Job Interview Red Flags: Important Warning Signs to Look Out for When Interviewing

The job interview process can be one of the most stressful experiences in life. You confront a tidal wave of emotions, from anxiety to exhilaration and fear. In between, there will be periods of euphoria when you think you nailed the interview—and most certainly will get an offer—to moments of anger when you realize it’s not going your way.

As you feel the different emotions, you might stop thinking objectively. It then becomes easy to miss cues and telltale signs indicating a problem with the job or company. Just as you overlook flaws in the potential home you have your heart set on and dismiss friends’ advice about your choice for a partner, you can fall in love with the idea of a job and lose touch with reality.

Watch out for the job interview red flags that should send you running for the hills.

1. It’s difficult to start the job interview process.

If it’s not easy to submit your resume, you might want to be careful.

A company’s career page and job board is their first impression, and it shouldn’t be ridden with glitches or crash when you’re filling it out. This demonstrates that the company views you as a cog in the machine and can be a sign of how you’ll be treated if you join the company.

2. They don’t get back to you for weeks or months.

Imagine this scenario: After several months, you’ve forgotten about the job. Now, out of the blue, you’re contacted by someone at the company. They’re unapologetic about the delay and immediately start interrogating you about your background. Caught by surprise, you ask to reschedule the call for a better time. which is met with a hard “no.”

Unfortunately, this happens more often than you would think.

And a lack of respect for your time is a definite red flag.

3. Job interviews are scheduled or canceled without consulting you.

The human resources team, recruiter and hiring manager should respect your time when scheduling job interviews. Interviews should not be scheduled without consulting you beforehand.

You shouldn’t feel pressured to give in to their demands to keep your candidacy for the job.

Similarly, interviewers and hiring managers should not cancel for a vague reason without giving you notice.

4. The interviewers are distracted.

The hiring manager or interviewers should give you the respect you deserve during a job interview. They should not glance at meals or their phone when you’re answering a question, and they shouldn’t leave you sitting awkwardly and without acknowledgment.

Even if the hiring manager is a senior executive, they should have blocked the time for the job interview so that they can participate seriously and with their undivided attention.

5. There is no follow-up after the job interview.

The job interview process already takes a long time between the people you have to meet and the scheduling. You should be wary if there is little or no communication after a round of interviews. It could be a sign that they don’t respect you, your candidacy or your time.

The bottom line

These red flags share a certain commonality: the company doesn’t value you, your time and what you bring to the table. To them, you are a commodity—a body to sit in a seat. It could be you or anyone else to them. Even if the job sounds great and the money is fantastic, be forewarned. These other signals are warning signs of what to expect when you are in the role. During a job interview, everyone shares their good side; if this is their good side, you should be afraid of what they are really like.

This article was written by Jack Kelly for Forbes and was lightly edited and published with permission.