I had many jobs where there were Red flags after being hired, but I was too optimistic and forgiving to recognize them. I hope you learn from the mistakes I made.
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Company doesn’t reveal important job details – One company that I worked for after I was hired said the position required travel. I don’t like to travel but I agreed to travel so that I showed them that I was going to be a good employee for them. However even though I asked in the interview where I would do my job, I was given different information after I was hired. This is not cool and not a good first step. Companies do all this screening and warn candidates if they lie they won’t get the job. What is the consequence for companies that lie?
- The company says after hiring they will move to another state – Again when I interviewed I was not told that they would be moving to another state. I would not have accepted the consulting job if I had expected to greatly increase my travel time by 4 times the amount. Even though I asked where I would be expected to work.
- Company doesn’t fire the last guy you are supposed to replace – In an interview, I was told the guy I was supposed to replace would be let go. Imagine my surprise when he was still there. They never did fire him and eventually, it was clear that the long commute just wasn’t worth it.
- The company lies about the promises they made verbally in the interview – In one job I was told that I would be able to select the car that the company would provide from a list of available cars. I never did get that option. Instead, I was given the oldest and in the worst shape car to do my job. It was unreliable and so were the next three cars they put me in. Again I don’t really care which car I drove, but if you make a promise you should keep it or not make it.
- The company says that after a year of doing the job you will be moved into a different position – I was told that I would only work in a certain position for a year but it turned into more than that. I was never put in another position but instead laid off when the company had mass layoffs. Companies ask for loyalty but don’t give it back.
- The company doesn’t reimburse travel expenses – I was expected to travel far more than the interview said and I was not fully reimbursed for travel expenses. This meant that I spent a great deal of my own money to work there. I could not afford that job and when another company offered me a shorter commute and more money I had to switch because I could not afford that job.
- The company reduced my salary and job responsibilities and then when I leave asks what they could do to make me stay – One job hired me for a salary of X and then said that I didn’t have the skills for X and paid me less. When I left to get a job that offered me $20,000 more they said that I had a 98% approval rating from everyone and that they wanted me to stay. I asked if they could match the salary and they said they could not. I was always doing the work at the original level. Why would I accept a salary cut? It was one of my first jobs and I did not have the confidence I should have had. My mistake.
- Company increases my salary by $10,000 and then lets me go soon after – One company increases my salary by $10,000 and then lets me go soon after. I hadn’t messed up, they were financially pressured and had to make ends meet. They outsourced the IT department and my manager said I did a great job. I didn’t ask for that salary, and even though I appreciated it, I would have rather stayed and got it and had to leave.
- The company didn’t listen to my claims of being verbally abused – I had a coworker who was verbally abusive to me and when I spoke to my manager about it he didn’t want to get involved. So a few days later I left. I was a consultant and I didn’t have any choice. When the company asked if I would come back I said no. If a manager doesn’t want to listen to me while I am there, why would I want to come back to have him mismanage me again?
- The company tells me I am now a manager but never pays me the difference and then lets me go the next week – One company had mass layoffs and let lots of people go. If a company tells you how valued you are, tells you that you are a manager, and then lets you go the next week it is hard to accept. If a company expects you to work extra and not pay you, it is clear they don’t really value you.