How to see the Interview Red Flags 🚩

I often talk to folks in my network who are six months (or less) into their roles and are already planning their exits. 

They mention the asshole boss or the toxic culture – or both. Typically they’re a match made in corporate hell. 

It always makes me curious. Were the red flags visible in the interview process? Or did this assholery come as a shocking surprise? 

When I pose the question with all of my coachy compassion, I usually get a, “Well, now that I think about it, they were. But I didn’t put it all together.”

So here are a few ideas to help you – put it all together – and actively recognize the red flags:

1. Tone and language:
Interviews are a time for the organization to be on their best behavior and sell you on the company and the role – while they’re getting to know you. If your interviewer is rude or worst case mean in an interview – we tend to write it off or double down on trying to win them over. Don’t do either. They are showing you who they are. If this is supposed to be their best, imagine the prickliness of their worst. 

2. Listening skills:

Do your interviewers seem to be truly taking in what you’re saying or are they monologuing and interrupting you? Do they respect you when you try to jump in with your questions? Do they leave any time for your questions? This is especially important when it comes to the hiring manager. Is this how you want your one on one meetings to go? Do you expect they will ever try to understand you and what kind of support you need? 

3. The feeling in your body:

As I say often, our bodies hold a lot of wisdom we tend to ignore. If you have a racing heart, chest constriction, stomach pangs or if you generally feel like you need to immediately outrun a cheetah – pay attention! Sure, in any interview you will feel nerves, butterflies and adrenaline. This is different. What I hear from people who retroactively realize the signs were there, is that their bodies were projecting the red flags on their interviewers foreheads, but they chose to explain it away. 

I know this all takes practice – and it may seem there are way too many things to focus on in an interview already. How do I add this to the list?  This isn’t meant to overwhelm you. It’s more about trusting your intuition and building awareness that you deserve better than these red flag behaviors. These are people you’re going to be spending more time with than many members of your own family. If possible – it would be great to be able to communicate with them or dare I say – even like them. 

I’d love to hear from you about some of the red flags you’ve noticed in your interview processes. If we know what we’re looking for, we can work together to say no thank you. 

3 Fall Networking Tips

If you’re wondering if there’s a perfect season for networking, the answer is yes and you’re currently in it.

So consider this the kick, the fire, the pumpkin to motivate you to get it rolling.

The six-ish weeks of October into mid-November falls after the busy-ness of summer and back to school and before the drama/trauma of the holiday season. Plus, the weather is close to ideal in many parts of the country right now – so meeting outdoors for a coffee – or one of my Career Walk and Talks feels like a treat.

For those of you who writhe at the thought of networking, I see you. I have all of you in mind as I’m writing.

And for the rest of you who actually enjoy it, but don’t know how to get it started, I’m happy to offer up some ideas beyond – set up a zoom with a former colleague. I know you’ve already had that zoom and you’re way zoomed out to do it for fun. I’m with you!

Here are 3 ways to get your networking in during this season:

Explore Eventbrite:

You may have noticed I’ve been adding my events lately to Eventbrite and I’m loving how it’s going! I’m meeting interesting, cool people who I wouldn’t have been able to reach otherwise. For my first Career Walk and Talk, we had a health tech professional considering moving to Brooklyn so she came for a walk and loaded her days with Eventbrite events to network and meet people. With some strategic search terms, you can find many events per week that would meet your needs. I’m impressed with how it’s grown and how useful it can be.

Volunteer:

We have a pretty important election coming up and many of my clients are currently in job searches are also: volunteering for local and national campaigns, attending and hosting postcarding parties, going out with groups to canvas for candidates – and in all of these efforts you’re both – doing something that’s important to you AND meeting people who may have similar interests and values. Of course your volunteering doesn’t need to be political – your helping of organizations allows you to give back to meaningful causes while at the same time – meeting people you wouldn’t have come across in your day to day or on LinkedIn. Remember to have a casual version of your pitch ready to go. You never know who you’ll be volunteering with!

Gather people plus ones:

If you’re a gathering type (you know who you are and we appreciate you!), ask a group of friends or colleagues to join you for a potluck, at a bar – wherever – and ask each of them to bring an interesting plus one friend (not date). This way, you get to expand your group beyond your typical crew and you know these people have been vetted by your people. Oftentimes the first step in networking is to expand beyond your go-to folks. As strange as it sounds, your inner circle people are not always the most helpful in your career and job search. It’s typically your looser connections that add most of the value – whether it’s because they are naturally connector types or they want to pay it forward after having been helped in a search.

I’m curious to hear how your fall connecting goes. If you have additional winner ideas – send them my way so I can share more broadly.

You're not everyone's cup of tea - and that's okay!

As a former marketer and now as a business owner – one of the mantras that guides me and my career is – the more yourself you are, the more you will attract the right people and repel the wrong people.

It’s not a new idea.

I think I first learned it back in my Marketing 101 class. Yet, it’s a lesson I continue to revisit every time I feel the gut punch of disappointment that later reveals itself to be another level of people pleasing healing unlocked.

Sometimes when I write a vulnerable piece about my imperfections or double down on what are clearly my politics – a handful of people unsubscribe.

And I get a chest pang.

Then – the reminder comes in the form of the beautiful people who take the time to write to me and share how much this story meant to them, or that they needed to hear this today – or even that they appreciate how I’m brave enough to say what I believe out loud.

They’re the right people…for me.

I’m reminded of an interview with actress and all around trailblazer, Tracee Ellis Ross, who was consoled by her friends after a people-pleasing episode, “You’re not everyone’s cup of tea.”

I say this to myself when some collaborations and partnerships flourish and some…just don’t.

I say it to my clients when they get a piece of feedback after an interview about coming off too strong or not strong enough.

And I’m saying it to you now to remind you that you don’t need to click with every colleague, match with every role or connect with every parent at your kids’ school.

If you’re being yourself, you will attract the right people and opportunities for you. And that’s more than enough.

Of course, this is easier said than done in a culture where much of this pleasing and desire to be liked – even loved – lives within our bodies.

Yet, just like another one of my favorite simple counter cultural hobbies – saying no – it’s a little addictive.

So – when the rejection comes, because it will come, you can pat yourself on the back and say, “Oh yeah. I’m not everyone’s cup of tea.” And that’s where you will leave it.

Returning to Work as a New Parent

I work with many women who are pregnant and on maternity leave – and often when they think about returning to their roles after leave, they feel...

Overwhelm
Grief
Guilt
Dread

And wonder…how will this even be possible?

“I know how I worked before, the level of intensity, the hours, the facetime, the focus. How will I be able to do it the same way?”

The answer is: You won’t. It will be different. You’ve changed.

Your priorities have shifted AND you can still do good work – on your terms.

You can both acknowledge all of these valid feelings AND be intentional about how you return.

I’m excited to share that I will be helping a group of new moms do just that in a supportive virtual session I’ve created with my friend, colleague and Executive Coach, Alex Huworth.

Here are the details if this sounds like you or someone you know and love:

Returning to Work as a New Mom: From Anxiety to Confidence
A virtual event for birth parents navigating their leave and transition back to professional life.

This is for you if you’re:

• Feeling overwhelmed at the thought of balancing work and family?

• Worried about reconnecting with your career after time away?

• Unsure how to advocate for your needs as a working parent?

Want to feel confident and prepared to return to work?

In this session you'll gain:

• Practical strategies for work-life integration

• A supportive community of peers facing similar challenges

• Insights on communicating effectively with your employer

• Tools to manage anxiety and boost confidence

Date: Wednesday, October 16, 2024
Time: 12pm ET
Length: 60 minutes
Cost: $47
Tickets can be purchased at rachelbgarrett.com/new-parent.

Please share with anyone in your life who needs this kind of support. Someone you want to remind, “You don’t need to be alone in this.”


In celebration of the moms!