How to Avoid Taking a Job at a House of Horrors

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Many a horror movie begins with the heroes meeting new people who come off as lovely, welcoming people. It’s only once the heroes have entered the house that we discover they’re not lovely and welcoming at all; they’re actually mummified werewolf alien vampires! Or maybe just run of the mill homicidal maniacs. Either way, the fun weekend getaway starts to go downhill.

While the undead are much less likely to be walking the halls of the modern office, many new hires have been warmly welcomed into an office only to find things are not what they seem. The boss is a jerk. Sales figures were inflated. That new partnership the company announced is a paper tiger. (Paper peacock may be a more appropriate term—it looked good but is a mirage.) “Innovation” only means finally upgrading the five-year-old laptops.

The worst I heard was a new hire who eagerly showed up to his new job and his boss sat him down and said, “let’s talk about your salary.” The candidate replied, “We said $40,000.” The boss replied something to the effect of, “that’s what we discussed, but let’s see what you’re willing to settle for” and basically began to lower the salary until the new hire threatened to walk. Ultimately the hire took a pay cut of a little over $1,000 having already given up his prior job and not wanting to be unemployed at that moment.

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You’d like the employees to have given you a heads up during the interview process, but much like the prior victims in the horror movie, the bodies are buried in the basement, or the victims themselves are too afraid to speak up.

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How could they have known? You’d like the employees to have given you a heads up during the interview process, but much like the prior victims in the horror movie, the bodies are buried in the basement, or the victims themselves are too afraid to speak up. If you’re waiting for the employees to come out and warn you directly, you might as well wander right into the cemetery at midnight during a full moon expecting a lovely picnic.

Instead, you need to look for clues. Sadly, they won’t be as obvious as half a dozen freshly dug graves just outside the window.

Start with announcements. Look at press releases and social media. What’s the company been talking about? Read between the lines, Are there three new executives in the last six months? If they’re new hires it sounds like growth. If they’re replacements it means people have quit or been fired. Either way, things are a-changing and there may be more changes coming.

Even good things may not be so good for you. If the company is launching a brand-new initiative but in twelve months it’s going to supplant the project you’re on, that doesn’t bode well for your future.

How about prior employees? Ideally you would get in touch with the person previously in the role, or others who recently left the team. Even if you can’t, can you look on LinkedIn and see if people have been leaving that group lately?

Companies know your references will all be glowing. When possible, they use backchannel connections. Hiring managers will try to find people they know who know you, the ones you didn’t list as references, and ask them about you. You can do the same and ask about the company, manager, and team. There’s nothing illegal or unethical about that.

You can also ask questions during the interview process. Candidates are often asked “What are your weaknesses?” Now any experienced candidate has a canned answer that that makes them look good (and if you don't, check out How to Answer: What Is Your Weakness? Use SUGaR). Try asking the company, “What are the weaknesses of this company (or this team)?” I guarantee unless they’re in an active PR crisis and have an official canned response for it, no one has given any forethought to this question.

Still, most people would know not to walk you over to the skeletons in the closet and swing the door wide open. So just as the interviewer knows he needs to assess a candidate's weakness indirectly, so you, too, must ask indirectly. There are two approaches.

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If you’re waiting for the employees to come out and warn you directly, you might as well wander right into the cemetery at midnight during a full moon expecting a lovely picnic.

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First you can ask “objective questions.” How many people have left the team the past two years? How late was your last project? How does the team’s budget this year compare to last year? One of three things will happen: you’ll get the answers, they’ll avoid the question (which itself is telling), or they’ll outright lie. Most people won’t outright lie, and if they do, as soon as you discover it, you’ll quickly realize the type of people you’re now working with (unfortunately, that may be after you’ve started working there).

The second are subjective questions. What three words would you use to describe the culture? What are your biggest challenges? Tell me two things that have positively impacted morale and two things that have negatively impacted morale in the past year. Again, expect to need to read between the lines. Often what is left out is just as telling, if not more so, than what is said. For a fuller list of questions and more details on how to answer them, check out Not Sure How to Ask about Corporate Culture during an Interview? Blame Me.

Unlike a dramatic movie’s courtroom scene, no one will simply blurt out their dark secrets. More like a classic mystery, as you ask multiple questions of multiple people, you’ll start to see patterns that may clue you in to what’s really going on.

Even the best of heroes still walks into the deadly traps, so if you do wind up in a house of horrors, you’re not alone (at least not philosophically speaking). Once you realize there are major issues at a company, be smarter than a character in a B-rate slasher film and just get out of there as fast as you can.

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