'Are you tough enough to work here?': 20+ Employer comments that were instant red flags for interview candidates

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Feb 6, 2025 2:00 PM EST

For any folks out there who are just entering the professional world, there are numerous common mistakes people make when applying to jobs. Job applicants should, of course, be aware of what might be considered "red flags" in the eyes of recruiters and hiring managers. 

That being said, the same could be said of the reverse dynamic. For every red flag on a candidate's resume, there is a red flag on a job posting. For every weak answer an applicant makes in an interview, there is a problematic question or comment that a hiring manager utters. Keep scrolling below for this compilation of red flags made by employers to various job seekers!

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  • 01
    My Resume esc 80 § $ % & 1 2 3 4 5 6 k Q W E R T € 8 A S D F G Y C V B fn chri cmd
    via Markus Winkler

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

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    "What's the biggest red flag about a company that screams, 'Don't join us?'"

    HeadFit2660 . "Fast Paced, ever chagning, multi task environment! " Means they're gonna over work you or make you do sh that isn't in your job description
    via WonderfulMeat99

    If a company self-identifies as a fast-paced environment, that can easily be read as a subtle acknowledgment that this is a place that overworks its employees.

  • 03
    | Hogwarts hate all the bulls fake questions and hoops you have to jump through when you're job searching and interviewing. BUT, if a company essentially does the bare minimum to vet you, the interview process is a breeze, and they hire you, they probably have a very high turnover, and it's because they S k.
    via WonderfulMeat99

    This is a worthy sentiment right here. So much about the job application process is repetitive and eye-roll-inducing. That being said, you don't want things to be too easy. Then, you're at the risk of working for a desperate employer…

  • 04
    ClockParts Posters on the walls talking about NOT discussing pay.
    via WonderfulMeat99
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    im_poplar Applied, interviewed and hired all in the same day. Feels nice but actually is not nice.
    via WonderfulMeat99

    Speaking of desperate employers, this example just goes to show that there are plenty of companies out there where the hiring managers are not doing their due diligence. You do NOT want to work for these people.

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    send_me_jokes... When you ask about the training period during the interview and they say "we're still figuring that out"
    via WonderfulMeat99

    Some employers expect new hires to know everything on day one so as to shirk any responsibilities on their part to show folks how things are done.

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    Been at my job for almost a year and I have access to 10% of the systems I was "trained" on. Three of us were hired for this position, mid level IT stuff. They have almost no documentation,
    via WonderfulMeat99
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    and they keep having to pull people from other teams to handle the systems we don't have access to yet. We've asked over and over again
    via WonderfulMeat99
  • 09
    about getting access and everyone seems to think someone else is handling it... sometimes they say "checking" and then don't respond for a week.
    via WonderfulMeat99
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    I currently have maybe an hour of work a day because of this, so I'm not complaining. Still getting paid for 8! Working from home, so I have too much free time. But if you want a fulfilling career, this is certainly not it.
    via WonderfulMeat99
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    gogojack • "We work hard, and play hard!" Look...you're my employer. I have no desire to "play hard" with you outside of work. You are literally paying me to hang out with you during work hours, but when I'm off the clock and you're not paying me?
    via WonderfulMeat99

    Ah, the "work hard, play hard" fallacy. First of all, that never amounts to a healthy balance. If anything, it amounts to toxicity.

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    augustwestburg... we are a big family, usually means a disfunctional family, that only the senior people reap the true benefits of the profits. the underlings are expected to be loyal, but when its time for budget cuts, it is not meritocracy
    via WonderfulMeat99

    The same sentiment we applied to the "work hard, play hard" ideology also applies to any workplace environment that overuses "family" terminology. Family shouldn't be a contractual relationship, so there is no way a workplace can ever be a true family (unless, of course, we're talking about an all-family business).

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    Vegan_Harvest Complaining about employee behavior in the listing.
    via WonderfulMeat99

    This is a tell-tale sign of a frustrated, tonally challenged boss who refuses to accept that he is the problem.

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    kantotero69 "can perform well under stress" they will stress tf outta you bruv
    via WonderfulMeat99

    This falls into the same category as "fast-paced environment."

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    RiffRandellsBF The interviewers scowl when you say one of your priorities is "work-life balance".
    via WonderfulMeat99

    If they scowl at all during your interview, run away. Do not walk!

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    e-re WE ARE HIRING APPLY TODAY
    via Eric Prouzet

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

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    Feeling-Visit1472. They're looking for a "rock star"
    via WonderfulMeat99

    That means they are looking for a unicorn company man who will put up with just about anything.

  • 18
    T. I agree with everybody saying that "We're a family" is a huge red flag for any company. HI, sometimes when it's the literal truth it still sks. My cousin used
    via WonderfulMeat99
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    to work for my uncle's company back when he was in college and he'd always complain about never being off the clock because his dad would ask him about work stuff when they were at home and if he complained or refused he'd get offended.
    via WonderfulMeat99

    There goes that "family" terminology again…

  • 20
    [deleted] Their Glass Door reviews
    via WonderfulMeat99

    Always check that these reviews are legit! Some folks are suspicious that HR writes them!

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    Jkayakj At one interview they asked "are you tough enough to work here?".. That's not a red flag or anything.
    via WonderfulMeat99

    Tough enough? What is this, a high school wrestling team?

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    discostud1515. I interviewed to be a lecturer for a university. They sought me out and wined and dined me for a couple days and did a few presentations on the university. The presentations were on a TV hooked up to a VHS. This was in 2014.
    via WonderfulMeat99
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    Elsa_the_Archer My current job has issues where management tends to fire people once their three months probation period ends because that's when they are accepted into our union and then it's super difficult to fire someone.
    via WonderfulMeat99
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    Every person we've hired over the past six months has been fire just before their three month.
    via WonderfulMeat99
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    Also my current job. The OGS of the workplace bu y the sh out of new hires. It's always the elderly women who have worked at the place for like 40 years too.
    via WonderfulMeat99
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    They talk so much sh. And they tend to influence management on their firing practices by sowing discontent about certain employees. I'm so glad that I work in a clean room by myself all day where I don't have to deal with them.
    via WonderfulMeat99

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workplace-stories work stories toxic-workplace job work toxic-boss Horrible Bosses funny work stories job interview interview
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