People Are Sharing The Green Flags From Job Interviews That Tell You It’s A Good Place To Work

by | Sep 12, 2022 | Latest News | 0 comments

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1. “When they ask you questions about yourself (What are your interests? Hobbies? What are you most proud of personally?) to show what kind of person you are rather than how much of a workhorse you will be. This shows that they are interested in learning how you will fit into the team as a person, that they aren’t interested in someone who eats, breathes, and sleeps work 24/7. They want to take a chance on someone who has work-life balance, who isn’t going to burn out in six months.”

“Red flag: if they ask you what you do to relax or unwind — this usually indicates the work environment is extremely stressful.”
—KavaBuggy

2. “If they ask you what you do for self-care. This is a signal that they see work/life balance as important and want you to be self-aware about your mental health.”

—jillannk3

3. “If during the interview they talk about more than just the business; if they tell you something personal about themselves (hobbies, etc.) and ask about yours. Basically, if it turns into a conversation. It shows they are interested in you as a person and not as a *insert job title here.*”

—ladicair

4. “When you ask the interviewers something about the business, like their culture, sustainability, values etc, and they answer with genuine passion about the company.”

—sophiemcatling

5. “For me when it comes to looking at teaching jobs, it’s how well of a vacation they give you! For example, Christmas break — if it’s two days or less then or (and yes this has happened) they make you work on MLK day it’s clearly a space that doesn’t care for you, thinks that you are disposable, and meant for a run-in with bad administration. Hey, teachers need a break from school, too! But if they give you a week to relax and to revive yourself for the new year it’s a done deal that you hit the jackpot!”

6. “As a mom, it’s been a major green flag for me when everyone I interview with casually brings up their family/kids and/or has family photos on their desk. I want to know it’s a place where there is an understanding that everyone has a life beyond work.”

—amandalevyp

7. “If they express how excited they would be for you to join the team, how much of an asset you would be, etc. So many places have fallen into the trend of trying to make you feel like they are doing YOU some favor in hiring you, and that YOU should be grateful they are giving you a chance, which most of the time is a manipulation tactic so you’ll settle for less than you deserve.”

“I left a career of 10 years because of those manipulation tactics. I have been at my new position for over a year now, and they made me feel wanted and needed in the interview, which has continued through my employment so far. I am told often how thankful they are that I joined the team, I am paid what I should be with automatic raises as well as earned ones, and we all are overall happy because everyone is treated this way. Being VALUED rather than made to feel as though you have to constantly prove yourself is a HUGE thing.”

—kdub24

8. “If they greet the receptionist when they come to retrieve me, that’s a green flag. That tells me that they’re relaxed enough to take the time to say hi to people, that they have the opportunity to interact with different departments, and that I’m not dealing with a jerk who’s trying to impress me with how powerful and important they are.”

—buzzkeeper

9. “I went to an in-person interview once with a high-leveled executive at a mid-sized company. As we walked down a hall she waved at the janitor, greeted him by name, and then told him to wish his daughter a happy birthday. If a high-level person has the consideration and friendliness to remember a janitor’s child’s birthday, then you know for sure she would care about you. I accepted the offer in a heartbeat and it’s been perfect ever since.”

—ieatraw_eggs123

10. “When I interviewed for the job I currently have, my boss-to-be asked me if I had any experience with a particular skillset (digital-based). Before I could answer, they said, ‘totally fine if you don’t, we’re happy to teach you and have you learn on the job, I just want to get a sense for where you’re at with it.’ It made me feel like I didn’t have to perform in my interview and could have an open discussion about if this job would fit for me.”

“In addition, one of the questions was, ‘If a client asked you to complete something at 4:30 p.m. on a Friday and it would take more than a half hour, what would you do?’. I live in a capitalist society so I said I would do it, and they giggled and said, ‘We don’t expect that from you, we’d expect you to tell them you’d get to it on Monday.’ All of this, coupled with the fact that they’re extremely flexible on hours as long as we ‘get our work done,’ has made this a dream environment to work in.”

—dominicanemec

11. “An interview I had a few years back with my former employer. They asked me if I had ever dined at one of their restaurants before, and I told them yes. They asked me what I liked about the place, which is fairly standard. What I saw as a green flag was when they then followed up by asking me what I thought they needed to do better on. It’s rare that a potential employer is willing to take criticism, especially coming from a potential employee.”

“The icing on the cake was that the hiring manager interviewing me then asked more detailed questions about the feedback I gave him. I ended up working there for two years. It was a great job and I still love that restaurant. I left to move back home.”

—willsamplelds

12. “I recently accepted a job because of the way the managing director answered the question: ‘What is the expectation from you for a successful candidate to come up to speed?’ The director replied that it takes six months for a person to know anything and at least a year to be good at it. So many jobs want a person to ‘hit the ground running,’ but that’s neither realistic nor smart. Someone who’s new to a role needs time to settle in and get their feet wet.”

—tarah4890c00e8

13. “A green flag for me is when the interview feels more like a conversation than just a checklist of questions that could have ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answers. A person being the right fit for a job goes so far beyond checking the interviewer’s boxes and having a qualified resume.”

—looloo_

14. “When they ask you natural questions and follow-up questions instead of just reading the planned list. That shows they’re interested in you as an individual, not just checking you can tick their criteria.”

“Also everything that happens outside the interview. Do the interviewers interact with other staff members as they walk through the building? Is there a positive atmosphere?”

—kkat22

15. “If you ask about expectations and work/life balance, they can explain how they set and support them in a realistic way — no buzz words, actual actions, like ‘you’re not expected to answer calls out of hours’ and ‘we’re results-focused, not presenteeism-focused, so you’ll have continuous objectives and regular 121’s.'”

—sophiemcatling

16. “If they show compassion at the interview, you know it’s a good place. Back in 2018, I was on my way to a job interview and got mugged by four kids on bikes. I arrived visibly shaken at the place and explained what had happened. They allowed me plenty of time to talk to the police and then calm down before my interview (they actually asked if I wanted to reschedule, but I preferred not to do it another day).”

“I got the job and it was a really good place, everybody in the team, from the director to the janitor, was very nice. (I quit a few years later, when I got a divorce and had to move back to my hometown.)”

—xavin

17. “[I] was interviewed for a job a few years ago (didn’t get it) but the thing that stood out to me was I was taken on a tour of the plant and left alone to talk to the workers and found out that most of them had been there 20+ years and were still happy. I was used to places with high turnover rates so to see a place where people stuck around for years was refreshing.”

—irienewf

18. “When I asked a question about what the interviewer liked most about her job, she smiled and said ‘my team’ and elaborated a bit about their value and how well they worked together. When someone managing actually talks about employees as humans and not just about how they bring in big numbers, I see it as a green flag. I worked for that business for four years and I had a good experience. I only left for better pay.”

—panda_13

19. “I did a zoom interview with the business owner and the manager (in 2020). My elderly cat decided to invite herself into the interview, and knocked over my phone within the first few minutes. I was mortified because I was worried about making a bad impression, but they asked for me to hold up my cat and introduce her, and asked about how I had adopted her. It put me at such ease that they were so chill about it and were taking an interest in my personal life! It was a successful interview; I now work with them and it is such a wonderful job and work atmosphere.”

“It’s also a testament to being yourself and being honest in the interview — my now-boss told me that they were in talks with someone else to work for him. Immediately, I told them they should hire the other person, especially if they needed the income. Because even though I didn’t like my current job I would stay there, and let someone who NEEDED the job have it.

Bearing in mind of course that this interview was in the summer of 2020, when people were being laid off at worst and having massively reduced hours at best. My now-boss told me that the other person was actually just looking for part-time seasonal hours, but he and my now-manager were both so impressed by my immediate willingness to help someone I didn’t know out, and that I would be the perfect fit! (That sounds a lot like a humble brag. Wasn’t trying to be; sorry, lol.)”

—captainkappa173

20. “My favorite interview question is to ask how they managed and helped employees during the 2020 pandemic. Did they do lots of online socials, send care kits to employees like brownies or even promote people? If they struggle to answer or aren’t specific, then run.”

“My previous workplace organized localized picnics for the team as we had quite a few people living in certain areas, so when we were allowed to meet in small groups they organized this. That to me is a good sign that they care and they won’t let you off the moment things go downhill.”

—xcollapsix

21. “It’s a major green flag if the interviewer volunteers to give you a tour of the space. If it’s really such a great job, they’ll show you around and let it speak for itself as you see the building. Plus, you’ll be able to get a feel for the environment if you take a tour during the workday, so you can take note of how happy/relaxed the employees look. Ideally, they won’t even need to upsell the job that much.”

—electricbutts

22. “If you’re being interviewed by more than one person, how the interviewers interact with each other is so telling. I know you don’t *have* to like your colleagues, but it’s a much more positive environment when you do. If they genuinely seem to get on well and make an effort to include you as the interviewee, it’s probably a good environment.”

—jadefishes

23. “My green flag in a job interview was when I didn’t get asked to jump through hoops. As a designer, I usually go through 8+ rounds of interviews with multiple portfolio presentations and take-home projects. For the first time ever, I got away with only 3 rounds of interviews and no presentation or project — and therefore had a much less stressful process overall. I accepted the job when it was offered and it has been the most accepting and wholesome work environment I’ve ever experienced.”

“If you are comparing against multiple places and you had less stress during the interview at one place, that should always be the job you take!”

—clogan753

24. “When they can explain what the learning, development and career path opportunities are — bonus points if they can talk about how much they promote internally.”

—sophiemcatling

25. And finally, we’ll leave you with a whole list of green flags from this user’s interview for their dream job:

“1. The two interviewers clearly got along and everyone around seemed generally relaxed and happy

2. They were very open about what things weren’t awesome as much as the things that were

3. They laughed easily and openly

4. Boss invited co-interviewer to take lead at one point and complimented her questions

5. Both interviewers used positive descriptors of colleagues when referring to them and genuinely meant the compliments

6. Realistic expectations that it takes months and even years to really own the position and make it your own

7. They were prepared with lists of questions, but it felt far more like a conversation

8. The ‘perks’ were an afterthought and talked about like happy bonuses, not excuses for low pay

9. Made it clear that there was plenty of support and no one expected you to have your stuff together right away

10. They were upfront about why predecessors had left the role.”

Source: Forbes

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