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

Ryan Gosling; Jake Hamilton
Jake's Takes/YouTube

Ryan Gosling's Reaction To Being Interviewed By Journalist Who Is Stranded In The Desert Is All Of Us

Celebrities get interviewed from all kinds of places, but the side of the road in a desert? That's not typically one of them.

But for a recent sit-down with Ryan Gosling, that's exactly where Good Day Chicago reporter Jake Hamilton ended up asking his questions. From the side of the road, no less.

Keep Reading Show less
Screenshots of Sheldon Whitehouse and Kristi Noem
PBS News

Kristi Noem Blasted For Trying To Play Dumb After Being Shown Photos Of Bedroom On Her Luxury Jet

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was called out after appearing dumbfounded this week after Rhode Island Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse grilled her about her use of a luxury jet by showing her images of its bedroom.

On Monday, Noem testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee about the DHS recent funding lapse. Last month, reports surfaced that Noem’s department had sought approval from the Office of Management and Budget to purchase a luxury Boeing 737 Max 8.

Keep Reading Show less
Screenshot of Hillary Clinton; Donald Trump
@GOPoversight/X; Kay Nietfeld/Picture Alliance via Getty Images

Hillary Clinton Was Asked If Trump Should Be Deposed About Epstein—And Her Blistering Response Is Spot On

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave a blistering response during her deposition in the House Oversight Committee's Epstein investigation when asked about whether or not she thinks President Donald Trump should also be deposed.

Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, testified separately behind closed doors last week before the House Oversight Committee regarding their connections to Jeffrey Epstein, the late financier, pedophile, and sex trafficker. Video recordings of the depositions were released by the committee on Monday.

Keep Reading Show less
screenshots of friendly fire incident with US F-15 over Kuwait
@CNN/Instagram

Video Of Kuwaiti Locals Rushing To Help American Pilot Shot Down In Friendly Fire Incident Goes Viral

Video of Kuwaitis hurrying to check on the condition of a United States Air Force pilot who ejected from an F-15 fighter jet went viral online.

It has been reported by United States Central Command (CENTCOM) that three U.S. military jets were accidentally shot down over Kuwait as a result of "an apparent friendly fire incident" by Kuwaiti air defenses. Initial reports attributed the crashes to Iranian military forces.

Keep Reading Show less
Donald Trump
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

Trump Was Spotted With A Huge Rash On His Neck—And Nobody Is Buying The Explanation

President Donald Trump's health and fitness are once again in the spotlight after he was spotted with a red rash on his neck to go along with the bruises on his hands—and the White House physician's explanation for the matter isn't satisfying anyone.

A reddish mark could be seen on Trump's neck during a Medal of Honor ceremony on Monday, extending above his shirt collar and ending just beneath his ear.

Keep Reading Show less