Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Red Flags From Job Listings That Scream 'Stay Away'

Reddit user Zdvj asked: 'What are some job-posting red flags that scream “Stay away”?'

Being able to work and make enough money to pay bills and get groceries is harder and more important than ever, but finding a good quality job where someone feels appreciated is being to feel as rare as, well, seeing a unicorn.

Ironically, it's the workplaces you'd want to avoid that are the exact ones who are seeking a unicorn themselves.


Redditor Zdvj asked:

"What are some job-posting red flags that scream 'Stay away'?"

"We're Looking For a Unicorn."

"Any use of the word 'Rockstar.'"

- Jsmith0730

"Or 'Ninja.'"

- Pumpkinspicepolice

"Also, 'Guru.'"

- nocolon

"Don't forget 'Wizard.'"

- ilikewc3

A Can-Do Attitude

"I’m finding a 'can-do attitude' to be problematic recently."

- chamomilky

The False Interview

"I agreed to a Zoom interview, showed up looking professional, and noticed eight other guys attending as well."

"The guy who called me said, 'Okay, guys, the presentation starts in 10 minutes; take notes because there will be questions at the end.'"

"I noped right out then and there."

- jimes00

"This happened to me once. They advertised for sales agents for home appliances."

"When I got there, it was a warehouse full of people who all thought they had a job interview, but it was a demonstration for one of those water companies. It was incredibly awkward."

- ishouldbefolding

"Anytime you enter a Zoom job interview,' and someone starts off with, 'Hello, everyone,' just disconnect immediately, because they are wasting your time."

- Effingehh

Signs of a High Turnover Rate

"'Urgently hiring multiple candidates.'"

- smurfsundermybed

"AKA: the entire last crew got p**sed and quit."

- miraculous-

To Be Determined

"'Salary to be discussed.'"

"Every single interview I've gone for that didn't disclose the salary upfront was severely underpaid."

- Mobile_Prune_3207

"When I was younger and recruiters reached out to me without a salary chat, I just took the interviews being naïve."

"Now I’ve learned the call doesn’t go any further until I know the salary band."

- toronto_programmer

Competitive for Whom?

"'Competitive wages.'"

- ACaffeinatedWandress

"Competitive pay means your pay will be competing against your bills."

- Random_Guy_47

A Fast-Paced Environment

"Fast-paced environment. That usually means absolute chaos with no one in charge."

- Spellflinger2019

"Translation: 'It’s so f**king busy and stressful that multiple people recently quit.'"

- md22mdrx

Team Player Culture

"'Work hard, play hard,' meaning, 'We’re all alcoholics.'"

- PaintedLady5519

"And even if they aren't alcoholics, they still schedule a lot of evening and weekend get-togethers that are unofficially mandatory."

- notthesedays

"And if you don't show up, you are 'not a team player.'"

- OldMork

Flexible Schedules

"And even if they aren't, they schedule a lot of evening and weekend get-togethers that are unofficially mandatory."

- missypierce

Degree and Pay Disagreement

"'Bachelor's degree required; starting pay $12.50 per hour.'"

- DeathSpiral321

A Variety of Factors

"A job listing written in all caps."

"A litany of technologies listed."

"'No job hoppers!'"

"If they ever suggest that you should care 'more about the work than compensation,' no, you shouldn't."

"'Some weekends' means, 'every weekend.'"

- template009

Start-Up Culture

"'Start-up culture,' means, 'a disorganized hot mess of egos."

- LeSmeg47

A Bubbly Personality

"Must have a bubbly personality."

"F**k off."

- silentwhim

"I wonder if this is code for, 'We want to hire an attractive young woman.'"

- beka13

"That's EXACTLY what that means."

- VivaLaCon88

"We're Family."

"'We are a family' companies expect you to be fine with getting underpaid and doing endless overtime because hey, they order food once in a while for the team, which is soo cool..."

- Zitson5150

From the Other Side of the Desk

"My job partially includes job placement. I went on a tour today with one of the higher-ups, and she used the word 'nightmare' several times to describe some things. Then she was complaining that they can’t get anyone to hire on or stay hired on, and that they had eight candidates file and get screened, and that day of, only two showed up."

"I wanted to ask so badly what they were paying, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to control my reaction, so I refrained."

"Then she complained later that people 'didn’t want to work, wanted to take days off during the middle of the week, and didn’t want to work over 40 hours.'"

"I was getting nauseous. I don’t want want to deal with that s**t, either, especially for half of my pay that I get now. Not to mention dealing with deadlines and back-breaking work."

"On top of that, they were b***hing about it from a nice office position. You don’t have to work in the factory with no climate control, lifting heavy s**t, or dealing with all the other countless bulls**t. You get to sit in a nice office and gossip with the other office people while making three times what those line workers get."

"I don’t know if I have the heart to place people in these positions."

- Jay-G

While we all need to make money and have a job in order to make that happen, we all deserve to have standards for our workplaces, just like the standards for how we are treated in our other relationships.

Though some of these characteristics have been on job listings for a long time, some of these tactics and phrases are pretty new and something to look out for, for those who haven't been job hunting for a while.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

An arial shot of a group of runners on red clay.
Photo by Steven Lelham on Unsplash

The Best Real-Life 'Cheat Codes' People Have Discovered

There are easy ways to get what you want in life.

You just have to know some tricks.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from Misha Brown's Facebook post
@Dontcrossagayman/Facebook

Gay Influencer Has Iconic Reaction After Woman Asks Him To Take Care Of Her Dog When She's Raptured

This week has had its high points and low points, but one thing is for certain: things did not end up as high in the hemisphere as some dedicated Evangelicals expected, given their now-viral belief that the rapture was coming on Tuesday, September 23.

After a South African evangelical pastor predicted back in June that the rapture, which is supposed to be the time when the most faithful Christians will ascend prior to the dark end times, Christians became dedicated to planning for the end they were sure was imminent.

Keep ReadingShow less
Newlyweds celebrating
man and woman facing each other
Photo by Skye Studios on Unsplash

Married Couples Break Down Why They Didn't Have Sex On Their Wedding Night

When we think about wedding days, we generally think of happy couples preparing for their big day, the celebration that will happen that day, the blush-worthy festivities of the evening, and then all that comes after: a honeymoon and starting a life together!

But sometimes couples are so happy celebrating their love with their loved ones, they realize the big "wedding night" can wait.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pop star Chappell Roan stunned fans with a thong wardrobe surprise at her Forest Hills show.
Joseph Okpako/WireImage via Getty Images

Chappell Roan's Jumbotron Shock!

Chappell Roan has become one of pop’s boldest new voices, pairing her music with fashion that mixes camp, drag, and unapologetic risk-taking. And sometimes that means a little chaos—intentional or not.

Case in point: last week in New York, when even Roan startled herself by what—or rather, what wasn’t—covering her fabulous bum on the Jumbotron.

Keep ReadingShow less
Rachel Bilson
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for 21Seeds

Rachel Bilson Opens Up About Getting Fired From Project Over Sexual Comment She Made On Podcast

Actors in wildly popular shows can be under the spotlight—oftentimes a harsh one.

During a guest appearance with Nicole Byer on the podcast Why Won't You Date Me, actor Rachel Bilson talked about a time when she lost out on an acting job due to a casual comment being noticed and commented on by the popular media.

Keep ReadingShow less