5 Warning Signs Not to Accept a Job

There are a lot of jobs in today’s business world that are tempting to accept. From the outside, jobs can seem perfect. The small blurb of a description can be enticing and mesmerizing and is meant to quickly pull you in. But often times, those quick summaries can leave out some very important details. To keep you from accepting a job offer that can seem like chocolate pie but is really, something else, here are five warning signs to keep an eye out for.

Interview Fibs

Some prospective employers will exaggerate and outright lie during a job interview to entice people, which is why it is important to keep your radar on so you can differentiate between which statements and promises are fibs or genuine truths. If at any time during an interview you hear a vague statement such as “we don’t know yet how much the job is going to pay” or “the pay isn’t great, but the benefits are amazing” head for the door. Employers always set a salary range before hiring and employers can really hurt themselves by taking away salary dollars just to pay for great benefits. Other statements you should watch out for can include things like “it may seem like a big job now, but we’re planning on hiring someone to help you next quarter;” “we should be able to let you know our decision by early next week.”

Responsibilities vs Pay

Remember how we talked about those quick blurbs? Often times they are a very general overview of what your responsibilities will be. When you go in for an interview, make sure you know exactly what “other duties as required” you will be performing. If the list continues to grow but compensation doesn’t, be wary. You should always know what you’re signing up for before you accept an offer. Will these other responsibilities be a chance for you to gain new skills or will your role just become a dumping ground for those “other duties”? Make sure that the role you are applying for doesn’t get lost in other responsibilities. If it does, it may be that they need to create another position just for those tasks so you can focus on your core role.

High Turnover Rate

A high turnover rate is a big warning sign, especially if the company isn’t all that new. High turnover can mean a number of things, such as poor management or even a toxic culture. High turnover can also go in tandem with a lack of growth opportunities within the company itself. And not all of us want to be looking yet again for another job in five years. While interviewing, test out the waters by asking questions such as “what is something employees wish they could improve about this organization?” If the employer begins to bad mouth former employees or even current personnel or makes excuse, hightail it out of there.

Lack of Learning Opportunities

Companies need to provide learning and growth opportunities for their employees to ensure success not only for you, but for them also. There is a wide variety of ways that employers can help in this aspect. Some ways could include bringing in professionals to speak to team members or setting aside a budget for employees to attend conferences or take courses outside of work. For example, if you work in healthcare an employer could provide opportunities for you to get certification for medical transcription or even pay for your ACLS recertification online. If you find that there are few learning opportunities, you need to decide very quickly if you want to stay in that position or fight through this new role on your own.

Forced Compromise

Before you go in for an interview, ask yourself what are you non-negotiables, what are even just five qualities the job must have. Is it flexibility, high pay, a specific industry? From here, you can determine if the position will make you compromise on your must-haves and future career goals. If it doesn’t, this could be a large warning sign that the position is a step in the wrong direction–it’s backwards, rather than forwards. If an interviewer ever says that the position might be a step down for you, then you will be compromising on those non-negotiables and driving your career down the wrong path. Don’t get stuck in that vicious cycle and stick to your guns.

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