Our View
𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐚 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐚 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞. — 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐮𝐬
But you also have to Remember Your Job Search is a 2-way Process!
Employers are still struggling to recruit Employees and it appears as if unappealing or poor Job Descriptions are a huge factor.
Revealing Statistics
- According to Paychex, potential employees are now doing a lot more due diligence during the Job Search process and pay transparency is becoming increasingly important.
- Rachel Sweeney, a Paychex HR coach, told CNBC Make It,
These were the top job search red flags, for job candidates:
➡️ No salary range specified – 65%
➡️ Low base salary – 60%
➡️ “Pay commensurate with experience” – 49%
➡️ Spelling and grammar mistakes – 48%
➡️ No mention of paid time off – 36%
➡️ Occasional weekend work – 33%
➡️ Too many interview rounds – 33%
🚩Job Search Red Flags
– Identifying these job search red flags Could well save you a lot of Future hassle and Heartache
You really must look out for these Red Flags because they could well be an indication of big trouble ahead!
Here are some of the job search Red flags you should be concerned about:
⛔ Poor Job Descriptions
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
Unfortunately there are often job descriptions with no salary so you could be looking at a big pay cut, compared to your existing job.
What makes things worse is that you often don’t find out the exact details until the interview.
The Ideal Job Description
- Job Title – It should be as specific as possible as such job titles are more effective than generic ones.
- Location
- Job purpose and objectives
- Job duties and responsibilities
- Required qualifications
- Preferred qualifications (These are nice to have but not essential)
- Salary and benefits
- Working conditions
- A Person Specification – Includes Required and Preferred qualifications, Level of experience, character traits and preferred Achievements.
– Try to avoid abbreviations and acronyms
⛔ Low Salary and Poor Benefits
Image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay
- This is the worst of all worlds because with many jobs you may reservations about the low salary but are buoyed by the fact that they offer a good benefits package.
- It could also be the other way around but when salary and benefits are low, it’s probably game-over, time to look elsewhere.
⛔ No details of Training or Progression
Image Credit: Pixabay
- This may indicate that career prospects are minimal or non-existent.
- Is this Job position potentially wasting your time?
- Don’t be afraid to ask what you could be potentially doing in 5-years’ time or how the company trains and develops their staff.
⛔ An Over Complicated or Frustrating Application Process
Image by Robin Higgins from Pixabay
- This is one of the things that really annoys job candidates and it can cost companies a heavy price.
- Here at JobPloy Solutions we’ve spoken to many job candidates right up to executive level.
- Very few are prepared to put up with application processes that go on for ever, are confusing or don’t set out a clear process.
- Many just leave the process and go elsewhere then these same employers complain about not getting enough high-quality talent.
⛔ A Lack of Communication
Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay
- Poor communication throughout the recruitment process will deter candidates from wanting to go any further and they’ll simply go elsewhere.
- Failure to get back to jobseekers in the timescales the company themselves promised is not a good look and may well be masking more serious issues within the company.
⛔ Poor Interview process
The interview is an opportunity for a potential employer to find out if you’re a good fit for their organisation.
It’s also your chance to engage positively and establish if the employer shares your values and whether they are right for you, through your own questioning.
- Bear in mind that job interviews can be very tricky, over the top or unnecessarily confrontational.
- Could these be more job search red flags.
- Or maybe an indication of a potentially Toxic Workplace, where managers are not interested in the opinions or wellbeing of employees?
⛔ Given Job at End of Interview
Image by Mary Pahlke from Pixabay
It’s a great feeling when you’ve been through a recruitment process and land that job you really wanted.
But what about if you find yourself in a situation where at the end of the interview they say the job is yours.
What’s Going On?
- Why the hurry?
- Is this employer struggling to retain staff?
- Are they trying to get you to agree to potential working conditions that could be detrimental to your mental health and family life?
⛔ Poor Onboarding Processes
We’ve all been there when you first start as a new employer, it’s your first day and your feelings could be anything from excitement to absolute terror.
Unfortunately companies that don’t have systems in place that help to integrate new employees and make them feel welcome are asking for on-going trouble.
- This is because if you’re expecting new starters to sink or swim instead of offering specific help and support it won’t end well.
- They’ll probably leave in the first few weeks of their employment.
- You’ve therefore wasted all that money during the recruitment process only for it to be triggered again and it will keep happening.
- If you’re a job candidate and there appears to be no mentoring or other support for new employees you need to be concerned.
- You can often find out this kind of information on company websites and career portals prior to the interview.
⛔ Spelling and Grammar Mistakes
This has to be the ultimate humiliation for a company looking to take on new talent. Creating a job description littered with spelling and grammatical errors.
Companies are always looking to ensure they’re showing their best side on their websites, advertising and social media platforms. So they can attract plenty of sales and their ideal clients.
Yet when it comes to writing job descriptions this same solid thinking and investment in the best resources seems to be lacking.
It’s baffling, how are they supposed to attract the best talent?
- This is because it’s damaging to the companies Employer Branding and credibility.
- Job candidates will go elsewhere and will understand completely the irony of employers having systems in place to reject Job Candidate CV’s for these same errors.
- Employers and Recruiters can save themselves the embarrassment and ensure that their job descriptions are checked properly for these mistakes by proofreading.
- Alternatively they could hire a company or get software that specifically deals with this for them.
⛔ Bad company Reviews
Image Credit: Pixabay
Job Candidates have got so many tools they can use in order to find out what it’s really like to work for their potential employer.
There are also many trusted employee review sites like Glassdoor, Indeed and LinkedIn Job search.
Poor company reviews would suggest all is not well at the company you’ve applied to but what’s incredibly useful is normally existing or former employees give their reasons.
G2 Ratings for these review sites are as follows:
Glassdoor: 4.1 out of 5.0
Indeed: 4.2 out of 5.0
LinkedIn Job Search: 4.5 out of 5.0
⛔ High Staff Turnover
Image Credit: Pixabay
Turnover rate is the number of employees taken on to replace those that have left over a certain period, usually calculated over the course of a year.
It’s a particularly important KPI (key performance indicator) as it reflects the health and stability of a company.
As a job candidate you may well have noticed yourself that certain jobs are repeatably readvertised. Then filled only to become available again.
The question you need to ask yourself is why?
Is it because of poor management, a toxic work environment, poor salary, benefits or a lack of growth opportunities?
Ask the questions and do the research in order to uncover the answers.
⛔ Negative Media Reports
Image by Memed_Nurrohmad from Pixabay
You must carry out company research for every job application because this enables you to uncover what’s happening with each employer you apply to.
- Are they going through a reorganisation?
- Downsizing?
- Subject to a takeover?
- About to fold?
As they say, knowledge is power!
⛔ Is There a Culture of Work Until You Drop?
Clues
It may well be mentioned that you’ll be expected to stay later on-demand or be on call whenever.
Not very compatible with family life, work/life balance or your mental health.
⛔ What’s Your Gut Feeling About the Job?
Image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay
When you’re going through the job search process with a particular employer things may happen that lead you to question whether they are right for you.
- It could be an over-aggressive interview process
- Very little detail on pay and benefits
- Just a bad feeling about the whole process.
If this is the case then you need to ask questions where there are doubts and research the company further and if you’re still not satisfied then you have a decision to make.
In Conclusion
We’ve produced an incredibly powerful set of tips that will help job candidates to avoid some horrific pitfalls that could land them in a place that you wouldn’t wish on your worse enemy.
You also need to ask a lot more questions or do more company research if you ever come across the red flags, we’ve outlined.
Employers and recruiters, thinking they can do what they’ve always done when it comes to recruiting new members of staff is not only outdated but damaging to the best interests of jobseekers.
Therefore the future is one where more job candidates are seeking out employers and recruiters that help and support them.
Such trusted employers and trusted recruiters can be found at JobPloy Solutions.
Is there anything I’ve missed or are there any other strategies that have enabled you to quickly recognise bad recruitment processes or poor employers?
Credits
Author
Jeff Parnell
✦ Founder of Garniche Jobs London
✦ Founder of the LinkedIn Group: Jobseeker Talk
✦ CEO & Founder of J O B P L O Y S O L U T I O N S
JobPloy Solutions Certification | Trusted Employer Listing | Prestigious Global Guide
