Reddit Experience · Mar 2026

What is a red flag to watch out for during an lnterview that'd tell you "this manager would be unpleasant to work for"?

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Interview Experience

Example 1: A hiring manager gave a frowning face when I was giving a perfectly fine answer to an interview question. At the time I thought it was odd, but I just internally steeled myself and continue

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Example 1: A hiring manager gave a frowning face when I was giving a perfectly fine answer to an interview question. At the time I thought it was odd, but I just internally steeled myself and continued my answer. And for another answer, she probed further but I was ok with it and responded well. I did get the job. Ultimately over time I learned that manager was toxic and people under her actually dislikes her and warns newbies to be careful with what you say to her (e.g. don't ask questions).

Example 2: I had an interview with another hiring manager who said "if you're not early you're late". I was early for the interview so he was impressed. Also, he tried to trip me up when I gave my answer to one of his questions. I got that job too but over the course of time I learned he was stingy and overly critical with people's work. One time he sent me a Slack message at 6:30am and when I responded to it \~9am he said I was late. What are some other red flags you noticed when interviewing? And then learned after working under them that the signs were there during your initial meeting at the job interview?

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General Experience