15+ People Shared How at the Very Interview, They Realized That They Should Avoid the Company at All Costs

Interviews are often very stressful for job seekers, and not without reason. Some interviewers like to ask inappropriate questions, others are full of promise while trying to hide a toxic atmosphere in the team, and some try to convince the candidate that the salary is not the main thing. Some people have been hired by many different employees, and they’ve decided to remember the times when they suspected something was wrong from the very get-go.

• An interviewer tried to convince me to lowball myself after I said what I’d accept as a minimum salary, which was in their offer range from the posting. “If we pay you more, you wouldn’t get a bonus at the end of the year, and you’d be really upset when everyone else got one.” What he was ‘able’ to offer salary-wise was $10k below their posted range. © -Apocalypse-Cow- / Reddit
• I once had an interview with a small company. The director who took my interview was being very vague about what they do. Most of her answers were, “You’ll understand better once you start working.” I took the offer, worked for a week, and realized that they are fraudsters. © antisocial_extrovrt / Reddit
• “We treat everyone here as a family.” Yeah. A foster family that only does the bare minimum to keep you employed. “Here’s some pizza as appreciation for all your hard work.” © Granny_Nooooo / Reddit

• One of my coworkers told me an interviewer asked for her social media passwords to “expedite their background check.” She did NOT comply and bailed on the whole interview. I only remember the story because we were all shocked at the audacity. © mandichaos / Reddit
• I applied for a position out of state and was offered the position during the phone interview. When asked when I could start, I replied two weeks but stated I couldn’t accept without knowing how much it paid and having that in an official offer letter/email. This dude said all huffy puffy, “Well, I mean, I don’t have the numbers right in front of me, but I guess if you have to know, I can get that for you.” I said I had to know. He said he’d call back. He never did. © Krushed_Groove / Reddit
• When I mentioned a company’s dismal Glassdoor evaluations, they became so enraged that they ended the interview. Well, I suppose I escaped that danger. © Alhbf / Reddit
• A big trigger in the nanny world? “Light housekeeping.” If you get asked to do some light housekeeping, it means they want you to be their maid as well. So any downtime they expect you to be vacuuming, doing laundry, dishes. That’s the question that seems innocent but is a huge red flag. © Onlyf**snanny / Reddit

• I once had a job interview where I asked the two interviewers what they liked about working there. They looked at each other in horror and laughed. No thanks. © lostvalkyrie / Reddit
• Interviewed me on a Saturday by phone. This is a Monday-to-Friday job, so just interviewing me on Saturday was weird. I figured it was just a courtesy interview with the real interview being in person later. Nope. He offered me a job on the spot but said I had to start on Monday or else no offer. © RandomUser9724 / Reddit
• I turned up for casual work at a warehouse and was told we weren’t allowed to wear watches. Add that to the shady security staff, the sarcastic, depressed-looking supervisors, and the multitude of petty rules, and the place was practically covered in red flags. I left at lunch break and never went back. © tiwega6117 / Reddit
• Once I had an interview where they silently gave me a questionnaire to fill out for 50 questions and just went to another room. The questions were very detailed and stupid, mostly about money. “Is your goal to make money in our company?” (If the answer was “yes,” then you didn’t pass). I left before I even finished answering this list. © Lina_Grapes / Reddit

• I told the person interviewing me that I was happy at my current job and wouldn’t consider leaving just for the higher pay. He stood up and looked over the cubicle walls to make sure no one was around and whispered, “You don’t want to work here.” I passed on that job but while in the new city, I applied for another job where I have been happy for the last 25+ years. © carefreeguru / Reddit
• I once had a general manager request a meeting with me. I was the only female manager there, he never had this talk with the other male managers. He said, “I want to make sure you’re worth the pay,” which was 9.50/hr. © thathippygirl / Reddit
• I always make it a point to make some small talk with receptionists or people interviewing me. If they shut it down immediately or just otherwise give off a “Why are you talking to me?” vibe. NOPE. © tiwega6117 / Reddit

• I drove 3 hours to an interview. The secretary took my info and then said so-and-so isn’t available for an interview right now... I said, “Okay, I can come back in an hour. I drove a long way to get here.” She goes to his office, comes out, and says I can come back next Friday. No respect for anyone’s time. © Nukethegreatlakes / Reddit
• I always ask the interviewer what their favorite part of the job is. If they answer anything not directly related to their job — like flexible hours, intermural sports leagues, or the area — they hate their job. The question is also a great way to draw out the red flags others are mentioning like “We’re all a family” or “We work hard/play hard.” © Flaxatron / Reddit
• Had an interview recently, and it went pretty well. We did the usual handshaking and casual conversation, and then he said, “I’m gonna be honest, I thought Sarah was a girl’s name.” Me: “I am a girl.” I get mistaken a lot for a guy due to height, flat chest, voice, and overall attitude. But after the interview, I considered this extremely unprofessional while also being one of the funniest things to happen to me. © Special-Glove4787 / Reddit

What were some of the red flags at your job interviews that made you realize it was definitely not worth going through with a particular company?