Identifying when it's time to walk away from a recruitment process.

Have you had second thoughts about a job you applied for? Did you decide that you don't want the job you just interviewed for? Are there some red flags that are keeping you awake at night? There are many reasons to withdraw from consideration for a position. The key is to identify that something just isn’t right and then doing something about it.

Auxeris has some ways that can help you assess whether a business is potentially a good fit for you:

• What are the ethos and culture? Do you respect this? Is this aligned to your personal and professional values?

• Look for red flags, check out GlassDoor and other reviews. If there have been negative comments ask what steps they are taking to address these and make sure you are satisfied with their answers before progressing any further.

• How do people address each other within the organisation, is their tone positive, inclusive, informal, friendly, supportive?

• Do they have a long winded recruitment process or are they efficient and fast moving?

• Why has the vacancy arisen? Is it because of expansion or is it replacing someone who has left (if so, why did they leave)?

• If career progression is important to you, do they have strong succession planning and support personal development?

• Ask about their values and how they implement them into how they treat their team (they may have a super duper D&I statement but look at their leadership team, just how representative are they?)

• Are they pressuring you for an answer quickly?

Candidates, never be afraid to ask the questions you need to ask. Whether negative or positive, both responses are a gift and at least you know what their stance is. Knowledge gives you the power to decide whether an organisation will be a good fit for you.

Some more red flags?

Now we have covered what to look for, let’s look at some of the red flags you should be on the lookout for when assessing a potential employer?

A common mistake and often a red flag that an organisation is woefully out of date is failing to put salaries on job postings. At Auxeris, we strongly advocate putting salary ranges on job adverts and being able to disclose that information on the first exploratory conversions with candidates.

As touched upon above, a long winded recruitment process should heed careful consideration - why so long winded? Is this indicative of bureaucracy within the organisation or are they just super careful about who they hire? Find out more.

How are they at communicating with both you and the recruiter - how quick are they to organise interviews and pass on feedback? Again, if this takes a long time find out why.

Another red flag could be how many times the role you’re interviewing for has turned over in recent years. If more than two people have held a role in a four-year period, you should wonder what’s going on.

A number of other red flags can show up at the very end of the interview process, after you’ve received a job offer and are negotiating. Take note if any of the following occur:

• The employer refuses to provide the offer in writing.

• The employer forces you to make a decision in less than 24 hours.

• You are interviewing for a senior role and the employer is not open to any negotiation around salary or vacation.

Trust Your Gut

The most important red flag of all is when you get a bad feeling about a company. You aren’t sure why, but something isn’t adding up. Maybe the employees seem unhappy, or the boss seems squirrely, or something else is just off. Even if you can’t pinpoint the exact cause of your discomfort, you shouldn’t ignore it. There’s a reason you are uneasy.

While you’re assessing potential red flags, it can be helpful to learn what others are saying about the company. If you don’t have a personal contact you can turn to, check out sites like Glassdoor where employees rate companies much like diners rate restaurants.

Whatever you do, don’t be fooled. Red flags won’t go away just because you love the company. In fact, they often become worse. Know when to walk away from a company just like you would from a bad date.

No matter how you withdraw from consideration, remember to remain professional and positive. Do not go into detail about why you do not like the company, your potential boss, etc. Instead, emphasise how grateful you are for the opportunity to apply for a position at the company, and for their time and consideration thus far. A future job opening at the company might be a better fit for you, so you should seek to remain in the hiring manager's good graces.

Find your next opportunity, talk to the experts at Auxeris and check out our website for our most recent vacancies: www.auxeris.com