You have finally found the right job. Or so you thought. Now that you have been on the scene for two weeks, you notice how people treat you. Your boss consistently calls meetings during lunchtime sans food. And although the company is teeming with people, there is little joyful interaction among employees. How could you have known? By reading the signs before you jumped on board. How you are treated during the interview is a key indicator of how you will be treated on the job.

On your own

How many people at the company interviewed you during your appointment? Some companies will have several managers interview a candidate on the same day at different times. Pay close attention to how your time is organised during the hours you spend at the company. Is there a key contact who accompanies you from room to room for your interviews? Does anyone offer you coffee, soda or water? If the interview takes place during lunch hour, does anyone offer to take you to lunch? If you have to fend for yourself in the company dining room, this is an indication that the employer does not see you as important enough to have someone spend his precious lunch hour with you. Obviously the employer wants to make you wait until the managers are free to interview you.

Chaotic world

Did you show up and find that the manager had forgetten about an appointment with you? If the manager apologises profusely and cancels plans in order to interview you on the spot, then he knows the value of a good employee. If you arrived to find that the manager wasn’t even in town and no one offered to help you reschedule, then heed the unspoken warning: keep looking for jobs. It’s a bad sign if no one in the office knows the manager’s schedule, can’t contact him and won’t help you reschedule the interview. Where chaos prevails, unanswered questions amass.

No respect

During an interview that a person recently went to, a worker actually installed window blinds in the interviewer’s office. With his concentration tested — to say the least — the interviewee somehow got through the interview. If an interviewer does something obnoxious during an interview, think of what he or she can do in the middle of a business meeting while you’re trying to give a presentation?

Without a care

Have you ever sat in a waiting room with other job applicants waiting to be interviewed for the same position? A person was one of two people being interviewed for a position. Both interviewees had appointments at the same time, but with different interviewers. The two candidates kept bumping into one another. While it’s not unusual for an employer to see as many candidates as possible to fill a position, scheduling should be done so you do not bump into your competition in the hallway. Expect the same type of uncaring behaviour from the management if you take the job.

Attitude counts

What is the attitude of the people working in the office? If they appear cheerful and friendly, chances are they’re satisfied. If the office workers appear cold, stone-faced or unhappy, take that as an indication this may not be the best place on earth to work.

The bottomline is this: trust your instinct. You know more about what you need than you think you do. Most people get in trouble when they ignore good old-fashioned common sense.