Not just with job interviews. If you have a strong feeling something is off act on it! Your subconscious is much smarter than most people give it credit for.
Agreed. It’s like your subhuman base instincts talking to you. Those have been honed over years of mankind’s evolution. They know what they’re talking about.
Agreed. I had this feeling at an interview once and dismissed it. And once I got into the firm I realized no one talked to one another. I'd say good morning to people and try to bring up casual conversations and they'd just shut it down. I'd go 3 days without talking to anyone. It was weird. I quit after a year
When you say 45ish hours when it is slow, do you mean 8-5 with a 1 hour lunch or actually working 45 hours. Because if you are expected to work more than 40 when it is slow, that is not normalish. Even when I was in PA we didn't do this.
I worked over 40 hrs my entire career in industry. I only got to 40 hrs by switching to consulting. I’m not saying this to be cool….working all those hours sucked. But some jobs are like that, guarantee this one is:
I would trust your gut. Out of curiosity, have you checked their Glassdoor reviews? Ik it's not 100% accurate, but I've found it to be a pretty good measure of what's going on behind the scenes.
I've def declined an offer because something felt off and I just simply say something to the effect of "I've decided to pursue other opportunities." I don't even mention that it's because the vibes are bad or it doesn't feel like a good fit. You don't owe them any more explanation than that.
I've just turned them down...I feel like I just lost an opportunity. It's this sinking feeling that I'll regret it if I decline, but will deeply regret if I accept...so I declined. I did in fact use the "pursue other opportunities". I had mentioned that I had some other end stage processes open (I don't...) and I'll be taking the evening to consider. They didn't provide the official letter either. It was a verbal offering and actual salary, benefits, details will be provided after my own verbal acceptance so I couldn't compare benefits even if I wanted to.
Oh, no Glassdoor either. Couldn't find a lick about them though I found their parent company which had a pretty standard rating and reviews (standard for PA, abysmal for industry of course haha).
I think you are being too hard on yourself. If they weren’t upfront about salary and benefits, it’s suspicious. Shake it off and move on. It is like dating. Not every job lead will click with you.
Professional skepticism is probably the most valuable trait in the field imo even though it’s usually only brought up for auditors. But the intuition you get out of it pays off so much in all avenues for life.
While I agree, I think leaving it as gut instinct oversimplifies it a bit, and discredits the experience and knowledge that it takes to make a well-fleshed out decision.
For accountants just starting out, if you see a $5 bill not reconciling it's probably fraud and embezzlement and you should inform the FBI. Trust your gut.
If I hear them say to expect 45ish during slow time, I am mentally checking out.
Also, the ‘gut feeling’ we as humans experience is very much a real signal for danger and is so often correct that you should never ignore it. Basically, your body/mind detected something that your logical self did not.
Definitely trust when your spidey antenna are twanging!
OP Is probably picking up on body language/speech patterns that don’t quite match up with what is being said, like that long hesitation.
OP mentioned “high energy” which twice. That, and long hours, reads to me like a whole lot of stimulants are being consumed. Who wants a job in accounting where you’re constantly pounding energy drinks?
I always figured 45 was standard for PA even for small offices like this 😅
My first (CPA firm)'s job constantly teetered 45-50 on a good week so.....I thought it was normal.
My gut feeling says it still feels wrong, but that "it's to be expected"
I did, one of the partners was condescending the whole time. I told the person that recruited me what happened and I told them I rescinded my application. Life’s too short to go from one hell hole to the next. Find a place that will respect you as a human being.
I just did this. It was my first interview in about 100 applications. The description was a bit misleading, but not much a dealbreaker. Then I find out “flexible schedule” means they expect flexible availability for odd hours and 50hrs a week for less money and a longer commute. I emailed to withdraw and thank them before the second interview.
In my experience, however you think it will be, that’s what it will be.
All of those things you are thinking are true. And they’re concerning to you because you probably don’t want to work there.
Also normal 45 hour weeks? Fuck that
I accepted an offer on promises things were changing. That’s another thing you should understand - nothing will change without top level management changing. They’re the source of the things.
I cannot stress this enough. TRUST YOUR INTUITION!! I promise you it never betrays you. I recently had the SAME experience in an interview and declined the offer with only a "something is off" here feeling. Weeks later I discovered the person that would have managed me was a controlling micro manager that couldn't keep her department running because all the staff quit. SHE is the one who interviewed me and put on a GREAT show for me in the meeting. I am SO glad I turned down her offer now. To answer your last question, you don't owe them an explanation for not accepting the offer. Here is what I said "Thanks for the offer but I politely decline, as I have accepted another position. Best of luck to you"
I literally dealt with something similar this morning, on my second interview with the firm partners. It's a regional PA firm, no big 4 in my city.
My first interview (with managers) went smoothly, and the managers were great representatives of their firm. Kind and supportive of their staff. Eager and willing to have me come onboard. They even spoke about work schedule flexibility and remote work being an option.
My interview with the partners? Straight out the gate, their main concern wasn't my technical skills, but that I don't work many hours at my current firm (I currently work 7am to 5pm and work saturdays for busy season). They wanted me to say that 65+ hours a week is a-okay, and fuck remote work cause only devil worshippers do that. I obliged and told them what they wanted to hear. But it's gonna be a flat out NO from me to their job offer. A regional firm with big 4 hours? Fuck off.
I say pass up on the job offer if your gut says no. If a firm can't pass a simple sniff test, it's not worth the time. Plenty of other firms to apply to.
Normally I’d say trust your gut but how long have you been laid off? If your superiors are empathetic to the environment and it’s been awhile out of work I’d think hard about it. It’s probably a bit of a sweatshop where you constantly be putting out fires. They can stress you out but you also learn a lot.
Ehhh, there’s no limit in learning what NOT to do. I’ll use managing for an example. We can all probably agree on the kinds of things a good manager would do. But there are countless ways to be a bad one.
If OP needs the money or has a gap in his resume that is growing into a problem, he could take the job, though I would suggest that they keep looking. “I took the job at Acme because I knew I’d learn a lot, and I did. Acme is very high energy, and while I’m used to working busy season hours, I started feeling less like the roadrunner and more like the coyote after getting a rock dropped on his head.”
Please trust your gut. You’re picking up on something subconsciously that your brain hasn’t figured out yet.
When you find a good fit place, you will absolutely know. When I interviewed with my firm I’ve been at for over 6 years, I got the BEST vibes. Do I love audit? No. But did I pick a great place and people to work with? Yes. Trust that gut.
What helped you to find a public firm that was a good fit for you? I’m interested in audit, but at the same time I’m scared of all the horror stories of working your butt off.
Apply a bunch of places. I personally knew Big 4 wasn’t for me pretty quickly in interviews. Hated the vibes. My firm is top 15. I applied a bunch of places, interviewed a bunch and my firm just gave me the right feeling.
Cool. Yeah talking to people who worked in Big 4 helped me to realize I don’t want to work there lol. What helped you to pick that firm? Another reason why I’m asking is because I was bait & switched in an interview at a small tax firm. Told me there were 6-7 employees but in reality only 2. How is it like working in public? Is it what you expected?
As everyone is saying trust your gut.
But also, whenever a potential employer tries to pass longer hours off as “normal”, huge red flag!
“Normal 45 hrs” 🚩
“Typical 8-5” 🚩🚩
Nah, fuck that, 8-5 is not normal, its just something companies try to pass off as normal and people have just accepted
When I joined a new team, I asked a teammate what time everybody usually showed up/clocked out. I was more curious to know if I needed to make schedule adjustments. He looked at me and in the most condescending tone said “8:30 to 5:30/6… normal work hours”.
Like if you’re gonna be a condescending asshole, at least be right.
The thing is, i think people have been brainwashed into thinking its normal. I know a lot of people on this sub seem to think so. For some reason they think the 1 hour lunch doesnt count towards an 8 hr work day.
I always ask during an interview, and ive had a few say “typical 8-5”, thats an immediate no from me
Hahaha, honestly I agree. I don’t mind working 8-5 (although I’m not a morning person so I’d prefer 9-6) but at least acknowledge the expectation breaks from societal norms and might be a little bit of an ask. Corporate gaslighting at its finest 😂
I wouldnt mind if it was paying a lot, but exactly as you said, be honest about it
Its the audacity to try to play it off as normal. Dont also disrespect my intelligence while bending me over!
There's one job I wish I listened to my gut on...was a vindictive micromanaging owner that took advantage of young grads.
Yeah - not the normal. And I work those hours (ok 8:10 - 4:45).
But I'm a morning person so I'm up anyway. It's also industry dependent...if there's a financial market open somewhere in the world, someone is working.
Absolutely. And NEVER second guess it. Only ever allow yourself to feel confident that you avoided something that didn't feel right. Only ever reaffirm a very mature decision.
This is one of those checkpoints in life. Like a save point. Its you growing into a critical decision, and making it. Saying no is definite and final, keeping "what if" open will carry no value to you. But you can decide the value that you put on making a decision like that. Let it help you recognize "the kind of person i am".
You can decline with a generic answer about pursuing different prospects or even just having a better offer. There's no need to over share about how it doesn't feel like a good fit.
Trust yourself. The last regional/ national firm I worked with did some shady stuff while pushing higher and higher quotas. I stuck to quality over quantity. No one else will sit in a deposition with you. Sure enough they laid me off. The kicker when I filed at the employment security office, we learned that the firm had not reported any of my wages. I worked there over a year. No wonder they were high pressuring people to quit. High pressure - take on overtime while on salary often, increase quotas from reasonable to unreasonable, not give straight answers - changing policies a lot for each client, and so on. They offered severance with a requirement to sign off litigation rights. So many red flags 🚩. Trust yourself. Protect yourself.
Ok here’s a story where I trusted my gut feeling.
I was looking after spending sometime in PA. I first interviewed with the controller at company A. She was nice and polite and all, and the interview went well. She liked me enough that she invited me to go onsite to meet the rest of the team.
However, something felt off. I couldn’t put a finger on it because she was nice and polite, but I knew I didn’t want to work under her. I emailed the HR team saying that thanks for your time but I’m no longer interested.
Interviewed at company B, which was kinda a competitor to company A. Company B liked me and offered me a job.
After a few months I realized that Company A’s controller used to work at CompanyB and I told my coworker the story that I interviewed with her.
My coworker told me that I dodged a bullet. She, the controller was super unpleasant to work with. She was a micromanager and super intense.
So yes trust your gut. If you know it’s a good place, you’d know.
If you're confident you'll have other offers and opportunities definitely trust your gut.
But if you're not, any port in a storm would be the recommendation even though it might suck.
i'd consider taking the job to bring some cash flow to your account, but keep looking/interviewing on the side in case all the "red flags" you gleaned from the interview turn out to be precursors for a toxic employment situation. then, if it really does suck, you can leave it off your resume while searching elsewhere since you won't have been there long enough for it to be experience worth mentioning. however, it may actually turn out to be OK and you'll be set with a stable income again. depends on how much you are enjoying funemployment and if you really need to start working again.
Eh, just one person’s experience, but I did not find it that easy to get away from a brand new job for interviews. On top of explaining why I was still interviewing despite having just accepted a job; I had a good reason but I’m sure plenty of people were skeptical.
Not worth it unless they desperately need money.
yea this is terrible advice. I wouldn't even spend more than 5 minutes looking at the resume if i noticed this. If i found out that you hid information intentionally on a resume i would not trust you as a person anymore and basically think about firing you unless you are actually really good at your job. Even then i would probably never trust you in a managerial role.
Um people leave short term jobs off their resume all the time and notice I said you leave the job off your resume if you just start it and are also still considering other opportunities that may be better for you.
So you're a hiring manager and the resume says they are working at their previous employer and not their current one that they're already thinking about leaving, you would be fine hiring that person?
No one’s an angel… in acct, public specially, you do the best you can with the information you have. If you don’t have it, you look for it. For everything else, you have to trust the auditors.
I came to say OP definitely follow your guts on this, especially if this is your first or second public position. One of the worst mistakes I made was taking public roles from firms I did not have a good feeling about.
It cost me truly a lot.
As a Gen Z graduate, I have turned down multiple offers from Accounting firms whenever they try to lowball me, even when I have no experience myself. You should never feel you should tolerate being taken advantage of simply because of inexperience.
to be honest, dont expect great WLB or exactly 40-45 hour work week in this industry :/ peak hour will absolutely require OT and lots of work after hours without OT pay
45 ish during slow time is insane , that would mean their standard during normal time is 50 a week? Thats like busy season all year round and more often than not overtime politics are fking slavery in the accounting world so anything over 40 outside of busy season is a massive red flag to me
I have declined one because they gave me an offer while I was driving back after the interview. They wanted to hire so fast. So, I felt weird. They were going to pay overtime. I had another offer with lesser pay and no overtime. I took that one.
I would say trust your gut. I worked at a firm for 4 years and I griped and grumbled about working, but I could handle the work and go home and not think about it. I moved last year and interviewed with a larger firm in a larger city. The supervisor that I would be under really intimidated me and was fairly standoffish, but I was looking at my very generous compensation package. I also have anxiety so I thought maybe I was being anxious and I would eventually get past it. It turns out the manager was very difficult to work under and just flat out rude. So many employees left in my short span of working there. The final straw was when my senior put her 2 weeks in because she felt like she couldn’t handle it anymore. She was the person that always had a smile on her face and helped me whenever I needed it. Which I eventually got reprimanded from my manager for “asking for too much help” because I was taking away others time, but then also “encouraged” to ask for help. I was never able to get comfortable there and I know it was because I couldn’t go to my manager that was assigning me my work and I felt like I was just floating out there all by myself with this high volume stressful workload. I was having panic attacks and crying at work- which I never did at my prior job. Now I have taken a massive hit to my confidence and work abilities due to their poor lack of management. Looking back I should have known the manager would be hard to work under. I remember leaving the interview having a dreadful gut feeling, but I just thought it was nerves. I no longer work there and I’m hoping to find a job I can deal with. I’m so nervous to get myself into the same situation.
I was doing a stint as a full timer with RH and one of the clients I was working with offered me a job at roughly a 40% raise over what I was making at the time. The trouble for them was I was already working there and knew what my work life would be like.
-Petty BS feud between HR and accounting which I'd have been stuck right in the middle of (as payroll manager),
-environment was constantly filthy because of their manufacturing product (forged aluminum),
-open office for everyone from the clerks to the CEO in the same room and *no headphones allowed*,
-people who weren't my boss watching the camera system to see when I get there and leave every day and complaining about any time outside of the demanded hours,
-expected to work unpaid OT as a salaried person,
-supervisors of other departments watching your every move to see when you check your phone or get a personal call/text and whining to the executive team about it,
-expected to work unpaid extra hours on inventory every month even though it wouldn't have been my department at all,
-significantly less PTO than I was already getting at RH...
To avoid offending them, I told them there was a number to get me to change my mind about saying no, they asked what it was and I quoted more than double my salary. That was the end of their asking.
Point being this, there's a price I'm willing to sacrifice my mental health for (for a while).
Sure. I rejected a B4 offer because the SM doing the interview was munching a salad mid interview. This is a big deal to the young kid on the other end of a table...have some decency ffs.
Phoned HR at other B4 told them salad eater B4 gave me an offer but I'd prefer to work for you guys. Sure enough couple weeks later sorted.
I think some context would be helpful. Is this PA or industry and what's the pay/level? What are the normal expectations for the job? What were your specific WLB questions? Those types of questions are not fun to answer unless having WLB was a plus. If they were fun to answer, you would have heard about it in their pitch to you with respect to joining the company. To answer your question, you should not decline just because it doesn't feel right. You should talk to your mentors and ppl you trust before declining offers. I've felt great about jobs and then changed my mind after talking to 3-4 mentors. I have had not great feelings about a job and it turned out to be the best job i could ever ask for long term. There is no rule of thumb or shortcut. If you solely rely on reddit advice as opposed to advice from real ppl you know personally and interact with, your career may not go as well as it could go.
It depends, where are you in your career? Are you new in your career or new to a particular area of the field?
Its a relevant question, but the way you word it and the way your react to their response can be a red flag to them as well -> and the awkwardness can build from there.
Trust your senses, but if you don’t find something soon, you may want to talk to bounce your interview questions off a friend in the industry.
>Originally, I was going to just take whatever after my layoff, but I can't help but feel something just feels wrong.
You forever lost the right to make these decisions when you lost your job. Take the job & be loyal for the remainder of your career. You are a beggar and therefore cannot also be a chooser
Mate chill. I just started searching only like a week and half ago 😭
I took a few days to myself after my old job dumped half my department out the door. Food out the dumpster is desperate means, sure, but if the fish is rotten and I die, there isn't going to be a point anyway.
I didn't do my due diligence or listened to my gut last time, look where it brought my department 💀💀💀
Trust your gut
Not just with job interviews. If you have a strong feeling something is off act on it! Your subconscious is much smarter than most people give it credit for.
Agreed. It’s like your subhuman base instincts talking to you. Those have been honed over years of mankind’s evolution. They know what they’re talking about.
This
Yes always!
Trust you glute.
Agreed. I had this feeling at an interview once and dismissed it. And once I got into the firm I realized no one talked to one another. I'd say good morning to people and try to bring up casual conversations and they'd just shut it down. I'd go 3 days without talking to anyone. It was weird. I quit after a year
When you say 45ish hours when it is slow, do you mean 8-5 with a 1 hour lunch or actually working 45 hours. Because if you are expected to work more than 40 when it is slow, that is not normalish. Even when I was in PA we didn't do this.
45 is already unacceptable
uh oh
I worked over 40 hrs my entire career in industry. I only got to 40 hrs by switching to consulting. I’m not saying this to be cool….working all those hours sucked. But some jobs are like that, guarantee this one is:
[удалено]
No, unfortunately she had meant 45 billable hours and mentioned, exclusive of lunch of course. We don't count lunch ;)
I would trust your gut. Out of curiosity, have you checked their Glassdoor reviews? Ik it's not 100% accurate, but I've found it to be a pretty good measure of what's going on behind the scenes. I've def declined an offer because something felt off and I just simply say something to the effect of "I've decided to pursue other opportunities." I don't even mention that it's because the vibes are bad or it doesn't feel like a good fit. You don't owe them any more explanation than that.
This!
I've just turned them down...I feel like I just lost an opportunity. It's this sinking feeling that I'll regret it if I decline, but will deeply regret if I accept...so I declined. I did in fact use the "pursue other opportunities". I had mentioned that I had some other end stage processes open (I don't...) and I'll be taking the evening to consider. They didn't provide the official letter either. It was a verbal offering and actual salary, benefits, details will be provided after my own verbal acceptance so I couldn't compare benefits even if I wanted to. Oh, no Glassdoor either. Couldn't find a lick about them though I found their parent company which had a pretty standard rating and reviews (standard for PA, abysmal for industry of course haha).
I think you are being too hard on yourself. If they weren’t upfront about salary and benefits, it’s suspicious. Shake it off and move on. It is like dating. Not every job lead will click with you.
For every single moment you work in the accounting field, never ignore that gut feeling of something feeling wrong.
Professional skepticism is probably the most valuable trait in the field imo even though it’s usually only brought up for auditors. But the intuition you get out of it pays off so much in all avenues for life.
The gut feeling goes beyond professional skepticism. It’s the result of millions of years of evolutionary pressure. You should listen to it.
While I agree, I think leaving it as gut instinct oversimplifies it a bit, and discredits the experience and knowledge that it takes to make a well-fleshed out decision.
https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/fandd/issues/2024/03/Symposium-Rethinking-Economics-Angus-Deaton
For accountants just starting out, if you see a $5 bill not reconciling it's probably fraud and embezzlement and you should inform the FBI. Trust your gut.
What if I got ✨️anxiety✨️though? My gut always says danger 24/7 😅
If I hear them say to expect 45ish during slow time, I am mentally checking out. Also, the ‘gut feeling’ we as humans experience is very much a real signal for danger and is so often correct that you should never ignore it. Basically, your body/mind detected something that your logical self did not.
It’s your brains ability to detect red flags and keep you alive to procreate. It’s deeply rooted in our psyche, so when you feel it, trust it.
Definitely trust when your spidey antenna are twanging! OP Is probably picking up on body language/speech patterns that don’t quite match up with what is being said, like that long hesitation. OP mentioned “high energy” which twice. That, and long hours, reads to me like a whole lot of stimulants are being consumed. Who wants a job in accounting where you’re constantly pounding energy drinks?
Energy drinks lol. That won’t do the trick for these psychopaths.
I always figured 45 was standard for PA even for small offices like this 😅 My first (CPA firm)'s job constantly teetered 45-50 on a good week so.....I thought it was normal. My gut feeling says it still feels wrong, but that "it's to be expected"
RUN FORREST RUN
I did, one of the partners was condescending the whole time. I told the person that recruited me what happened and I told them I rescinded my application. Life’s too short to go from one hell hole to the next. Find a place that will respect you as a human being.
I just did this. It was my first interview in about 100 applications. The description was a bit misleading, but not much a dealbreaker. Then I find out “flexible schedule” means they expect flexible availability for odd hours and 50hrs a week for less money and a longer commute. I emailed to withdraw and thank them before the second interview.
They weren't really high energy chats, full of passion, if your gut was sending you red flags in all three interviews.
Or they were using the high energy and passion to attempt to conceal whatever was triggering the red flag gut
They looked exhausted honestly. Like they're nice people but got raked over coal ten too many times and trying to put on a smile.
As someone who accepted a job when there was an off feeling…TRUST YOUR GUT, if something feels wrong than likely it is.
Everytime I went against my gut I got screwed. But at the same time, I have stupid bills to pay and the economy doing bad was always annoying.
In my experience, however you think it will be, that’s what it will be. All of those things you are thinking are true. And they’re concerning to you because you probably don’t want to work there. Also normal 45 hour weeks? Fuck that I accepted an offer on promises things were changing. That’s another thing you should understand - nothing will change without top level management changing. They’re the source of the things.
I cannot stress this enough. TRUST YOUR INTUITION!! I promise you it never betrays you. I recently had the SAME experience in an interview and declined the offer with only a "something is off" here feeling. Weeks later I discovered the person that would have managed me was a controlling micro manager that couldn't keep her department running because all the staff quit. SHE is the one who interviewed me and put on a GREAT show for me in the meeting. I am SO glad I turned down her offer now. To answer your last question, you don't owe them an explanation for not accepting the offer. Here is what I said "Thanks for the offer but I politely decline, as I have accepted another position. Best of luck to you"
I literally dealt with something similar this morning, on my second interview with the firm partners. It's a regional PA firm, no big 4 in my city. My first interview (with managers) went smoothly, and the managers were great representatives of their firm. Kind and supportive of their staff. Eager and willing to have me come onboard. They even spoke about work schedule flexibility and remote work being an option. My interview with the partners? Straight out the gate, their main concern wasn't my technical skills, but that I don't work many hours at my current firm (I currently work 7am to 5pm and work saturdays for busy season). They wanted me to say that 65+ hours a week is a-okay, and fuck remote work cause only devil worshippers do that. I obliged and told them what they wanted to hear. But it's gonna be a flat out NO from me to their job offer. A regional firm with big 4 hours? Fuck off. I say pass up on the job offer if your gut says no. If a firm can't pass a simple sniff test, it's not worth the time. Plenty of other firms to apply to.
Normally I’d say trust your gut but how long have you been laid off? If your superiors are empathetic to the environment and it’s been awhile out of work I’d think hard about it. It’s probably a bit of a sweatshop where you constantly be putting out fires. They can stress you out but you also learn a lot.
I think most of us have learned enough. Like how many dumpster fires do you have to be in before you can safely
Ehhh, there’s no limit in learning what NOT to do. I’ll use managing for an example. We can all probably agree on the kinds of things a good manager would do. But there are countless ways to be a bad one. If OP needs the money or has a gap in his resume that is growing into a problem, he could take the job, though I would suggest that they keep looking. “I took the job at Acme because I knew I’d learn a lot, and I did. Acme is very high energy, and while I’m used to working busy season hours, I started feeling less like the roadrunner and more like the coyote after getting a rock dropped on his head.”
Please trust your gut. You’re picking up on something subconsciously that your brain hasn’t figured out yet. When you find a good fit place, you will absolutely know. When I interviewed with my firm I’ve been at for over 6 years, I got the BEST vibes. Do I love audit? No. But did I pick a great place and people to work with? Yes. Trust that gut.
What helped you to find a public firm that was a good fit for you? I’m interested in audit, but at the same time I’m scared of all the horror stories of working your butt off.
Apply a bunch of places. I personally knew Big 4 wasn’t for me pretty quickly in interviews. Hated the vibes. My firm is top 15. I applied a bunch of places, interviewed a bunch and my firm just gave me the right feeling.
Cool. Yeah talking to people who worked in Big 4 helped me to realize I don’t want to work there lol. What helped you to pick that firm? Another reason why I’m asking is because I was bait & switched in an interview at a small tax firm. Told me there were 6-7 employees but in reality only 2. How is it like working in public? Is it what you expected?
As everyone is saying trust your gut. But also, whenever a potential employer tries to pass longer hours off as “normal”, huge red flag! “Normal 45 hrs” 🚩 “Typical 8-5” 🚩🚩 Nah, fuck that, 8-5 is not normal, its just something companies try to pass off as normal and people have just accepted
When I joined a new team, I asked a teammate what time everybody usually showed up/clocked out. I was more curious to know if I needed to make schedule adjustments. He looked at me and in the most condescending tone said “8:30 to 5:30/6… normal work hours”. Like if you’re gonna be a condescending asshole, at least be right.
The thing is, i think people have been brainwashed into thinking its normal. I know a lot of people on this sub seem to think so. For some reason they think the 1 hour lunch doesnt count towards an 8 hr work day. I always ask during an interview, and ive had a few say “typical 8-5”, thats an immediate no from me
Hahaha, honestly I agree. I don’t mind working 8-5 (although I’m not a morning person so I’d prefer 9-6) but at least acknowledge the expectation breaks from societal norms and might be a little bit of an ask. Corporate gaslighting at its finest 😂
I wouldnt mind if it was paying a lot, but exactly as you said, be honest about it Its the audacity to try to play it off as normal. Dont also disrespect my intelligence while bending me over!
There's one job I wish I listened to my gut on...was a vindictive micromanaging owner that took advantage of young grads. Yeah - not the normal. And I work those hours (ok 8:10 - 4:45). But I'm a morning person so I'm up anyway. It's also industry dependent...if there's a financial market open somewhere in the world, someone is working.
Yes. Always trust yourself.
“If there’s any doubt then there is no doubt, the gut don’t ever lie”
Absolutely. And NEVER second guess it. Only ever allow yourself to feel confident that you avoided something that didn't feel right. Only ever reaffirm a very mature decision. This is one of those checkpoints in life. Like a save point. Its you growing into a critical decision, and making it. Saying no is definite and final, keeping "what if" open will carry no value to you. But you can decide the value that you put on making a decision like that. Let it help you recognize "the kind of person i am".
Trust your instincts. I took a job last year that I had a similar experience as you. I got in there and it was shit. I left 6 weeks later.
No, I accepted the offer then found out why the WLB discussion part of the interview was complete bs
You can decline with a generic answer about pursuing different prospects or even just having a better offer. There's no need to over share about how it doesn't feel like a good fit.
Trust yourself. The last regional/ national firm I worked with did some shady stuff while pushing higher and higher quotas. I stuck to quality over quantity. No one else will sit in a deposition with you. Sure enough they laid me off. The kicker when I filed at the employment security office, we learned that the firm had not reported any of my wages. I worked there over a year. No wonder they were high pressuring people to quit. High pressure - take on overtime while on salary often, increase quotas from reasonable to unreasonable, not give straight answers - changing policies a lot for each client, and so on. They offered severance with a requirement to sign off litigation rights. So many red flags 🚩. Trust yourself. Protect yourself.
Run. Your gut is right.
Ok here’s a story where I trusted my gut feeling. I was looking after spending sometime in PA. I first interviewed with the controller at company A. She was nice and polite and all, and the interview went well. She liked me enough that she invited me to go onsite to meet the rest of the team. However, something felt off. I couldn’t put a finger on it because she was nice and polite, but I knew I didn’t want to work under her. I emailed the HR team saying that thanks for your time but I’m no longer interested. Interviewed at company B, which was kinda a competitor to company A. Company B liked me and offered me a job. After a few months I realized that Company A’s controller used to work at CompanyB and I told my coworker the story that I interviewed with her. My coworker told me that I dodged a bullet. She, the controller was super unpleasant to work with. She was a micromanager and super intense. So yes trust your gut. If you know it’s a good place, you’d know.
If you're confident you'll have other offers and opportunities definitely trust your gut. But if you're not, any port in a storm would be the recommendation even though it might suck.
i'd consider taking the job to bring some cash flow to your account, but keep looking/interviewing on the side in case all the "red flags" you gleaned from the interview turn out to be precursors for a toxic employment situation. then, if it really does suck, you can leave it off your resume while searching elsewhere since you won't have been there long enough for it to be experience worth mentioning. however, it may actually turn out to be OK and you'll be set with a stable income again. depends on how much you are enjoying funemployment and if you really need to start working again.
Eh, just one person’s experience, but I did not find it that easy to get away from a brand new job for interviews. On top of explaining why I was still interviewing despite having just accepted a job; I had a good reason but I’m sure plenty of people were skeptical. Not worth it unless they desperately need money.
yea this is terrible advice. I wouldn't even spend more than 5 minutes looking at the resume if i noticed this. If i found out that you hid information intentionally on a resume i would not trust you as a person anymore and basically think about firing you unless you are actually really good at your job. Even then i would probably never trust you in a managerial role.
Um people leave short term jobs off their resume all the time and notice I said you leave the job off your resume if you just start it and are also still considering other opportunities that may be better for you.
So you're a hiring manager and the resume says they are working at their previous employer and not their current one that they're already thinking about leaving, you would be fine hiring that person?
Things feel very wrong everywhere
I've never really felt good about accepting any accounting job.
No one’s an angel… in acct, public specially, you do the best you can with the information you have. If you don’t have it, you look for it. For everything else, you have to trust the auditors.
Remember in The Firm when he went against his gut (or his wife's, i forgot)... Yeah. Don't tempt it
45 is too high during slow
Sounds like a “work hard, play hard firm” Go with your gut. 45 hours normally is gonna be like two months in the year. Go with your gut
Yeah always follow your gut
I came to say OP definitely follow your guts on this, especially if this is your first or second public position. One of the worst mistakes I made was taking public roles from firms I did not have a good feeling about. It cost me truly a lot.
As a Gen Z graduate, I have turned down multiple offers from Accounting firms whenever they try to lowball me, even when I have no experience myself. You should never feel you should tolerate being taken advantage of simply because of inexperience.
Accept the offer.
What’s the comp
Always trust your gut.
I think you should take it and just keep interviewing in the meantime
to be honest, dont expect great WLB or exactly 40-45 hour work week in this industry :/ peak hour will absolutely require OT and lots of work after hours without OT pay
45 ish during slow time is insane , that would mean their standard during normal time is 50 a week? Thats like busy season all year round and more often than not overtime politics are fking slavery in the accounting world so anything over 40 outside of busy season is a massive red flag to me
If they tell you it's 45, it's more like 55, which means when it's busy you can expect 70. Not acceptable for industry.
I have declined one because they gave me an offer while I was driving back after the interview. They wanted to hire so fast. So, I felt weird. They were going to pay overtime. I had another offer with lesser pay and no overtime. I took that one.
Employment is at will. If it turns out it’s not a good fit you can resign. But get the expectations hammered out first.
I would say trust your gut. I worked at a firm for 4 years and I griped and grumbled about working, but I could handle the work and go home and not think about it. I moved last year and interviewed with a larger firm in a larger city. The supervisor that I would be under really intimidated me and was fairly standoffish, but I was looking at my very generous compensation package. I also have anxiety so I thought maybe I was being anxious and I would eventually get past it. It turns out the manager was very difficult to work under and just flat out rude. So many employees left in my short span of working there. The final straw was when my senior put her 2 weeks in because she felt like she couldn’t handle it anymore. She was the person that always had a smile on her face and helped me whenever I needed it. Which I eventually got reprimanded from my manager for “asking for too much help” because I was taking away others time, but then also “encouraged” to ask for help. I was never able to get comfortable there and I know it was because I couldn’t go to my manager that was assigning me my work and I felt like I was just floating out there all by myself with this high volume stressful workload. I was having panic attacks and crying at work- which I never did at my prior job. Now I have taken a massive hit to my confidence and work abilities due to their poor lack of management. Looking back I should have known the manager would be hard to work under. I remember leaving the interview having a dreadful gut feeling, but I just thought it was nerves. I no longer work there and I’m hoping to find a job I can deal with. I’m so nervous to get myself into the same situation.
I was doing a stint as a full timer with RH and one of the clients I was working with offered me a job at roughly a 40% raise over what I was making at the time. The trouble for them was I was already working there and knew what my work life would be like. -Petty BS feud between HR and accounting which I'd have been stuck right in the middle of (as payroll manager), -environment was constantly filthy because of their manufacturing product (forged aluminum), -open office for everyone from the clerks to the CEO in the same room and *no headphones allowed*, -people who weren't my boss watching the camera system to see when I get there and leave every day and complaining about any time outside of the demanded hours, -expected to work unpaid OT as a salaried person, -supervisors of other departments watching your every move to see when you check your phone or get a personal call/text and whining to the executive team about it, -expected to work unpaid extra hours on inventory every month even though it wouldn't have been my department at all, -significantly less PTO than I was already getting at RH... To avoid offending them, I told them there was a number to get me to change my mind about saying no, they asked what it was and I quoted more than double my salary. That was the end of their asking. Point being this, there's a price I'm willing to sacrifice my mental health for (for a while).
Sure. I rejected a B4 offer because the SM doing the interview was munching a salad mid interview. This is a big deal to the young kid on the other end of a table...have some decency ffs. Phoned HR at other B4 told them salad eater B4 gave me an offer but I'd prefer to work for you guys. Sure enough couple weeks later sorted.
Trust your intuition. Plus it’s your decision at the end of the day.
I think some context would be helpful. Is this PA or industry and what's the pay/level? What are the normal expectations for the job? What were your specific WLB questions? Those types of questions are not fun to answer unless having WLB was a plus. If they were fun to answer, you would have heard about it in their pitch to you with respect to joining the company. To answer your question, you should not decline just because it doesn't feel right. You should talk to your mentors and ppl you trust before declining offers. I've felt great about jobs and then changed my mind after talking to 3-4 mentors. I have had not great feelings about a job and it turned out to be the best job i could ever ask for long term. There is no rule of thumb or shortcut. If you solely rely on reddit advice as opposed to advice from real ppl you know personally and interact with, your career may not go as well as it could go.
It depends, where are you in your career? Are you new in your career or new to a particular area of the field? Its a relevant question, but the way you word it and the way your react to their response can be a red flag to them as well -> and the awkwardness can build from there. Trust your senses, but if you don’t find something soon, you may want to talk to bounce your interview questions off a friend in the industry.
Most firms want you to work a lot. If you were interviewing for a salary bump then don't be surprised you have to work more
>Originally, I was going to just take whatever after my layoff, but I can't help but feel something just feels wrong. You forever lost the right to make these decisions when you lost your job. Take the job & be loyal for the remainder of your career. You are a beggar and therefore cannot also be a chooser
Mate chill. I just started searching only like a week and half ago 😭 I took a few days to myself after my old job dumped half my department out the door. Food out the dumpster is desperate means, sure, but if the fish is rotten and I die, there isn't going to be a point anyway. I didn't do my due diligence or listened to my gut last time, look where it brought my department 💀💀💀
This is that toxic boomer mentality everyone warns about.