The Red Flags in Job Advertisements
The job market can be a nightmare to navigate for anyone without prior experience. Having recently left an organisation after one and a half years of service, I found myself on the job market once again. As I found myself on the hunt, I learned to spot certain signs in job advertisements that made me think, "I'd rather be unemployed." Here are some of the top ones:
"We are a family"
If you see this in any job posting, run in the opposite direction. Firstly, any employer that is unprofessional enough to include such a point in either a job advertisement or an interview is a problem by itself. However, in most cases, such a statement usually is an indicator that the employer exploits its employees.
See, when a job tries to imply that the work environment is one where the team feels like a family, it just means that there is a lack of professionalism and probably a lack of fixed work hours. Just like your family expects you to do things for free, these types of employers will also be doing the same.
No Remuneration
I feel like there's a lot of organisations and start-ups that try and hire people without wanting to pay for them. Whether it's an internship or a part-time gig, avoid unless there is some form of remuneration involved. Promises of payment upon completion of tasks, experience certificates and access to "professional networks" don't count either.
The reason I say this is that if an employer is unwilling to commit to paying you, then they honestly should not be trying to hire. And any employer that doesn't pay you, doesn't respect you either. You'll waste your time doing menial tasks or will be overworked to the point that you're burned out.
Insecure Interviews
Now this section is specifically dedicated to interview questions. The type of questions that an employer or recruiter asks you during an interview are highly indicative of how the organisation operates.
Employers who constantly stress upon whether you'll leave after gaining some quick experience are the ones to look out for. Any employer that can give a candidate an opportunity that suits them, along with the possibility of growing within the organisation does not need to obsess over these details. Good interview questions are based around the role that you have applied for, the skills you bring to the table and your long-term career goals, and if the company can accommodate the vision you have outlined for yourself.
Discussing Salary
Sometimes certain interviewers do not want to discuss salaries during the interview. This doesn't make a lot of sense, as people work for the pay, and they have every right to not waste the time of both parties by directly discussing the compensation during the interview process. It saves both the applicant as well as the interviewer valuable time. However, such basic concepts are sometimes absent in the Bangladeshi job market, as employers stick to old-school mentalities that are no longer applicable.
Finding your first job is a big deal. And therefore, it's of the utmost importance to find the right one. Even top organisations sometimes have problematic ideals embedded into them, and that is why it's even more important that you start looking for the signs as you apply, rather than being bombarded with them after you're hired.
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