning, it’s easier to pass on the opportunity. If you have neither of those things, you might be more likely to take something you’re not sure about. In some cases, rejecting a job offer is preferable to taking a job that isn't right for you.
Knowing what to watch for can help, and recognizing certain red flags can make this decision easier. If any of these signs you shouldn’t take the job pop up during the application process, think twice before accepting.
Here are eight signs you shouldn’t take the job.
The interviewer is rude or unprofessional
The interviewer should be professional and prepared for the interview, just like they expect you to be. You’re expected to be on time, to have prepared your answers to questions, and to have done your research on the company. The interviewer, in turn, should be on time and have prepared questions for you based on what they have taken the time to learn about you from your application materials and research they have done online. If they are late, unprepared, or in any way disrespectful, this is a red flag. Also, watch how they interact with other people at the company. Do they treat everyone with respect and courtesy? You know what they say: don’t judge people on how they act around the CEO. Judge them on how they act around the people who can do nothing for them.
Disgruntled current or former employees
Often the interviewer will walk you around the company and introduce you before or after your interview, where you can pick up on the culture and overall vibe from the workplace. You may also get this from members of a panel interview or any other people with whom you interact. Do people seem happy to be there and to be doing their jobs? Are they relaxed? Is there tension? If there’s a palpable negativity to the place, beware. You can also check employee reviews online. Bad reviews are not always a sign not to take the job; people are more likely to go online and write a review to slam something than we are to take the time to write something positive. But they are something to consider.
The interview process is ridiculous
You have to go through seven interviews and complete a personality assessment. They cancel and reschedule on you and expect you to be available at the last minute or at unreasonable times. A company should be respectful of your time. If they are not respectful when they’re not paying you, imagine how they’re going to be when they are.
High turnover
If people are frequently leaving the company, it might be an unpleasant place to work. Ask your interviewer how many people have done the job for which you’re interviewing. Ask why the last person in this position moved on. If people are leaving every few months, that’s a bad sign. You can also come right out and ask the hiring manager what turnover at the company is like. If it's challenging to get a straight answer, visit LinkedIn and search for past employees. Look for if there are many and at the length of their tenures.
There are signs the job is a scam
There are many signs of a scam and you should be on the lookout for them. These include an offer for a job you didn’t apply for, being offered the job without an interview, being asked for money or your credit card information, being asked to deposit a cheque and withdraw the money, unprofessional communication, not being able to find the company online, and the company requesting personal information. If anything seems amiss, look into all the signs a job is a scam and do your due diligence. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. If you think a job might be a scam, do NOT take the job.
The demands of the job look unreasonable
These days, many companies are trying to get one person to do the jobs of three people. For some companies, this is an unavoidable reality that requires their workforce to adapt. But you still have to have a reasonable understanding that you'll actually be able to do the job. If the company is looking for an executive assistant who will also be a graphic designer, social media manager, blogger, and office manager, who will also be expected to do sales and customer support, that's too many jobs for one person to do.
The hiring manager trash talks people during the job interview
One of the golden rules of the job interview is that the candidate should never speak negatively about their former (or current) boss or colleagues. To do so makes you look petty and unprofessional. The same rules apply to the hiring manager. Managers should be expected to have their teams’ backs and if they don’t, they won’t have yours either. A manager who speaks negatively about other people is a bad manager. Period.
Your gut says something is off
We’re back to what we wrote in the introduction. If your gut says something is off, maybe it is, and you should trust it. Sometimes we ignore red flags because we want or need something very badly, but you shouldn’t ignore a bad feeling. It might turn out to be nothing, and your gut might turn out to be wrong, but at the very least, pay attention to it and look into what is bothering you. Don’t turn away from it, or you might regret it.
Not every one of these “signs you shouldn’t take the job” on their own actually means you should be declining a job offer. They do, however, indicate that you should do further research and weigh your options as carefully as possible before making a decision.
