New hire spots red flags at mysterious company: 'Nobody knew what my job was'

Author image for Remy Millisky
Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Feb 5, 2025 11:00 AM EST

This worker is getting weirded out by their new place of employment. They're just not quite sure what to do when things seem too good to be true!  

There are plenty of red flags to be attuned to when you're looking for a new job. My #1 red flag is any company that texts me to announce that they're seeking new hires. Sorry, I'm just not going to open that message that starts off saying I can make $50 per hour from home with no experience. Why? Because it's too good to be true. A lot of these jobs are just not what they appear to be on first glance. 

Other red flags can be found throughout the interview process. For one thing, if you ever do a job interview and get hired on the spot or within hours, you might want to pause and consider exactly what you're getting yourself into. You should be wondering why the hiring managers are so desperate for a warm body that they'll hire the latest person they've spoken with. These places sometimes have high turnover, and are such bad working environments that you'll regret ever taking that job. 

This person is experiencing kind of the opposite, though. They got a job, and it's super dull, but they aren't really… doing anything. Read the full story below, and try to imagine what you'd do if you were in their shoes. 

After that, read about some employees who ducked out of their jobs with haste, like one person who left because "Nobody talks to me like that." 

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  • 01
    'So, now I'm sitting here, making more money than I ever have... for a company that might not even be real' ppp
    via Raj Rana on Unsplash+

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 02

    "I accidentally got hired for a job that doesn’t exist"

    So, this just happened, and I am freaking out. A few weeks ago, I applied to a bunch of jobs online-nothing fancy, just looking for something to pay the bills. One of them got back to me super fast. No interview, no reference check- just an email saying, "Welcome to the team. Report to the office on Monday."
    via u/Vegetable_League3623
  • 03
    Weird, right? But I was broke, so I figured, why not? Monday rolls around, and I show up at this fancy office building. There's a fully furnished desk with my name on it. A work laptop. An ID badge. But here's where it gets weird-nobody knew what my job was.
    via u/Vegetable_League3623
  • 04
    I asked the receptionist-she just smiled and said, "Oh, you must be from corporate." Corporate what?
    via u/Vegetable_League3623
  • 05
    My "boss" introduces himself, shakes my hand, and goes, "Glad to have you onboard." I ask him what exactly my role is, and he just laughs and says, "You know, the usual. Just keep doing what you're doing." I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I'M DOING.
    via u/Vegetable_League3623
  • 06
    For the past two weeks, I've been showing up, sitting at my desk, occasionally typing random stuff into Excel to look busy. My bank account? They're paying me. And not just a little-WAY more than I expected.
    via u/Vegetable_League3623
  • 07
    I tried looking up the company, and... it doesn't exist. The website is a single landing page with no real info. No Linkedln presence. Nothing.
    via u/Vegetable_League3623
  • 08
    Cheezburger Image 10463379968
    via Nastuh Abootalebi on Unsplash+

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 09
    So, now I'm sitting here, making more money than I ever have, at a job I don't understand, for a company that might not even be real.
    via u/Vegetable_League3623
  • 10
    What do I do? Quit before I end up in some government conspiracy? Or ride this out until someone figures out the mistake?
    via u/Vegetable_League3623
  • 11
    skidplate09 That's definitely weird. It sorta feels like the job I have now where I do nothing on most days. Use it as an opportunity to get paid to look for another job.
    via u/skidplate09
  • 12
    nickyler You have to keep it up just for the story. Also do you need another coworker? Asking for a friend.
    via u/nickyler
  • 13
    MaddhousJC My honest opinion. Quietly collect money until they realize their mistake and Im making and MAXING a roth IRA asap so when it does go south some rainy day mess is already underway
    via u/MaddhousJC
  • 14
    HEATSEEKR_ Roll with it
    via u/HEATSEEKR_
  • 15
    JimmyBing66 Ask if you are able to work remotely.
    via u/JimmyBing66
  • 16
    Prob_P ing Why are you even going in? See how long you can sit at home and do nothing while being paid. If they start noticing and want you in there ask them why. No such thing as free money you're being setup or they needed headcount on the books.
    via u/Prob_P***ing
  • 17
    Legitimate_Ad785 I worked for a year for a company like this, they had many investors, so they hired a lot of people to look big. Basically everything was just a front. We all did nothing and got paid well. We had many bs projects but all bs.
    via u/Legitimate_Ad785
  • 18
    Chance_Universit... Start scheduling meetings with your co workers. Ask them questions like where do you see yourself in five years, what do you contribute to the company, what do they think of direction the company is going, ect... then when you've interviewed everyone
    via u/Chance_University_92
  • 19
    just randomly walk the office making awkward intense eye contact with Randoms. Bonus points if you speek to Noone at lunch because you "are not here to make friends".
    via u/Chance_University_92

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boss workplace-stories jobs job mysterious bosses new hire work coworkers workplace
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