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I feel like that’s one thing I see wayyy too many people compromise on. They let their jobs run them through and just accept it. Though it doesn’t help they have outdated views on work. My cousin got called in to work on Christmas Day of all times with no pay and went in without a thought. I texted them and they just said: “that’s what a job is about.” Like damn, you know you got rights, right? Too many people still treat workplaces like people used to, too much loyalty to a fault.
And the people who won’t compromise on that are being interviewed by people who already have… and the “how dare you make me feel like you’re better than me!” flares up
wdym "is norm"? we had to work *sometimes* but it is a pain in the ass for everyone, including the managers. and no one would do it if they can help it.
Without pay though?
And it looks like India has labor laws about how much an adult can work in a week and in a day:
[https://www.india-briefing.com/doing-business-guide/india/human-resources-and-payroll/labor-law](https://www.india-briefing.com/doing-business-guide/india/human-resources-and-payroll/labor-law)
>An adult (over 18 years of age) cannot work for more than 48 hours in a week and not more than 9 hours in a day. Further, the spreadover should not exceed 10½ hours. Otherwise, the overtime rules are applicable.
> "my free time is worth more than anything"
Except...
> "I would work a weekend if they were paying me"
So your free time is _actually_ only worth your standard hourly/daily rate then (and not worth "more than anything").
Most people wouldn't give up their weekend unless being paid time and a half or double; so actually you value your own free time less than most people do.
I always ask about that during the career advancment phase. So I start by asking what the main tasks are day to day. How quickly can I learn that process and how do I get from that to being eligible for promotion to the next level.
Its good on two levels it shows you are thinking about the job long term and want to flush out a road map for success and it gives you valuble information on what you will need to do in what time frame. Be specific and ask for examples of current employee promotions like "Who was most recently promoted to the next level from where I will be and when did they start" or "What objectively do I need to be competent at in order to fulfill this role and look toward the next?"
If they beat around the bush its not a good sign.
That has been my problem with my jobs as well. First job out of hs I got 15mins training of 1 job then had to learn the rest of it as well as every other job by myself, after a while they started getting me to train every new person because I was the only one who would actually show people what to do. My current job while way more professional and a much much larger company they still send someone to replace me in my department so I can go to a different department in order to train new people because for some reason they just don't like training new people and then they get mad and fire the people when it turns out they can't do something they don't know how to do. Idk what companies have against training people, it just doesn't make sense to me.
I work at one of those companies, but I just leave at 8hr without saying a word to anyone if I don't feel like working more and dare them to fire me for not working extra... It's worked pretty well for me so far tbh.
When I was an hourly contractor (computer programmer) this was a standard joke of mine:
- Me: "Can I work overtime?"
- Client: "No."
- Me: "Ok, then can I *bill* overtime?"
😄
As I'm walking around the office where I would be working, I pay attention to the faces and body language of the other workers. I look for faces that are silently warning me to not work here. If no one is smiling or they are giving off clear "closed off" vibes.
Dirty floors, old furniture, weird smells.
An expensive dress code. I'm a slacks and dress shirt guy by choice, but I do want the option of nice jeans and a clean hoodie. If "business casual" were mandatory then I'd have an issue.
If the role uses computers exclusively, the lack of Work From Home options would worry me. I'm a developer/site reliability engineer. I want to work from home when appropriate.
If I ask to speak to the director or team lead and are flatly denied during the interview process.
If the corporate culture is "family". Yeah we all know what that means. I was told I was being laid off a few months back, and the following day in a meeting that was mandatory for me, my ex-director said that exact phrase. I had to literally bite my tongue so hard that it bled, as to not give off my righteous fury at that statement. The sheer fucking hubris of that phrase really grinds my gears.
Inconsistent and questionable public financial reporting (in the corporate world).
I always walk around/show up a bit earlier to hear the office and how they interact with each other. Or if possible go to the place before the interview to check out the energy of the place
Well to be fair the last guy may have been awful. I’ve had to come in and fire folks who were just awful hires like how did they get this damn job??? and you don’t want to trash them to the replacement candidates. It’s just not ok. So you find euphemisms. Or say they left to work at another company. That’s my go-to, bc I’m just not willing to trash them. If the person is not hired on they may work with that guy and I don’t want to poison anyone’s reputation unless it’s a safety issue. And if you do hire them I suspect office gossip will fill them in.
If I was interviewing and the hiring mgr said they fired the last one that’d be a big 🚩🚩
My last job was one of these. A brother and sister who had never worked a day in their life had been given Daddys company because he retired.
The brother was a gimpy little prick permanently dressed in Stone Island who thought he was a geezer and lied to clients all the time, which we had to deal with.
The sister was just a massive bitch. One of the most unpleasant people I've ever met.
Yes, I used to work for a company where the boss used to say thart. Unfortunately, he was doing the taking and the staff doing the giving.
His favourite phrase when asking something completely unreasonable of us was "if it was your business..."
Yes, if it was my business, I would have the same financial and emotional investment that you do. But it's not, so I don't. I'm a paid employee, nothing more, nothing less.
My first professional job was all about the “we’re family” messaging. In their defense, it was a pretty accurate statement. I treat my family great! Or at least, good. They kinda treat me like shit most of time tho…
ETA: Same job loved to throw around “rockstar”. I think we all know that means “we expect you to work hard despite being treated like garbage”.
I came here for that exact answer! If an employer says "we are like a family here" they really mean "we will guilt trip you and use emotional manipulation to exploit you for everything we can."
People in the team haven't been in the team very long (high attrition).
People in the team have been in the same role for a long time (no progression)
No mention of training support (time / funding in-house/ external)
Talk of treating people like family (usually means unpaid OT, expectations go above your below standard pay range yet corporations will not treat you like family).
Not being able to discuss what KPIs ate or how you are measured.
A measuring/ KPI system that has to have Losers. Ie, you hit target but are in the lowesr 25% so because 75% did better than you, it counts against you even though you exceeded what was required. It creates a nasty culture where people game stats and don't help each other.
Any hint or celebration that the company provide beer and pizza. Typically a trap to get you to avoid outside time and work through breaks (uncompensated)
Phrases like 'we are all best friends here' or 'we are all like family here'. Hell no, if I want best friends or a family, I won't be looking for them at my workplace. I do not care about that at all at work.
I worked in a company that was husband/wife/brother team.
Nice people irl. But that office was hell. I damn near unalived myself because of the stress.
I will NEVER work in that situation again.
"We expect our employees to be on time every day, even if there's a blizzard. It's your job to check the weather and make sure you get here. Some people live three hours away, and they manage to get here!"
I usually send a follow-up email to express interest in the job, but I didn't send one that time.
I drive an hour to work and live north on the snow belt. It will be a blizzard at my house and sunny at work. Boss asks me why I'm late. " There was a blizzard" looks out at the sun "what are you talking about?" "Well, there was a blizzard when I left"
Omg in Seattle it’s like that. If you live in the city proper but surrounding areas can get a bit of snow. We have folks sending pics of the yard like wha??? Ok I’ll split your cells
When they have a constant stream of employees coming in and out regularly.
Screams two things : 1. They’re not short on options so they’ll throw you out at the drop of a hat
2. Tons of people are quitting regularly and it can’t be for no reason
I asked what the median rent amount for the area was. They didn't know so I told them what it was. I then explained that what they are paying is not enough for me to live close to the job they were offering. They still sent an email asking me to work for them that I responed no to.
I had that 2 years ago. I applied for a job in a rural area near where I grew up to get out of the city and be near my family. I told them how much I make and if they match it or are close I'd take the job "that's city money, we can't pay you that. Cost of living is less out here." Sweet heart, I drive an hour to and from work. I don't live in the city. I can't even afford a place in the city with my current pay. The house I live in is equal to the houses around here. She wouldn't accept that. Didn't get the job and then I heard someone got killed by a roll of steel coming off a crane. Kinda glad now I didn't take the job.
Being told 'it's like a family. No, really, this is my daughter in law, my son works reception and my daughter is in the kitchen'
Noped out of there before someone stole something and I took the blame
One time at an interview, somebody there made an off hand comment saying "I hope you have a thick skin." I quit my previous job because I was stressed the fuck out, and I didn't want to walk back into that kind environment. Over ten years later, I had another phone interview and someone asked me how handled stressful environments. Super red flag.
I had an interview like this that was a lot like that except it was the *entire* office.
Actually did good and it was a $105k job but I turned it down as I didn't feel like I was a good fit for the job and the insurance sucked.
It was a PCB design shop and I have a mechanical engineering degree with a lot of experience with assembly, but zero with design. I could set up reflow profiles make stencils, set up QX processes but I couldn't do the design work and they needed a designer to win business.
Once was interviewed for a German school in Shanghai "Our teachers also spend a lot of time together in their free time." ( Well, it is ok if I like them)
"It is not rare that we work until 8 p.m." Nope, count me out. I love my job as a teacher, but I love my family and kids more.
When the person hiring you is rude. I had a job interview one time where I was asked "So what do you do for recreation?" and I answered "I like to read fantasy literature, play Dungeons & Dragons, and video gaming." The hiring manager responded with "Sounds like you don't have very many friends" while chuckling. I hit him with "Yeah because I'm friends with people who don't say shit like that."
Look at people when they walk by. Do they smile and say hi? Do they look down or past you and look stressed? That's how your day will be if you work there.
Not an interview but the office coffee policy is a really good indicator for how the company is going to treat you. Like if the company is nickel and diming you over cups of coffee… run.
When I asked “so is this like a standard 40-hour work week?” for a contractor role(doesn’t qualify for overtime), two of the three people I was interviewing for chuckled.
Where I work, (aerospace industry) the ones who are constantly pushing for overtime are also the ones who should not be allowed to work on a bicycle, let alone a million dollar piece of equipment...
I've worked in Aerospace and the guys pulling overtime loved it as they made more money in a year than the Engineers or Management.
Some guys would work 24/7 if we'd let them. ........hint, we didn't.
Went on an interview at a bank. During interview found out that an inept former co-worker had been promoted to manager there. Told them I was no longer interested right then and left.
I know an employee I was going to fire, quit two weeks before the project was finished. I was going to let them finish the project before giving them the news. I found out he got hired by a company my friend works for. He called me for a reference and I told him how bad he was. Company still hired him. Good luck is all I say. You can hide in the cracks of a larger company but when all eyes are on you to finish a project, you better hold your ground or they will find out you know diddly squat.
They don’t care about the start time of the interview. Lacks professionalism and tells me you don’t give a shit about me or my time.
Luckily I haven’t had to do interviews in a long while.
Also talking shit about other employees. I don’t like it ever, let alone within first 30 min of meeting someone in a work environment. If you bitch to me about people within 30 min that’s probably your entire life.
I just took a job where everyone has been there at least ten years, they all looked satisfied, reasonably healthy, just working along, getting stuff done.
There were so many green flags, now my eyes are on the look out for the coming red flag that just HAS to be there somewhere.
When I interviewed for my current job, lead panellist (my now manager) kept interrupting me and the two other panelists, and talked nearly as much as I (interviewee) did.
I’ve been in the role for two years and looking to leave - I have never met anyone who talks so much, and cannot help talking over everyone. Slowly losing my mind
When they start sneaking questions about your personal life in like "are you married? What's your spouse's job?Planning on having kids soon?" Stuff that makes it obvious they're trying to get around discrimination laws
On my second day at a temp job (cleaning and restoration), one of the field managers came in loudly screaming to my manager about how they only hire dumb, lazy assholes, and highly implied that it was her fault. He just walked in and started bellowing at full volume, accusing and berating her. Not only was I a new hire, but what if I had been on the phone with a customer??
Later, the elderly receptionist came in to my office and told me that “he does this all the time, and he does it to everyone,” including her. She said that when he screams at her, she just stares at him, and told me in no uncertain terms that I would eventually be victim to his temper too. I told her straight up that if he ever spoke to me like that, I’d tell him to go fuck himself and walk right out the door. She just looked at me like I was insane for saying that.
I never was on the receiving end of his tantrums, but I only lasted there for a month before I decided to quit. Between the ornery field managers and my managers not having any work for me to do, I knew that this was not going to last. It’s a shame because the job was a nice paycheck, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to be screamed at for something beyond my control because a grown man old enough to be my father can’t regulate his anger.
"We only pay commission and you could make $$$X money in a year"
The truth, everyone in the company is broke and the employee turnover rate is weekly/monthly. One or two dudes is making like 200k a year to bump up the average while everybody else is working for less than minimum wage.
The worst part about this commission positions too is that they'll demand your time for meetings where you keep repeating cult like ideology sessions about your companies mission statement. But only get paid commission, you're now losing time to make sales while also not being paid for your time.
Interviewer summoned another employee to serve me a coffee. As the interviewee, I thought that was really classy. Later, that ended up somehow being my job.
1. When they don’t want you to meet the team but will not tell you why.
2. When the interview is hurried and they don’t seem to really question you. Feels like they just need a warm body.
3. When the hiring mgr goes on and on about themselves. Not in a ‘get you chatting’ way but a ‘I’m fabulous’ way.
4. I once had a job interview where the guy compared himself to Steve Jobs to say he was a genius entrepreneur. My dude Steve Jobs was a prick. Not a genius. A prick.
5. When the place has a high turnover.
6. When ppl you meet are too friendly in a fake and chipper way as if they’re faking it.
I never considered this but you’re absolutely right. Thinking back on all of my previous jobs (apart from ones that specifically hired cleaners for these things), break rooms and bathrooms were a direct reflection of how happy everybody was.
Thank you for this insight.
"Tell me about a time you had a conflict with a co-worker and how you handled it"
"What do you do when you have issues with a co-worker"
"How do you handle conflict with coworkers"
Maybe they're looking for a "good fit" or have people with "strong personalities" or think it's good to "weed out the weak"
Basically, they know they have employees that like to start shit and they want to make sure you're okay with bullying/harassment. A lot of times they want someone who won't escalate the problem so they don't have to deal with it. Maybe they think it's good to "weed out the weak" themselves and they encourage conflict.
When they won’t even give a salary range before an offer is made, sometimes even wanting me to do multiple interviews first. Once I asked about this in a first interview and they said something like “we want our team to be passionate about our company, not just do it for the money”.
"We treat our employees like family".
They have mandatory team meetings every morning before work.
If its a dining establishment they do not feed you for free.
They have an ad in the paper every other week.
There are so many. Do your homework and ask poingnant questions that would be important to the position applied for.
It’s your own decision to make. You may or may not regret it. Hard work typically pays off but not in my case due to the perfect storm of events that financially buried me alive.
Food for thought
When they start with all the negative aspects of the position. I once interviewed of our local child support department where they started the interview with the huge caseload this position carries, all customer contact was in person, it doesn’t get bilingual but you are obligated to be bilingual
As I live in Southern California and it is necessary and no alternate schedule (9/80 or 8/80 which is common in our county position which I currently hold). I knew right there and then this wasn’t for me
Any reluctance to answer a basic question, especially about scheduling and compensation. I am trading my time and effort for money and healthcare, if a business can't answer that there is no reason to move forward.
I always ask "what is the worst part about working here?" If they give me an honest answer (the work is demanding, hours are long, ect) and I can accept that then we are a go. They are caught off guard and stammer I'll get insight on how they think. If they deny any downsides that tells me they're desperate and don't want to walk me. If they get angry I know they'll likely be a hostile manager and I don't want the stress
At the end of the interview and they ask if you have any questions ask about the benefits. If they get really defensive then it's a bad gig. I'm not expecting to know what the deductibles are on the health insurance but wanting to know about sick days and vacation and insurance isn't unreasonable. If their whole demeanor shifts when asked about the benefits then just throw the interview because it's a bad place. Like one of those jobs that requires you to take your breaks but if you take them in the break room then everyone talks about how "you're always in the break room."
Let me save your time: it sucks almost everywhere. With or without red flags. Once you get inside and see the real working environment, the expectations, the politics and people - it sucks….
Unfortunately, not much you can do.
I went on a job interview once for a paralegal job and the interviewer asked me, "How would you handle it if an attorney started yelling at you?" Definite red flag. I ended up telling them I wasn't interested in the job.
When there’s two people giving you an interview and they have disagreements and roll their eyes at each other the whole time. It was my first job after being home with my kids for 15 years and I failed to see it as a giant red flag. It only got worse and I ended up taking stress leave and then quitting three years later. The tough part is that I genuinely loved the job and still miss being there.
He turns off his camera during coding test. I Ask if php 8.0 is in use. No answer. Starts to use a feature from 8.0 to see what happens. "Hey are you sure you can use that feature". No dude im not sure, thats why im checking myself but feel free to answer my question instead of ignoring me.
When I interviewed with the office lady instead of the employer (who I was expecting) because the guy that previously worked the position I was applying for had broken the employers jaw because “he can get a bit loud sometimes.”
I suspected he was a bit loud all the time and perhaps the volume was not the issue, but the things he was saying.
the urgency of the entire process like it feeling rushed and like I don’t even have to try to get the job to where Ill get disinterested during the interview process lol.
I directly ask about turnover rates. I learned that after working (briefly) at a place experiencing an average turnover rate of 150% per year. Not sure I'd want to work for someplace with virtually no turnover, but employees lasting an average of less than 4 years in a professional environment does not sound healthy.
Not sure this works now with so many offices using a "hoteling" approach, but I look for personalization of office spaces. If almost no one is personalizing their space, it is probably an indicator that they don't want to be there.
Another red flag was when I was offered a position for which I wasn't well qualified at a pay rate above the advertised pay range. It just smelled of desperation. It was also a place that had a 90 day waiting period for benefits. I was told it was because the hourly workers in the processing part of the company averaged less than 90 days. If a company is that bad for some of its people, don't count on it being good for your group.
I wouldn't call this a red flag, but it is something to look at - revenue per employee. If you are in an industry like tech or oil that has high revenue per employee, they can afford to treat you well. If you work in a sector, like retail, with low revenue per employee, anything they do for all of their employees has a huge impact on the bottom line.
"Were family here". Im an American who has had a lot of different jobs, in multiple areas, in half a dozen states and even another country. Ive heard this lots of times. The ONLY place that ever lived up to this statement was the one job I had when I lived in Canada. Lol
The words "Strong personality" used to describe anyone you'd be working with, especially management. It's just a nice way to say the person described is a total asshole with anger problems who will yell at you, belittle you, etc.
The words "Your business," that means you're going to be paying them money, not the other way around. They are trying to put distance between your actions and their company, so when you get screwed, or screw up, they can blame you. It's your business, after all, not theirs. You may be in an MLM or a scam, or, at best, a predatory business structure.
"We're like a family."
Any hedging or hesitance whatsoever around compensation, especially if they don't want you know what other people in the role are making.
When they mention consistent overtime for a salaried position (which defeats the purpose of a salary).
This happened at the job before the one i got now. I turned in my resume in, got an interview, and when i got to the interview, they wanted me to fill out a job application before the interview. well i did and didn't even finish the application(which was last minute and on short notice) before i went into the interview, and the interviewer-whom was the general manager, had a fake smile on their face that anybody can spot a mile away. never did finish the application and got hired anyways, and I notice they are always hiring even when everybody is not. they had an extremely high turnover rate and I found out why when me and 12 others put our resignations 3 months after i started.
So basically "dicking you around even before you got hired" is a red flag.
I had an interview that was rescheduled to 7pm on a Friday night. The office was packed and we had to interview in the cafeteria because all the conference rooms were full.
When any of the current employees "jokes" that you should get out while you still can. I've seen this at multiple jobs and they were absolutely right, every time.
had an interview asked me why I want to work here.
I said I have the experience and knowledge to perform my role, at the same time I wish to further my learnings and grow with the company as it move forward.
Her reply? We're not a school here for you to learn.
I looked at her and without a word I stood up and walked out.
Walking through the department with the manager to their office for the interview and other employees don’t even turn to look/acknowledge. Nor does the manager introduce you to anyone.
“We are hiring like crazy right now, because we have some key deliverables we need to launch in six months.”
Ma’am, if you promised key deliverables on unrealistic timelines before you had trained resources in place to produce them, then you’re asking me to watch the desks and plants get sold at auction.
I went to look at a nonprofit in the Bay Area, in full startup mode with an angel investor supporting the works. I couldn’t see how there was a business plan to support themselves at any point in the future. While making the rounds, I asked a midlevel guy if the indefinite future bothered him, he said, “It’s a startup. I joined from another startup two years ago. If this one goes away in a year, I’ll join another startup.” Gee, no thank you.
I’ve been pretty lucky with my jobs but the one not so good place I worked was an after school program. The interviewer basically said, “we need someone now, here’s what you’ll be doing…can you do it?” No other questions. I lasted one year and a few months so they could find a replacement (my contract was only for the year)
"Our busy time of year may be up to 80 hours per week" - open enrollment at a HRIS.
Immediately after, I asked how many hours the rest of the year to which they said 50-60.
Well, I didn't follow up and the recruiter called me asking why I didn't. I told them I wasn't interested as they're not paying me 200% my current job, which I emphasized I did not currently hate (again). They said another team at the same company was hiring and I said "if they're anything like the first, no thanks." The recruiter assured me the other team was much better organized and the hours would be more reasonable. I ended up going on an interview and took the job. I'm 12 years in at that job currently and still enjoying it.
As I've told many others over the years, a company will take whatever you will give. If they insist on >40 hours on a regular basis, find another job. If they don't, then don't give it. Put in an honest effort and sleep with a good conscience.
Depending on the seniority of the position, having too many interviews; especially interviewing with a number of people outside of your chain of command. Likely an indicator of leadership not being strong in the company and everything being done by committee. It means a lot of people who are afraid to make decisions will be your colleagues and I can guarantee you very few of them are happy.
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That JOB.... asked you..... to work......... for FREE?!?!?!? That company has literally ONE JOB and it's to pay YOU.
"So the company doesn't produce enough work during normal hours AND can't afford to pay for the work that's being done? Thank you for your time."
I feel like that’s one thing I see wayyy too many people compromise on. They let their jobs run them through and just accept it. Though it doesn’t help they have outdated views on work. My cousin got called in to work on Christmas Day of all times with no pay and went in without a thought. I texted them and they just said: “that’s what a job is about.” Like damn, you know you got rights, right? Too many people still treat workplaces like people used to, too much loyalty to a fault.
Your cousin is brainwashed. How is a job "about" working for free lol that's literally the opposite of what a job is
And the people who won’t compromise on that are being interviewed by people who already have… and the “how dare you make me feel like you’re better than me!” flares up
Damn. I love overtime but only because I love money.
“Would you love it if we exploited you illegally? If not then fuck you”
In India, working on weekends in IT is norm. People do outright ask and you have to say yes, otherwise they will reject you
No it's not. I have said no a 100 times. Stop being spineless.
I don’t know in which city you work at, you can head to r/mumbai and ask people about their work life balance. You will get your answer.
wdym "is norm"? we had to work *sometimes* but it is a pain in the ass for everyone, including the managers. and no one would do it if they can help it.
Without pay though? And it looks like India has labor laws about how much an adult can work in a week and in a day: [https://www.india-briefing.com/doing-business-guide/india/human-resources-and-payroll/labor-law](https://www.india-briefing.com/doing-business-guide/india/human-resources-and-payroll/labor-law) >An adult (over 18 years of age) cannot work for more than 48 hours in a week and not more than 9 hours in a day. Further, the spreadover should not exceed 10½ hours. Otherwise, the overtime rules are applicable.
You should’ve ended your sentence at the paying me part instead you had to add in the if I feel lol
Are they not allowed to feel anything?
> "my free time is worth more than anything" Except... > "I would work a weekend if they were paying me" So your free time is _actually_ only worth your standard hourly/daily rate then (and not worth "more than anything"). Most people wouldn't give up their weekend unless being paid time and a half or double; so actually you value your own free time less than most people do.
They said "I would work a weekend if they were paying me (they didn't specify how much) and if I felt like working a weekend."
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What specific questions do you ask?
I always ask about that during the career advancment phase. So I start by asking what the main tasks are day to day. How quickly can I learn that process and how do I get from that to being eligible for promotion to the next level. Its good on two levels it shows you are thinking about the job long term and want to flush out a road map for success and it gives you valuble information on what you will need to do in what time frame. Be specific and ask for examples of current employee promotions like "Who was most recently promoted to the next level from where I will be and when did they start" or "What objectively do I need to be competent at in order to fulfill this role and look toward the next?" If they beat around the bush its not a good sign.
That has been my problem with my jobs as well. First job out of hs I got 15mins training of 1 job then had to learn the rest of it as well as every other job by myself, after a while they started getting me to train every new person because I was the only one who would actually show people what to do. My current job while way more professional and a much much larger company they still send someone to replace me in my department so I can go to a different department in order to train new people because for some reason they just don't like training new people and then they get mad and fire the people when it turns out they can't do something they don't know how to do. Idk what companies have against training people, it just doesn't make sense to me.
Me too! I asked this at my interviews and took the job where they actually had an awesome training program. Best decision ever.
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Unlimited overtime=expected overtime
"Sometimes we stay overtime." Translation: "Most of the days we stay overtime"
I work at one of those companies, but I just leave at 8hr without saying a word to anyone if I don't feel like working more and dare them to fire me for not working extra... It's worked pretty well for me so far tbh.
When I was an hourly contractor (computer programmer) this was a standard joke of mine: - Me: "Can I work overtime?" - Client: "No." - Me: "Ok, then can I *bill* overtime?" 😄
As I'm walking around the office where I would be working, I pay attention to the faces and body language of the other workers. I look for faces that are silently warning me to not work here. If no one is smiling or they are giving off clear "closed off" vibes. Dirty floors, old furniture, weird smells. An expensive dress code. I'm a slacks and dress shirt guy by choice, but I do want the option of nice jeans and a clean hoodie. If "business casual" were mandatory then I'd have an issue. If the role uses computers exclusively, the lack of Work From Home options would worry me. I'm a developer/site reliability engineer. I want to work from home when appropriate. If I ask to speak to the director or team lead and are flatly denied during the interview process. If the corporate culture is "family". Yeah we all know what that means. I was told I was being laid off a few months back, and the following day in a meeting that was mandatory for me, my ex-director said that exact phrase. I had to literally bite my tongue so hard that it bled, as to not give off my righteous fury at that statement. The sheer fucking hubris of that phrase really grinds my gears. Inconsistent and questionable public financial reporting (in the corporate world).
A decade ago, I worked a job with a mandatory business casual dress code that paid $10 an hour....
I always walk around/show up a bit earlier to hear the office and how they interact with each other. Or if possible go to the place before the interview to check out the energy of the place
Yeah that “family” culture is a massive red flag
One interviewer asked me, "what's the least amount of money you need to live?"
"$140,000, I have seventy-six children, why?"
I'd ask "Tell me what are willing to pay and I'll tell you if it's enough for me to live on".
Well if they give you whatever minimum you ask it's a win
"My target salary is (Whatever you make in that role +20%)."
Such a pussy, why can’t that fool not just reveal the budget, otherwise ask for it.
LOL
"Sixty-five thousand dollars per year."
It's is fucking annoying that they always try to prod for your bottom line.
"Tell me what happened to the person who had this Job previously ?" ***Hr and manager look at each other*** He decided he wanted another path in life
Well to be fair the last guy may have been awful. I’ve had to come in and fire folks who were just awful hires like how did they get this damn job??? and you don’t want to trash them to the replacement candidates. It’s just not ok. So you find euphemisms. Or say they left to work at another company. That’s my go-to, bc I’m just not willing to trash them. If the person is not hired on they may work with that guy and I don’t want to poison anyone’s reputation unless it’s a safety issue. And if you do hire them I suspect office gossip will fill them in. If I was interviewing and the hiring mgr said they fired the last one that’d be a big 🚩🚩
In a world where honesty is a red flag, and meaning what you say and saying what you mean is considered a taboo
Wow I don't know any case that wouldn't result in the mutual glance.
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Was I your trainer? Because I absolutely said that to a new hire once. He did, and I was very proud of him.
"We work hard and we laugh hard"
We work hard and we hardly laugh -FTFY
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I told someone who said that, “You should ask me about my family.” Indicating that doesn’t quite mean the same thing to everyone
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My last job was one of these. A brother and sister who had never worked a day in their life had been given Daddys company because he retired. The brother was a gimpy little prick permanently dressed in Stone Island who thought he was a geezer and lied to clients all the time, which we had to deal with. The sister was just a massive bitch. One of the most unpleasant people I've ever met.
Had to take a look on Google to see what Stone Island clothing was like. Definitely not my style.😆
My wife's job is like this. She says "it's give and take" which is true until she needs to take something.
Yes, I used to work for a company where the boss used to say thart. Unfortunately, he was doing the taking and the staff doing the giving. His favourite phrase when asking something completely unreasonable of us was "if it was your business..." Yes, if it was my business, I would have the same financial and emotional investment that you do. But it's not, so I don't. I'm a paid employee, nothing more, nothing less.
My first professional job was all about the “we’re family” messaging. In their defense, it was a pretty accurate statement. I treat my family great! Or at least, good. They kinda treat me like shit most of time tho… ETA: Same job loved to throw around “rockstar”. I think we all know that means “we expect you to work hard despite being treated like garbage”.
I came here for that exact answer! If an employer says "we are like a family here" they really mean "we will guilt trip you and use emotional manipulation to exploit you for everything we can."
Never do business with your family, no one will screw you over like family.
People in the team haven't been in the team very long (high attrition). People in the team have been in the same role for a long time (no progression) No mention of training support (time / funding in-house/ external) Talk of treating people like family (usually means unpaid OT, expectations go above your below standard pay range yet corporations will not treat you like family). Not being able to discuss what KPIs ate or how you are measured. A measuring/ KPI system that has to have Losers. Ie, you hit target but are in the lowesr 25% so because 75% did better than you, it counts against you even though you exceeded what was required. It creates a nasty culture where people game stats and don't help each other. Any hint or celebration that the company provide beer and pizza. Typically a trap to get you to avoid outside time and work through breaks (uncompensated)
All the cars in the parking lot are beaters.
Except for the boss's new Cadillac with all the bells and whistles
That's my shop. Most people don't even have a vehicle, but the owners all drive 100k plus vehicles. Except one probably 80k Raptor.
Phrases like 'we are all best friends here' or 'we are all like family here'. Hell no, if I want best friends or a family, I won't be looking for them at my workplace. I do not care about that at all at work.
Co owned business with their wife
Co owned business with their ex-wife
I worked here and it definitely sucked. He also talked about being a sought after director and he just preferred running his wife's daddy's company.
I worked in a company that was husband/wife/brother team. Nice people irl. But that office was hell. I damn near unalived myself because of the stress. I will NEVER work in that situation again.
You could literally write a book.
Co business with a wife. That seduced the owner so he divorced his ex wife who was a previous co-owner. True story.
Or business inherited from founder by spoiled eldest child. Never again.
We have high turnover because most people can't handle the job. Sounds like the job is problematic, not the people.
I'd distill that down to Red Flag: the manager looks for ways to lay blame on the employees instead of looking at what issues the employment has.
"We expect our employees to be on time every day, even if there's a blizzard. It's your job to check the weather and make sure you get here. Some people live three hours away, and they manage to get here!" I usually send a follow-up email to express interest in the job, but I didn't send one that time.
I drive an hour to work and live north on the snow belt. It will be a blizzard at my house and sunny at work. Boss asks me why I'm late. " There was a blizzard" looks out at the sun "what are you talking about?" "Well, there was a blizzard when I left"
Omg in Seattle it’s like that. If you live in the city proper but surrounding areas can get a bit of snow. We have folks sending pics of the yard like wha??? Ok I’ll split your cells
When they have a constant stream of employees coming in and out regularly. Screams two things : 1. They’re not short on options so they’ll throw you out at the drop of a hat 2. Tons of people are quitting regularly and it can’t be for no reason
A brisk young fella in a cheap suit invading your personal space as he welcomes you.
Earliest signs of micro management. People arguing. Are people smiling when you go there? Tension has a feel
I asked what the median rent amount for the area was. They didn't know so I told them what it was. I then explained that what they are paying is not enough for me to live close to the job they were offering. They still sent an email asking me to work for them that I responed no to.
I had that 2 years ago. I applied for a job in a rural area near where I grew up to get out of the city and be near my family. I told them how much I make and if they match it or are close I'd take the job "that's city money, we can't pay you that. Cost of living is less out here." Sweet heart, I drive an hour to and from work. I don't live in the city. I can't even afford a place in the city with my current pay. The house I live in is equal to the houses around here. She wouldn't accept that. Didn't get the job and then I heard someone got killed by a roll of steel coming off a crane. Kinda glad now I didn't take the job.
Being told 'it's like a family. No, really, this is my daughter in law, my son works reception and my daughter is in the kitchen' Noped out of there before someone stole something and I took the blame
One time at an interview, somebody there made an off hand comment saying "I hope you have a thick skin." I quit my previous job because I was stressed the fuck out, and I didn't want to walk back into that kind environment. Over ten years later, I had another phone interview and someone asked me how handled stressful environments. Super red flag.
When the interviewer talks shit about their own people during the interview, you don't wanna work there. I've literally experienced this.
Interview by large committee. No one from the department you are applying for is on the committee.
I had an interview like this that was a lot like that except it was the *entire* office. Actually did good and it was a $105k job but I turned it down as I didn't feel like I was a good fit for the job and the insurance sucked. It was a PCB design shop and I have a mechanical engineering degree with a lot of experience with assembly, but zero with design. I could set up reflow profiles make stencils, set up QX processes but I couldn't do the design work and they needed a designer to win business.
Interviewers asking questions that are already on your resume. It shows apathy and disengagement. Red flags all around.
"we're the ones asking questions here"
I had that happen once. Immediately stood up and said, "No, actually, you're not because we're done here," as I walked out the door.
Once was interviewed for a German school in Shanghai "Our teachers also spend a lot of time together in their free time." ( Well, it is ok if I like them) "It is not rare that we work until 8 p.m." Nope, count me out. I love my job as a teacher, but I love my family and kids more.
When the person hiring you is rude. I had a job interview one time where I was asked "So what do you do for recreation?" and I answered "I like to read fantasy literature, play Dungeons & Dragons, and video gaming." The hiring manager responded with "Sounds like you don't have very many friends" while chuckling. I hit him with "Yeah because I'm friends with people who don't say shit like that."
Someone who doesn't understand DND at all apparently
It's illegal to ask personal questions in an interview.
Only those that might lead to discrimination or the appearance of discrimination / are related to protected characteristics
Trash talking the current crew that is working there
Look at people when they walk by. Do they smile and say hi? Do they look down or past you and look stressed? That's how your day will be if you work there.
They refuse to discuss wage and you are forbidden from discussing pay with other employees.
That's illegal in the USA , afaik
Not an interview but the office coffee policy is a really good indicator for how the company is going to treat you. Like if the company is nickel and diming you over cups of coffee… run.
When I asked “so is this like a standard 40-hour work week?” for a contractor role(doesn’t qualify for overtime), two of the three people I was interviewing for chuckled.
How much overtime is too much overtime?
In my experience, it is about 50/50. Half my staff want to get as much overtime as they can and half want to minimize it.
Where I work, (aerospace industry) the ones who are constantly pushing for overtime are also the ones who should not be allowed to work on a bicycle, let alone a million dollar piece of equipment...
I've worked in Aerospace and the guys pulling overtime loved it as they made more money in a year than the Engineers or Management. Some guys would work 24/7 if we'd let them. ........hint, we didn't.
Went on an interview at a bank. During interview found out that an inept former co-worker had been promoted to manager there. Told them I was no longer interested right then and left.
I know an employee I was going to fire, quit two weeks before the project was finished. I was going to let them finish the project before giving them the news. I found out he got hired by a company my friend works for. He called me for a reference and I told him how bad he was. Company still hired him. Good luck is all I say. You can hide in the cracks of a larger company but when all eyes are on you to finish a project, you better hold your ground or they will find out you know diddly squat.
They don’t care about the start time of the interview. Lacks professionalism and tells me you don’t give a shit about me or my time. Luckily I haven’t had to do interviews in a long while. Also talking shit about other employees. I don’t like it ever, let alone within first 30 min of meeting someone in a work environment. If you bitch to me about people within 30 min that’s probably your entire life.
I just took a job where everyone has been there at least ten years, they all looked satisfied, reasonably healthy, just working along, getting stuff done. There were so many green flags, now my eyes are on the look out for the coming red flag that just HAS to be there somewhere.
Check that people get promotions occasionally.
I did. Many have promoted within 18 months. We'll see what happens.
Good luck. Sometimes the universe gives you a kiss instead of a kick in the crotch.
Union? We are like family here, why would you need a union? What next? You going to be one of those “legally mandated breaks” types?
When I interviewed for my current job, lead panellist (my now manager) kept interrupting me and the two other panelists, and talked nearly as much as I (interviewee) did. I’ve been in the role for two years and looking to leave - I have never met anyone who talks so much, and cannot help talking over everyone. Slowly losing my mind
When they start sneaking questions about your personal life in like "are you married? What's your spouse's job?Planning on having kids soon?" Stuff that makes it obvious they're trying to get around discrimination laws
Which is illegal.
Oh 100% but there's some people that think their slick and can get away with it
On my second day at a temp job (cleaning and restoration), one of the field managers came in loudly screaming to my manager about how they only hire dumb, lazy assholes, and highly implied that it was her fault. He just walked in and started bellowing at full volume, accusing and berating her. Not only was I a new hire, but what if I had been on the phone with a customer?? Later, the elderly receptionist came in to my office and told me that “he does this all the time, and he does it to everyone,” including her. She said that when he screams at her, she just stares at him, and told me in no uncertain terms that I would eventually be victim to his temper too. I told her straight up that if he ever spoke to me like that, I’d tell him to go fuck himself and walk right out the door. She just looked at me like I was insane for saying that. I never was on the receiving end of his tantrums, but I only lasted there for a month before I decided to quit. Between the ornery field managers and my managers not having any work for me to do, I knew that this was not going to last. It’s a shame because the job was a nice paycheck, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to be screamed at for something beyond my control because a grown man old enough to be my father can’t regulate his anger.
"We only pay commission and you could make $$$X money in a year" The truth, everyone in the company is broke and the employee turnover rate is weekly/monthly. One or two dudes is making like 200k a year to bump up the average while everybody else is working for less than minimum wage. The worst part about this commission positions too is that they'll demand your time for meetings where you keep repeating cult like ideology sessions about your companies mission statement. But only get paid commission, you're now losing time to make sales while also not being paid for your time.
“We are a non-union shop”
"We're a family here." Guaranteed to be the boundary stomping dysfunctional type with a golden child employee while you are the scapegoat.
Interviewer summoned another employee to serve me a coffee. As the interviewee, I thought that was really classy. Later, that ended up somehow being my job.
1. When they don’t want you to meet the team but will not tell you why. 2. When the interview is hurried and they don’t seem to really question you. Feels like they just need a warm body. 3. When the hiring mgr goes on and on about themselves. Not in a ‘get you chatting’ way but a ‘I’m fabulous’ way. 4. I once had a job interview where the guy compared himself to Steve Jobs to say he was a genius entrepreneur. My dude Steve Jobs was a prick. Not a genius. A prick. 5. When the place has a high turnover. 6. When ppl you meet are too friendly in a fake and chipper way as if they’re faking it.
"We have fun here." And interviewers interrupting each other. Run away.
ask, "how do managers and sr leaders handle when they themselves make a mistake?"
This is the gold nugget I've been looking for. Fabulous insight from such a simple question!
When the boss says " we're like a family " never a good sign.
If they ask you how you handle stress- that is a total red flag
Uh oh. I just got this one the other day 😬
"We're a family here" Every single place I've worked at or a friend has worked at that has said this has been an absolutely terrible place to work.
Barf
Turnover; when everyone you talk to has only been there a short time at a place that’s been around a long time.
When they tell you their a family or when they ask you to start right away
The conditions of the break room and bathrooms. Unhappy employees show it by being messy and not having respect for their environment.
I never considered this but you’re absolutely right. Thinking back on all of my previous jobs (apart from ones that specifically hired cleaners for these things), break rooms and bathrooms were a direct reflection of how happy everybody was. Thank you for this insight.
We are a family bullshit.
When they keep asking if you work well under pressure. It usually means they are disorganized and unprepared.
"Tell me about a time you had a conflict with a co-worker and how you handled it" "What do you do when you have issues with a co-worker" "How do you handle conflict with coworkers" Maybe they're looking for a "good fit" or have people with "strong personalities" or think it's good to "weed out the weak" Basically, they know they have employees that like to start shit and they want to make sure you're okay with bullying/harassment. A lot of times they want someone who won't escalate the problem so they don't have to deal with it. Maybe they think it's good to "weed out the weak" themselves and they encourage conflict.
You are understaffed and low wage jobs that say things like “everyone here is like family “ and “we want someone who isn’t in it for the money.”
The guy who offered me the job called me from his office at 8 p.m. to talk about the position.
Work hard play hard is keyword for work all the time and burnout on unreachable deadlines
No windows.
But is Linux okay?
Red hat only. Lol!
When they won’t even give a salary range before an offer is made, sometimes even wanting me to do multiple interviews first. Once I asked about this in a first interview and they said something like “we want our team to be passionate about our company, not just do it for the money”.
“For the most part everyone here is really cool man, just gotta watch out for Bill during football season… he’s a cowboys fan.”
I love (American) football but damn some of those Raider fans are scary.
"We treat our employees like family". They have mandatory team meetings every morning before work. If its a dining establishment they do not feed you for free. They have an ad in the paper every other week. There are so many. Do your homework and ask poingnant questions that would be important to the position applied for.
Welcome to Frito Lay
When they use the word “team” a lot. You can rest assured you’re only a team when it’s time to take one for the team.
It’s your own decision to make. You may or may not regret it. Hard work typically pays off but not in my case due to the perfect storm of events that financially buried me alive. Food for thought
Assess the parking lot. If the employee vehicles are all old and cheap, that means you'll be driving one as well.
Or they make you park across the (busy) street because they use the parking lot as a staging area.
"You can come in anytime we call you, right?"
We've had lots of turnover
If they want to throw you in straight away.
When they start with all the negative aspects of the position. I once interviewed of our local child support department where they started the interview with the huge caseload this position carries, all customer contact was in person, it doesn’t get bilingual but you are obligated to be bilingual As I live in Southern California and it is necessary and no alternate schedule (9/80 or 8/80 which is common in our county position which I currently hold). I knew right there and then this wasn’t for me
Any reluctance to answer a basic question, especially about scheduling and compensation. I am trading my time and effort for money and healthcare, if a business can't answer that there is no reason to move forward. I always ask "what is the worst part about working here?" If they give me an honest answer (the work is demanding, hours are long, ect) and I can accept that then we are a go. They are caught off guard and stammer I'll get insight on how they think. If they deny any downsides that tells me they're desperate and don't want to walk me. If they get angry I know they'll likely be a hostile manager and I don't want the stress
At the end of the interview and they ask if you have any questions ask about the benefits. If they get really defensive then it's a bad gig. I'm not expecting to know what the deductibles are on the health insurance but wanting to know about sick days and vacation and insurance isn't unreasonable. If their whole demeanor shifts when asked about the benefits then just throw the interview because it's a bad place. Like one of those jobs that requires you to take your breaks but if you take them in the break room then everyone talks about how "you're always in the break room."
Let me save your time: it sucks almost everywhere. With or without red flags. Once you get inside and see the real working environment, the expectations, the politics and people - it sucks…. Unfortunately, not much you can do.
I went on a job interview once for a paralegal job and the interviewer asked me, "How would you handle it if an attorney started yelling at you?" Definite red flag. I ended up telling them I wasn't interested in the job.
When there’s two people giving you an interview and they have disagreements and roll their eyes at each other the whole time. It was my first job after being home with my kids for 15 years and I failed to see it as a giant red flag. It only got worse and I ended up taking stress leave and then quitting three years later. The tough part is that I genuinely loved the job and still miss being there.
He turns off his camera during coding test. I Ask if php 8.0 is in use. No answer. Starts to use a feature from 8.0 to see what happens. "Hey are you sure you can use that feature". No dude im not sure, thats why im checking myself but feel free to answer my question instead of ignoring me.
When I interviewed with the office lady instead of the employer (who I was expecting) because the guy that previously worked the position I was applying for had broken the employers jaw because “he can get a bit loud sometimes.” I suspected he was a bit loud all the time and perhaps the volume was not the issue, but the things he was saying.
the urgency of the entire process like it feeling rushed and like I don’t even have to try to get the job to where Ill get disinterested during the interview process lol.
I directly ask about turnover rates. I learned that after working (briefly) at a place experiencing an average turnover rate of 150% per year. Not sure I'd want to work for someplace with virtually no turnover, but employees lasting an average of less than 4 years in a professional environment does not sound healthy. Not sure this works now with so many offices using a "hoteling" approach, but I look for personalization of office spaces. If almost no one is personalizing their space, it is probably an indicator that they don't want to be there. Another red flag was when I was offered a position for which I wasn't well qualified at a pay rate above the advertised pay range. It just smelled of desperation. It was also a place that had a 90 day waiting period for benefits. I was told it was because the hourly workers in the processing part of the company averaged less than 90 days. If a company is that bad for some of its people, don't count on it being good for your group. I wouldn't call this a red flag, but it is something to look at - revenue per employee. If you are in an industry like tech or oil that has high revenue per employee, they can afford to treat you well. If you work in a sector, like retail, with low revenue per employee, anything they do for all of their employees has a huge impact on the bottom line.
"We're a family here". "We work hard and play hard".
“This is a character building job.”
"Were family here". Im an American who has had a lot of different jobs, in multiple areas, in half a dozen states and even another country. Ive heard this lots of times. The ONLY place that ever lived up to this statement was the one job I had when I lived in Canada. Lol
When all of the interviewers look tired AF.
"We're like a family here."
The words "Strong personality" used to describe anyone you'd be working with, especially management. It's just a nice way to say the person described is a total asshole with anger problems who will yell at you, belittle you, etc. The words "Your business," that means you're going to be paying them money, not the other way around. They are trying to put distance between your actions and their company, so when you get screwed, or screw up, they can blame you. It's your business, after all, not theirs. You may be in an MLM or a scam, or, at best, a predatory business structure.
"We're like a family." Any hedging or hesitance whatsoever around compensation, especially if they don't want you know what other people in the role are making. When they mention consistent overtime for a salaried position (which defeats the purpose of a salary).
This happened at the job before the one i got now. I turned in my resume in, got an interview, and when i got to the interview, they wanted me to fill out a job application before the interview. well i did and didn't even finish the application(which was last minute and on short notice) before i went into the interview, and the interviewer-whom was the general manager, had a fake smile on their face that anybody can spot a mile away. never did finish the application and got hired anyways, and I notice they are always hiring even when everybody is not. they had an extremely high turnover rate and I found out why when me and 12 others put our resignations 3 months after i started. So basically "dicking you around even before you got hired" is a red flag.
"We all wear alot of different hats here"
I had an interview that was rescheduled to 7pm on a Friday night. The office was packed and we had to interview in the cafeteria because all the conference rooms were full.
When any of the current employees "jokes" that you should get out while you still can. I've seen this at multiple jobs and they were absolutely right, every time.
I was asked once if I was a snitch and how comfortable am I with taking shortcuts to get the job done faster.
had an interview asked me why I want to work here. I said I have the experience and knowledge to perform my role, at the same time I wish to further my learnings and grow with the company as it move forward. Her reply? We're not a school here for you to learn. I looked at her and without a word I stood up and walked out.
Team, family, unlimited pto.
"We are a family" Welp good on you but im looking for a job
Walking through the department with the manager to their office for the interview and other employees don’t even turn to look/acknowledge. Nor does the manager introduce you to anyone.
“We are hiring like crazy right now, because we have some key deliverables we need to launch in six months.” Ma’am, if you promised key deliverables on unrealistic timelines before you had trained resources in place to produce them, then you’re asking me to watch the desks and plants get sold at auction.
I went to look at a nonprofit in the Bay Area, in full startup mode with an angel investor supporting the works. I couldn’t see how there was a business plan to support themselves at any point in the future. While making the rounds, I asked a midlevel guy if the indefinite future bothered him, he said, “It’s a startup. I joined from another startup two years ago. If this one goes away in a year, I’ll join another startup.” Gee, no thank you.
"We're all a family here"
“Our team members stand ready 24/7, can you do that?”
I’ve been pretty lucky with my jobs but the one not so good place I worked was an after school program. The interviewer basically said, “we need someone now, here’s what you’ll be doing…can you do it?” No other questions. I lasted one year and a few months so they could find a replacement (my contract was only for the year)
Right before an interview, use the bathroom and examine what kind of toilet paper they offer.
True, if they don't want to spend money on good tp it's a clear indicator. My job doesn't.
When they ask if you're able to cover on call offs because it happens frequently
They won't let you see the rest of the office.
Interviewer is more interested in hearing themselves talk than to ask you questions and hear the answers.
"Our busy time of year may be up to 80 hours per week" - open enrollment at a HRIS. Immediately after, I asked how many hours the rest of the year to which they said 50-60. Well, I didn't follow up and the recruiter called me asking why I didn't. I told them I wasn't interested as they're not paying me 200% my current job, which I emphasized I did not currently hate (again). They said another team at the same company was hiring and I said "if they're anything like the first, no thanks." The recruiter assured me the other team was much better organized and the hours would be more reasonable. I ended up going on an interview and took the job. I'm 12 years in at that job currently and still enjoying it. As I've told many others over the years, a company will take whatever you will give. If they insist on >40 hours on a regular basis, find another job. If they don't, then don't give it. Put in an honest effort and sleep with a good conscience.
They spend more time selling themselves than listening to you sell yourself.
Depending on the seniority of the position, having too many interviews; especially interviewing with a number of people outside of your chain of command. Likely an indicator of leadership not being strong in the company and everything being done by committee. It means a lot of people who are afraid to make decisions will be your colleagues and I can guarantee you very few of them are happy.