Red flags in your interview

You are SO ready for the next thing. 

You are itching to get out of your unfulfilling or toxic job. 

You interview. How did it go? Well, it felt ... off. You can't exactly put your finger on it. You're attracted by the opportunity, what it could mean for your career advancement, and maybe even the salary. 

BUT something felt wrong. What was it? Pay close attention to and trust your gut - we don't do that enough - so you can figure out if it's a deal breaker or not. 

  • Your interviewer seemed distracted. I wouldn't fault an interviewer for not being prepared, i.e., if it's clear they didn't review your resume in advance. Days get away from all of us and we run out of time even with the best intentions. However, if your interviewer is not engaged in the meeting and is looking off in another direction, at their phone, or typing, it may be an indication of the company work culture or people the company attracts.

  • The interviewer/s did almost all of the talking. In my mind, this could mean one of two things: 1) they're desperate to find someone to persuade to fill the role quickly, and not as concerned with who fills it, or 2) they're not a great listener. It's up to you to weigh how the rest of the interview went and how closely you'd be working with the people who interviewed you to figure out if these things bother you or not.

  • You didn't like the people who interviewed you. If you didn't like them and these are the people who will be managing or working with you, you really want to think this through. This is especially true if you have a good sense of people, as it doesn't take long to recognize if we like someone or not. Sure, someone may grow on you, but here we're talking about a work relationship where you're spending so much of your week working directly with these people and/or relying on for performance reviews.

If you get an offer but still feel uncertain, I recommend going back to your main point of contact at the company to ask to speak once again to the person who would be your boss or other people on the team with whom you didn't meet. If you ask just a few questions, you may be surprised at what you learn and it can help you make the right choice. 

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