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7 Signs You May Regret Taking The Job

A Life After Layoff

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Everybody talks about job interviews like the company deciding whether they want you. Nobody talks about the fact that they're also showing you exactly who they are, and most people are too busy trying to get picked to notice. As a corporate recruiter with 20+ years at Amazon, FedEx, and Korn Ferry, I'm breaking down 7 signs during the interview process itself that tell you exactly what you're walking into, before you accept the offer, not after.

None of these signs mean walk away on the spot. They mean pay attention, because the interview is the only time a company is required to make you look good. If this is what it looks like now, it's fair to ask what it looks like once you're not being recruited anymore.

00:00 - Start
00:59 - Stressful interviewing
03:28 - Intervierw chaos
05:25 - They can't define the job
06:16 - Bad boss signals
08:20 - Trashing the last guy
09:08 - Changing the terms
10:39 - No negotiating

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I spent 20 years as a corporate recruiter hiring thousands of people into companies like Amazon, FedEx, Korn Ferry, and ABB. I teach what actually happens inside the hiring process — not what sounds good on LinkedIn.

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20 Comments

@bobkorzeniowski 2 months ago

How bad a company treats their candidates is how bad they treat their employees.

@indridcold2872 2 months ago

Did an interview 5 years ago with 3 founders of a IT company. One of the guys was very preoccupied with his hair, the other one was asking what my PKI were (they were pretty outstanding), he didn't believe my stats. An hour after the interview I did send an email that I was not interested. If there is no trust it's not worth it. Company closed doors 3 years later.

@BuzzinVideography 2 months ago

First and biggest red flag:
The interview process is a mess or takes too long

@TNTinFL 2 months ago (edited)

Years ago, I interviewed at a company that had several red flags I noticed. The main things that stuck out for me were:
1. They were very disorganized. Interviews got cancelled, rescheduled, people showed up late, etc.
2. The job description seemed far too vague and the expectations for the role seemed to vary based on who I was talking to.
3. Several of the interviewers seemed either dis-interested or downright hostile in the interview. Like they either didn't care or thought they had something to prove.

In the end, I ended up turning down the role. In retrospect, I have a suspicion that was a great decision.

@WillieRayPR 2 months ago

I wish I had listened to my gut on my last job. Many of these signs were there and I identified them but I was so adamant on leaving a bad boss, only to transition to an even worse boss. Jumped ship to a better environment with clear metrics for success.

@Allofthemonkeys 2 months ago

Did an interview with a place and thought it went well, but didn't hear back for a month. I followed up and they said that they were going to check my references, and my references let me know that they'd been contacted. Then another month went by, I followed up and heard nothing back. I checked their website and saw that there was now someone listed in the role. Thanks I guess.

@lyupul6468 2 months ago

Omg this was everything in my current job:
- micromanager
- unreasonable expectations
- reviews are like: super small stupid details flagged as flaws

Turns out my boss is super insecure, and has poor math skills in a finance role, and hence makes up for that by "seeking excellence" and "workaholism"

@tjsmith3741 2 months ago (edited)

Probably seven or eight years ago I interviewed with a fortune 50 corporation. I went through the interview process with multiple managers, It seemed to go well. They actually left me hanging for over two months as to whether or not I got the position; they did not give me a firm answer. Ultimately, I contacted their HR rep and told them to withdraw my name from the candidate pool. It’s the first and only time I’ve ever done that.

@aslkdjfzxcv9779 2 months ago

most companies have too many red flags. 😅

yes, im kinda picky.

@HappyJ-876 2 months ago

After listening to this I am glad I didn't get a job at one company I interviewed at. One guy was asking reasonable questions. The other one didn't even turn his camera on and proceeded to boss me around during his little test. I clicked on a diagnostic panel and he started yelling. Make a good point that probably would have continued. No camera yelling man child. Even his co-worker seemed to be unnerved.

@Esoteric_Nature 2 months ago

This is great commentary and advice. 25 years in I.T. and I have worked for some great companies and some very poor disorganized employee unfriendly companies. A total of 10 in my career.
The interview is the tell.
The great companies had great interviews. All the poor companies (when I got an offer, accepted, and left 18 months later) had interrogation like interviews, panel interviews, really tricky and gotcha like scenarios, in reverse interviewers that couldn't answer my questions well and an overall exhausting experience.

@SpicyLakeEffect 2 months ago

I have never had a job that started off toxic. I have turned down jobs that gave me bad vibes, either because of the interviewer or things that happened during the process. But, you can also have a job that was great for awhile and through company changes it turned toxic. This happened twice. In hindsight I saw the toxicity coming and always waited too long to do anything. If your job was good for years it’s hard to leave, even though you know there’s no going back to the days before the toxic wave hit (company restructuring, leader changes,reorganization, etc).

@GillmerPhilanthropic 2 months ago

Major sign: positioning most questions to expose why you REALLY left each job.

@alexandrebibet7143 2 months ago

They seem to ask questions till they find something wrong. Interviewing to reject not to hire. Even if they reject every one and have to post the job again.

@jess_craigmore 2 months ago

After being laid off in 2025 from a 5 year project as part of DOGE, I'm at my second job since then and I hate it. The first job, I felt I needed to take something, anything, and it was toxic. The owner wanted to work us like dogs to fund putting her kids in private school. She was also close friends with my supervisor and they had no HR department to complain to. I ended up leaving after 8 months. In the current and second job, it's just as toxic where it's next level chaos, a manager that can't fart unless she asks our VP, and cameras must be on but the VP doesn't lead by example so hers is off. The interviews went well at both companies but like they say, the grass may be green on top only to find a septic tank underneath! I am trying to get out but God give me strength. As a Gen Xer, it's not easy...I just want to get somewhere that works so I can have some semblance of peace and make it to 62.

@therealjoshtodd 2 months ago

I've only had one job that I took that was toxic that I didn't HAVE to take. It was only my second professional job and I didn't know the red flags. I've had 3 other jobs (including my current one) that were toxic but in all 3 cases, I was either already unemployed, or was going to be unemployed within a month because my company lost the recompete, so I basically HAD to take the job. In this climate, beggers can't be choosers. Sometimes you gotta see the red flags, acknowledge them, and take the job anyway. Then you just keep looking

@alitava6844 2 months ago (edited)

The common things I see in job interviews that are red or orange flags for me:
1) they are not welcoming. They look cold and not interested, they even don't offer you a cup of tea or coffee.
2) they are too quick in interview process, and very soon you realize they are in middle of a chaotic situation and want you to be their punch bag.
3) interviewers are very to the point, and are not very interested to describe the job properly or know you well enough. Mostly they say what they want out of you, and their are vague about conpensations.
4) they are looking for flaws in your resume instead of admiring the positive side of it. You should fight to prove your worth, like they are the prize.
5) they always negotiate about your salary expectations like they don't believe in your worth, or maybe they are a very poor company that cannot afford that little money to pay you.
6) in some extreme cases, they are straight disrespectful. Making fun of you or your resume, asking very private questions, etc. this one is a Black flag.

@Some_Guy_From_The_Internet 2 months ago

In a bad economy most companies are toxic because the market is extremely competitive, it keeps the people on the edge most of the time. Just look at the big tech.

@pwasss 2 months ago (edited)

I once interviewed for a job that had 5 rounds. The last round was a panel with 3 senior level executives and one of them chose the gatcha tactic. He kept telling me he was testing my ability on the fly but made the entire room was the entire time. I ended up getting the offer but refused it.