Interview red flags 🚩

Hey pals. Everyone feeling refreshed after that nice long weekend? Mine was productive (I watched all 3.5 seasons of Netflix’s You on my couch) ((anyone wearing a plain black baseball cap is now a walking red flag)).

Speaking of red flags, today we’re talking all about the biggest ones at work—including but not limited to “work hard, play hard” motivational posters in the bathroom.

Today’s tunes: Conveniently sticking with the theme of today’s topic, this song has been stuck in my head for entirely too long.

—Rod

Interview Red Flags

Unless I’m interviewing for a position at Olive Garden, I never want to hear the phrase “when you’re here, you’re family.” Why? 1) I already have a family and 2) it’s giving serious cult vibes.

Throughout my career, I’ve had enough interviews to know when a company’s “unlimited PTO” or “free beer and ping pong” are actually nice little cover-ups for an extremely soul-sucking and toxic job.

Let me save you some time…with these glaring red interview flags.

Shotty communication: I absolutely crushed a job interview once, and the team was insistent on me meeting their top exec the same week to continue the convo. But after five (5) “following up on this” emails, I gave up. They ended up reaching back out weeks later without mention of them ever ghosting me. And to that, I politely responded:

Bad communication is often an indicator of disorganization and lack of clear processes (two of my biggest professional icks). If it takes them that long to get back to you about literally hiring you to work there, imagine how long it would take to get approval on that PTO request for your non-refundable trip to Cabo.

No As for your Qs: I don’t care that your company has doubled its size in the last three months or really has “a lot of room for mobility.” If you can’t tell me specific ways that I’ll be able to enhance my career with this position, I don’t want it. A good company should provide you with the opportunities and resources to grow—and should be able to communicate them clearly. This is an interview for you just as much as it is for them!

Unclear culture: Free lunch Fridays and Masterclass subscriptions aren’t going to cut it. I want to hear about the things that matter. Like flexible schedules, philanthropic efforts, mental health days, and if the company’s happy hour leftovers want to be my friend.

Bottom line: If the vibes are just off and you feel something is weird during the interview process, you’re probably right. Listen to your gut and look elsewhere.

Things to Slack your work besties

…as you bake banana bread while muted on a client call.

As a must-read-the-reviews-before-buying type of guy, I kinda love the concept of “de-influencing.” It’s where people give honest opinions about products (including those you definitely don’t need) instead of faking it for a paycheck. And honestly, no one does it better than the one and only Bethenny Frankel.

I love you, you love me…what the heck happened to the OG Barney? People are freaking out after Mattel recently announced the relaunch of the childhood icon…so much so that #NotMyBarney is an actual thing on Twitter. LOL.

So you’re telling me that if Rose scooted over just a pinch on the floating door, she and Jack would have lived happily ever?! 25 years later, Titanic director James Cameron admits Jack may have been able to survive. My heart WON’T go on, actually.

P.S. I recently found out that saying you're anti-cover letter is like saying Scary Spice is your favorite Spice Girl—it sparks a lot of conversation. I asked for your thoughts on cover letters and you delivered in a big way. Want to hear what the HR professionals think? Right this way.

Thanks so much for reading. Let’s make it a good week, and I’ll see you back here on Friday!

IDK WHAT DO I KNOW?! LMAO!

—Rod