If a company needs to go through endless cycles of interviewing in order to assess your fit for a role, there’s something wrong with their decision-making processes . Perhaps even more troubling are those situations where companies seem to be using interviews as opportunities to get free consulting.
S. Anne Marie Archer describes herself as a recovering attorney and HR executive who teaches employees how to voluntarily exit discriminatory hostile work environments on their own terms. She advises candidates to take notice when “Questions about salary and the possibility of promotion and bonus awards make the interviewer visibly uncomfortable, or they dodge or side-step giving a direct answer.
A job at its core is a two-way exchange—talent for compensation—and there’s no reason why the interview process should focus almost exclusively on what they’re getting and completely ignore what they’re giving within the exchange. If they treat your compensation questions like a school yard game, don’t expect any real transparency once you sign on.
Archer warns candidates to be wary if “Questions about DEI and active and intentional inclusion at their organization make the interviewer visibly uncomfortable. If the interviewer or recruiter dodges or side steps giving a direct answer about their DEI program, and they can’t provide concrete metrics to support the statements they make about DEI, that’s a red flag.
While it’s important to actively notice these potential red flags throughout the interview process, there’s no substitute foras well. Remember that the interviewer will likely paint the most favorable and generous view of the company culture so it’s risky at best to take that at face value. Do yourself a favor and keep an eye out for red flags that may show up providing much more authentic insight into potentially dysfunctional or toxic cultures.