5 Red Flags to Look Out for in a Job Listing
In a 2023 report, 73% of employees in the UK agreed that a toxic work environment contributed to their burnout. Detecting a lack of work/life balance early in your application process can therefore save you from joining a company that could have a harmful impact on your mental health.
Written by Valentine Fabre
While expanding your job search beyond a specific role or job title can help you acquire valuable experience and further develop your skill set, not all jobs are worth applying for. Keeping this in mind when looking for a new position can save you a lot of time, and potentially protect you from joining an ill-fitting work environment.
To help you navigate the sea of job listings available online, here are five red flags to look out for in a job post.
An Emphasis on Hard or Stressful Work Conditions
In a 2023 report, 73% of employees in the UK agreed that a toxic work environment contributed to their burnout. Detecting a lack of work/life balance early in your application process can therefore save you from joining a company that could have a harmful impact on your mental health.
Indeed, ads that call out candidates who “thrive under pressure” or are open to working a “flexible schedule” abound. While it does not instantly mean a company’s culture is problematic, if you spot these phrases in a job listing, read the rest of it carefully and look for other signs of a poor work/life balance.
This can be a strong emphasis on the company’s “fast-paced environment”, combined with employees being required to “take on additional work” or “work independently” — which together indicate little to no support from your employer.
Uncompensated Interview Tasks
If a company asks you to complete an assignment before it holds an initial screening call or interview, this might be a sign that it is looking for cheap labour instead of hiring for talent. Before investing your time and energy, ask for the company’s budget for interviewee projects, and what they intend to do with the work once it is submitted.
If you are happy with their response and decide to complete the task, make sure it includes a copyright notice stating your work may only be used for screening purposes, to protect it from being wrongfully used by the company.
For example:
“Copyright © [YOUR NAME], 2024. All Rights Reserved. This presentation and its contents are the intellectual property of [YOUR NAME], for the intended use of the interview process with [COMPANY]. The presentation may not be reproduced, distributed, or used for any other purpose without the express written consent of [YOUR NAME].”
Vague Salary Structure
While the absence of a precise salary is not a deal-breaker in and of itself as the matter is typically discussed later in the interview process, a vague pay structure or range, combined with the term “earning potential”, should be considered carefully.
If a job listing states a wide salary range, say between £50,000 to £180,000, it often means that the salary is commission-based, and that you will, more likely than not, earn the lower end of the spectrum. To avoid disappointment, ask the recruiter or hiring manager about the qualifying metrics for a commission or a bonus; if they cannot offer you a straight answer, it might be worth looking for transparency elsewhere.
Little Detail in the Job Description
The application process is how companies learn about you as a candidate, but it is also a way for you to discern and apply for the most fitting position to your skills and career goals. A listing that does not offer detail about what the role entails or about the department/organisation itself will likely have little to no specific duties — which could de facto lead you to assume way more responsibility than you should (or are paid to).
Of course, a succinct description does not always signify a lack of structure. Still, as a candidate, you want to know if and how your qualifications fit a certain position and company, and if they fail to prioritise your understanding of that, they might not be a great fit.
“Companies collect applicants’ CVs to draw up a profile of the perfect candidate, against which they measure current employees and future applicants with no intention of immediately hiring anyone. ”
The Listing Has Been Open for a Long Time or Keeps Getting Reposted
If you come across the same job listing regularly — even if it seems interesting — it may be a sign that the company is either overly picky about candidates, or that it is not actually hiring.
While the former can be a sign of unrealistic expectations, the latter could suggest the unethical practice of “candidate benchmarking” — whereby companies collect applicants’ CVs to draw up a profile of the perfect candidate, against which they measure current employees and future applicants with no intention of immediately hiring anyone. To not waste your time sending a tailored application, check how long the listing has been live or how many times it has been reposted.
In Conclusion
Navigating job listings is an essential part of searching for new opportunities, but to do so effectively you need to exercise critical thinking to avoid wasting time and energy — your most valuable resources as a job seeker — and avoid possible deceptions.
Use this guide as a point of reference, but also tune into your intuition — if something feels too good to be true, it most likely is.
Discover more tips and find help to get ready for your next interview directly on The Glowth Academy.