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Trick or Treat: Spotting Red Flags in Job Offers

Written by: Lucy Walters
Published on: 15 Oct 2024

Spotting Red Flags in Job Offers93% of jobseekers say it’s important to be thoughtful and informed about all aspects of a company prior to accepting a job offer. Whilst job offers can feel like a reward after navigating the life sciences job market – which, let’s face it, has been pretty tough in recent years! – some may come with hidden pitfalls that could lead to dissatisfaction and burnout.

Whether you’re a recent graduate or an experienced life sciences professional, recognising the warning signs early can help you avoid unpleasant surprises down the line. In this article, we explore 8 red flags that you should be aware of and provide actionable tips on how to spot and address them.

1. Vague Job Descriptions

One of the first signs that a job offer might not be as great as it seems is a vague job description. A study by Harvard Business Review revealed that 61% of job descriptions contained unrealistic expectations or vague requirements, leading to mismatches between candidates and actual job roles.

A lack of clarity in the description could be a warning sign that the company isn’t certain on what your role will actually be, and what the needs of the company truly are. It could be an indication of a poor organisational structure, or that the company might not be prepared to provide the necessary resources or support to help you succeed, including effective onboarding, training, mentorship, and career development.

Not only does this make it difficult to know what is expected of you in terms of daily tasks, deliverables, and performance metrics, but it also puts you in danger of ‘role creep’, where you slowly accumulate additional responsibilities outside the original scope of the position. Over time, you might find yourself doing the work of multiple roles without additional compensation or support, or doing work that doesn’t align with your career goals and/or skill set. All of this could leave you feeling overworked, undervalued, and anxious about your job security.

At the time of receiving your job offer, you should have already gone over the responsibilities of the role with the person interviewing you. However, if you notice any discrepancies between what was outlined during the interview and what’s in the job description, raise this with the employer and ask them to confirm exactly what the role entails.

2. Unrealistic Job Descriptions

Pretty much all job descriptions will contain a disclaimer about the exact responsibilities of the role changing over time, and the employee being asked to go outside of their usual remit in line with business needs. This in itself isn’t a red flag, as all roles naturally change over time and as an employee, you should reasonably adapt to any minor changes to your role and how you perform it.

However, job descriptions that demand you to juggle an excessive number of responsibilities across several areas without a clear focus could indicate that the company is looking for a jack of all trades. Again, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing if this is the type of job you’re looking for, or if this was made clear to you at the start of the process. But if you’re looking for a role with a clear focus and development path, this might not be the role for you.

3. High Turnover Rates

Many companies within the life sciences industry have experienced mass layoffs over the past couple of years, so for many, turnover is on the up. However, with a bit of digging, you’ll be able to determine whether or not a company’s high turnover is down to them going through a rough patch, or if something else is at play.

There are a few things you can do to try and get an idea of a company’s turnover. One of the easiest ways to do this is by searching LinkedIn for people at the company with the same job role you’ve been offered. Look at how long they’ve been in their position and do the same with past employees too.

You can also ask about turnover rates in your interview (tactfully!). You can phrase the question positively such as “How does the company invest in long-term employee growth?” or “What is the average tenure of employees in this role/department?” If they’re not willing to share this with you or are vague in their answers, then this could confirm your suspicions!

4. Inflexible Work Arrangements

The life sciences industry has embraced hybrid, remote, and flexible work arrangements in most areas, particularly those that don’t require laboratory or hands-on work. If a job offer demands rigid, on-site work for tasks that could clearly be done remotely or offers no flexibility around working hours, it could be a sign that the company doesn’t advocate for the work-life balance of its employees and is resistant to adapt to modern work trends.

Ask about flexible working during the interview stage, and if they reject this for reasons that seem outdated or lacking in proper justification, it could be a sign of a lack of flexibility that could extend to other areas such as professional development.

5. Unclear or Below-Average Compensation and Benefits

Benefits packages in the life sciences industry can be quite competitive. If a company is vague about the total compensation package, or if they try to sell you on perks without providing concrete salary details, this could be a major red flag. Similarly, if the offering is way below the industry average and you can see that the company has the resources to be competitive, this could also be a red flag as it may indicate that they don’t value their employees.

Not all companies can offer complex and competitive packages, but you should be made clear of this from the get-go. If the package in your job offer isn’t what you expected, raise it with the employer and see if there’s any room for flexibility.

6. Poor or Unprofessional Communication

How the recruiter or hiring manager communicates with you through the entire hiring process is a factor that you should absolutely consider before accepting a job offer. Have they been hard to get hold of? What is their tone like? How have they communicated with you? Did you have to chase them multiple times to receive your offer?

At the point you receive the job offer, you should feel you’ve built some level of rapport with your contact. You should feel like your time has been valued and respected, and that you’ve been spoken to professionally, and as an equal. The way they’ve communicated with you will likely reflect how they will communicate with you as an employee, so really think about how you’d like to be treated, and how this measures up to your experience.

7. Rushed Hiring Process

Even if a company does desperately need to fill a role, the hiring process shouldn’t feel rushed. The process should be structured with multiple stages, good communication, and realistic notice about interviews and start dates. If the process feels too rushed, and you don’t feel you’ve had enough time to properly assess the role and the company, this could be an indicator of lack of due diligence, high turnover, poor organisational planning, and even a toxic work culture if the recruiter or hiring manager hasn’t taken the time to understand you as a person and is simply ticking boxes.

If you find yourself in a situation where things feel rushed and you’re under pressure to make a quick decision, take a step back to assess whether the company is providing enough transparency, time, and consideration for the role. Ask yourself whether you’ve had enough time to evaluate the company’s culture, your fit within the team and whether the compensation and benefits meet your expectations. If you’re being pressured to make a decision, it’s worth questioning whether they have your best interests in mind. In the end, a job offer should feel like a mutual agreement built on trust, transparency, and shared goals – not a rushed decision that leaves you uncertain about your future.

8. The Role is Still Live

Whilst a role still being live even after you’ve been offered it might just be down to human error, administrative delays, or the company hiring multiple people, it could be an indication that they’re not 100% sure about bringing you on as an employee and are keeping their options open for the future. It could also indicate poor communication or disorganisation between departments, signs of internal uncertainty, or a sign of high turnover or poor retention.

Suppose the company is hiring multiple people. In that case, this is usually disclosed either in the job advert or during the interview stage, so if this information feels like it’s being kept from you, then this could be another red flag.

Communication is Key…

If you have any concerns about the job offer you’ve received, you should feel like you can talk to the recruiter or hiring manager about them, and get the clarity and reassurance you need. If you don’t feel comfortable doing this, then this is perhaps the biggest red flag of all. If they really value you as a candidate and future employee, they’ll be more than happy to go over the offer with you and ensure you’re on the same page. Remember that whilst they’re assessing your fit for the role and company, you should be assessing them too, and if you don’t feel you’ve been given the time or space to do this, it might be a sign you need to look elsewhere.

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