Listen — looking for a job sucks. It just does. And when potential employers are trying to scam you straight out of the gate, the job hunt can be even more frustrating.
1. "I agreed to a Zoom interview, showed up looking professional, and noticed eight other guys attending as well. The guy who called me said, 'Okay, guys, the presentation starts in 10 minutes; take notes because there will be questions at the end.' Noped right out then and there."
2. "Any use of the word 'rock star.'"
3. "'Fast-paced environment.' That usually means absolute chaos with no one in charge."
4. "'Salary to be discussed.' Every single job I've gone for where the salary wasn't disclosed up front in the interview was severely underpaid."
5. "'Urgently hiring multiple candidates.'"
6. "'Flexible schedule' means, 'We expect you to be very flexible with our poor scheduling.'"
7. "'Startup culture' means 'a disorganized hot mess of egos.'"
8. "'We are a family' companies expect you to be fine with getting underpaid and doing endless overtime because, hey, they order food once in a while for the team, which is so cool..."
9. "'Unique challenges' means 'constant clusterfuck.'"
10. "'Salary based on experience' is code for 'lowest-possible salary.'" If it is a government job and the salary range is $35,000–$50,000…the salary is $35,000. No negotiations. If the job has a date range that states when they will be accepting applications and that range is fewer than seven days, they most likely already have an internal candidate for the job and are legally required to post the job for other applicants. State government and public universities do this all the time."
11. "'Occasional overtime' means 'Just say goodbye to your family because you'll never leave the office again.'"
12. "Whenever they say they are looking for someone to fill a 'new role,' it often means there is no predefined job description, and no one has a clear idea of what your tasks will be. It can be chaotic, leaving you unsure about the nature of your job. Unfortunately, in my experience, after two years, you may be laid off once your managers realize that your role was unnecessary from the start. This has happened to me twice."
13. "'Must have a bubbly personality.' Fuck off."
14. "When the pay is advertised as 'up to...' instead of the starting base pay amount being given."
15. "Not listing the pay. That shouldn’t be legal."
16. "Oddly specific requirements, meaning that they already know the person they want to hire but are obligated to make an open call for the position. In other words, you will waste your time applying."
17. "Too many HR buzzwords."
18. "They say they've been growing rapidly for the last 50 years but you've never heard of them. It's probably going to be an MLM (multilevel marketing) recruiting session, not an actual job interview."
19. "'Entry level' and 'three to five years' experience required' don't belong in the same job posting."
20. "'Work hard, play hard': 90-hour workweeks, all time off denied, your boss will show up personally to yell at you if and when you get sick."
Agree? Disagree? Have your own additions? See you in the comments!
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.