Have you ever interviewed at a company and as you are wrapping up the interview you feel confident in your ability to do the work although for some reason you just are not sure if the position is the right fit?
Rather than putting your head down and walking out of the office without trying to make awkward eye contact with current employees trying to size you up, take a moment to walk slowly and carefully scan the environment for the following red flags.
Older Equipment
An easy issue to spot is lack of advanced technology that will help you do your job better. A quick scan around the room will allow you to see if the computers are up to date or if the staff is still using outdated ones. Does the company employ any newer technology? Do they have state of the art meeting rooms? Do the desk chairs look ergonomic or are they older fold up chains that will lead to back pain after sitting in them for an extended amount of time?
These may seem like small details, but it is the small details that can make one company better to work for than the other. Seeing that the company is willing and able to spend money on newer technology and a comfortable office environment shows that they care about their staff and are willing to put in the time and money to ensure that their employees are happy and working up to their highest potential from an equipment standpoint.
Issues of Cleanliness
Is the office full of clutter? Unorganized? Are there boxes of paperwork everywhere? These are common indicators that your future co-workers could have organizational issues that they are oblivious to or just do not care about how the office looks to outsiders.
At one point earlier in my career I went in for an in-person interview with a “up and coming” company staffed with a large amount of recent grads who like to “work hard and play hard.” Aside from the fact that I personally hate that mantra, I was intrigued by their growth and was excited for the interview. Prior to walking into meet with the Hiring Manager I went into the bathroom and despite all that I had read about how great the company was, I instantly was turned off by the thought of working there.
Not only was the water in the bathroom left running, one potential team member in the staff area was singing to his IPod and there were paper towels and literal trash on the floor. Team members not willing to take the time to clean up and discard their trash was a huge red flag and unfortunately in my mind showed disrespect to a common area used by the majority of male staff throughout the day.
If workers do not take the time to treat their office with respect and take the time to make sure it is presentable from an outsider’s perspective, it unfortunately could be because they are not passionate about their work and are just there for a paycheck rather than having pride in what they do.
Unengaged Staff
Take the time to notice the current staff members in the cubicles. Was the receptionist engaging you in conversation or were they on their phone? Do people seem happy? What is the office vibe like?
Ensuring that current team members are polite and engaged as you are moving about the office is extremely important. In a panel interview you might meet with some of the company’s top performers although make sure to note the staff that you will actually be working with on a daily basis. Although the organization might have some strong top level talent, a group is only as strong as it’s weakest performer so make sure that the rest of your future co-workers are engaged and excited about what they are doing.
They Are Too Eager
On the other side, some companies might seem too eager and try to close you on the position before you leave. While it is great that a company sees potential in you and wants to make you a job offer, if they were to make you the offer after only one interview, what does that say about them and the position?
Make sure you always ask the reason for the position being available. Is it a new opening? Did someone leave? Why did the person leave? You want to make sure that this is not a position that has seen constant turnover over the past few years and you might find yourself accepting a role in which you were set up to fail due to constant turnover without any changes being made to support this person.
While many candidates are happy to hear that they will be receiving an offer during the interview, walking out without an official offer and hearing back a few days later is very standard procedure and does not for any reason reflect poorly on the candidate.
Too often a candidate will finish their interview with the hiring team and immediately exhale and feel that their interview is done as they are whisked out of the office by a team member. The next time you are in this situation, make sure to embrace the final few moments in the office and maybe walk a little slower than you normally would. Rather than making small talk about the weather or asking about validation for your parking, really look around the environment for anything that might be off or not feel right because they next time you are in the building could be as an employee and your chance to spot a red flag within the organization’s work environment has passed you.
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