Bob's Top Ten Signs You Should Not Take This Job

Finding a job today can be a real challenge. And finding the right fitting job may be downright impossible. Lucky for you, there are people like me willing to share our vast experience at obtaining the wrong job and help you avoid the pitfalls that many job seekers overlook. I started to cogitate on this after reading an article in Forbes entitled, “Ten Red Flags That Scream ‘Do Not Take This Job’”. The article provides a solid list of things to watch for when interviewing for a job that may indicate the position and/or company may not be right for you.

However, as per usual, I noted some things they definitely missed. I wanted to make sure that I added the immense wealth of my knowledge to this topic.

First, these were the 10 signs listed by Forbes that you should not take a particular job. They are abbreviated, you may read the article and full descriptions here:

1. The hiring process moves too quickly, because they are desperate to get someone into the job.
2. The people you meet during the recruiting process are cold and formal.
3. There are long (multi-week) delays in your hiring process, and during those delays no one reaches out to communicate with you.
4. They ask/command you to perform work for free, such as creating a marketing plan or conducting research on their competitors
5. You can sense and feel the tension in the workplace when you’re there.
6. They keep changing the job description, the pay schedule and/or the reporting relationship.
7. They keep telling you that there are lots of other talented candidates for the job
8. When you get the job offer, it’s lower than the number or range that you and the employer discussed.
9. You don’t like and/or don’t trust the manager you’d be reporting to in your new job.
10. There is no effort on the employer’s part to sell you on taking the job

As I indicated, a pretty solid list and good overall advice. However, there are a number of key warning signs they failed to convey. That, of course, is why I am here. After all, I only want to “hep” you be a better you than the you you already are. Therefore, I wish to add to this list, “Bob’s Top Ten Signs You Should Not Take This Job”. These often overlooked warning signs, when noted and responded too, will definitely help you avoid major employment selection mistakes in the future.

In no particular order, they are:

1. The interviewer isn’t wearing any pants.
2. The interviewer smiles with a toothless grin and tells you “You have a purdy mouth”.
3. The crime scene tape is still wrapped around the cubicle you are slated to occupy.
4. They ask if you have any next of kin, and seem disappointed when you answer in the affirmative.
5. The Senior VP on the final interview asks you to pull his finger.
6. The posted picture of the “Employee of the Month” is a mug shot.
7. The Workers’ Compensation Posting Notice is in Vietnamese.
8. You inquire about their Sick Policy and they respond with “Why, what have you heard?!!”
9. Their Human Resources “Fight Song” is Queen’s “Another One Bite’s the Dust”.
10. Their Human Resources Department actually has a “Fight Song”.

And there you have it. A pretty solid list of 20 things (10 of them so-so, 10 of them killer) to watch for when you are interviewing for and considering new employment. I only wish someone would’ve warned me when I was younger. I’ll never fall for that last interview finger pull again. You, however, are warned. No need to thank me.

It is just what I do.