Interview: Red flags applicants should look out for

Too intimate questions or inappropriate comments: In some situations in job interviews, applicants should prick up their ears.

The job interview after a successful application is a nerve-wracking affair for job seekers: They often feel the pressure of having to convince themselves within a short period of time.

However, it is also important to ask yourself whether the company itself is a good fit and whether your own values ​​and ideas match those of the employer.

In order to make a good decision, applicants should therefore pay attention to a few things during the interview and critically question the employer about certain sayings.

Ten things that will immediately disqualify you in a job interview

Ten things that will immediately disqualify you in a job interview

Interview: Red Flags - these questions for applicants are inappropriate

First alarm signal: Questions that are very intimate and violate the applicant's right to privacy.

It is understandable that HR managers want to know as much as possible about the applicant in order to make the best possible selection.

But applicants have a right to their privacy.

This should always be emphasized in the interview.

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website,

there are several questions that are considered inappropriate and, in many cases, the applicant does not have to answer them at all, or not answer them truthfully.

This includes questions about family planning, religion, party affiliation or a possible illness.

There is sometimes a disclosure obligation only if it is important for the position and therefore well justified.

For example, when asked about an existing pregnancy.

Here it must be justified that this information is relevant and necessary, for example if the job would endanger the health of the mother or the child.

 An overview of which questions (actually) should not be asked:

• Questions about the state of health (existing disability, illness, illnesses in the family, etc.)

• Questions about private views (religion, party affiliation, union affiliation)

• Questions about family planning (marital status, sexual orientation, existing pregnancy, desire to have children, etc.)

In addition to employers, applicants should also refrain from asking certain questions in an interview.

You can read about the questions in our overview.

Also interesting: With this question, applicants drastically increase their chances of being accepted.

Job interview: Red flags – applicants should pay attention to these comments

But the applicant should not only be critical when it comes to inappropriate questions.

Some sayings also indicate that the employer and the job offered may not be the right one.

Dozens of inappropriate sayings that applicants heard from their own experience in job interviews and that they call red flags have now been collected by users on

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Job interviews are often nerve-wracking for applicants.

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© Daniel Ingold/Imago

Overtime or Bad Salary:

Some phrases may indicate that the company pays a rather poor salary or requires a lot of overtime.

Applicants should therefore inquire more precisely about sayings such as: "For us, it's not so much about the salary.

Our employees enjoy coming to work."

It is also worth listening carefully when it comes to overtime.

One

user reported being asked how he felt about Saturday work when there was more on the table.

Sexist or discriminatory comments:

Sexist or discriminatory comments that generally violate the applicant's privacy are particularly sensitive.

As the comments on

show, some users have had experience with it.

Toxic working atmosphere:

If you are looking for a new job, you should not only keep an eye on the general conditions of the position.

Because in addition to salary, holiday entitlement or further training, the environment is also decisive for feeling good.

Applicants should therefore listen more carefully to certain statements.

A

user reported that he asked about the work environment during his interview.

The employer did not answer this question, instead he talked about height-adjustable tables or a docking station.

Anyone who hears such or similar comments during the job interview should be careful – and possibly listen to their gut feeling.

It is often helpful to take a look at the employer reviews themselves, for example via the

portal .

Even if you often have to read between the lines here, a trend is becoming clear.

In the positive as in the negative.

List of rubrics: © Daniel Ingold/Imago