While the job market has made considerable strides in providing opportunities for job seekers, it seems more and more people are becoming selective regarding the applications that pique their interest. While there are countless dos and don’ts for job seekers, rarely are hiring managers ever put under the same microscope for what they could be doing wrong with the job postings and application processes they promote.
In a survey conducted by StandOut CV1,092 people revealed the biggest red flags they see when job hunting and how they’re often things that prevent them from going through with an application.
Here are 8 job application red flags people who respect themselves won’t fall for while looking for a new position:
1. A job that offers the minimum amount of annual leave allowance
If there’s one thing people are adamant about, it’s being able to have PTO. No one is interested in having to work for a company where they aren’t even allowed to take one day off to visit the doctor or attend their kids’ school recital. Working relentlessly without any breaks or time to nurture a social life or decompress doesn’t satisfy job seekers and honestly never has.
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In fact, according to a survey by financial services company Empowerdespite only 16% of employees saying they have unlimited paid time off at their current companies, one in five workers said they would decline a job without the benefit. Forty-three percent of the 1,028 full-time employees surveyed said all companies should provide unlimited PTO, and 50% said they’d take more time off under such a policy.
2. A job posting that encourages or even requires applicants to follow current employees’ social media
It’s one thing if you’ve been hired and your co-workers encourage you to follow them on social media sites like X, Instagram, or even LinkedIn, but it’s an entirely different ballgame when you’re simply applying, and the hiring manager is forcing you to interact with content from people that you don’t even work with yet. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to create a bit of distance between you and your co-workers, or if you’re the type of person who just doesn’t see the point in being friends with the people you work with.
Things like that shouldn’t really matter as long as you’re cordial and kind to them. But it’s definitely unrealistic to include this in the job application process, as it has nothing to do with your actual ability to fulfill the requirements.
3. A listing without salary information
Salary transparency has become quite a hot topic when it comes to job applications. According to a survey from ResumeLab80% of respondents said they likely wouldn’t apply for a job if salary range information was absent. 77% said it should be illegal not to include a salary in job postings, and 80% said employers should always explain how pay is determined.
Workers have a significant amount of distrust in employers’ reasoning for not disclosing salary information; 79% of respondents said omitting salary information was likely due to employers not wanting current employees to know they were underpaid. There are now several states that require companies to have salary transparency on job postings, including California, New York, and Connecticut.
4. The ‘About Us’ page or the company’s board lacks diversity
If there’s one thing that can turn off job seekers, especially a person of color, is the lack of diversity within a company. No one wants to work in an environment where they are susceptible to discrimination of any kind and won’t be able to have a community of people like them to go to for support.
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About 53% of U.S. workers say a company’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives play a key role in their decision about where to work, according to a report from Eagle Hill Consulting. A culture where employees feel valued and connected is something that factors into attracting qualified workers to a position.
5. If a job advert or interviewer says, ‘We’re like a family’
The whole “family” culture narrative that’s driven at a company usually means it’s actually the opposite and ends up being the biggest red flag for job seekers if that phrase is used to describe the environment. Usually, this means that employees are being subjected to toxic treatment because of this heightened sense of loyalty that they’re supposed to have for the company, sometimes even over their own personal well-being.
Also, at a job, no one wants to think of their co-workers as family. We already have families and loving friends in our lives, and the last thing anyone wants is for their workplace to have any vibes of being a “family.” While this sentiment might seem pleasant on the surface, it’s often just a disguise of how dysfunctional the office actually is.
6. A job that pays cash only
Considering we’re in the year 2025, being paid through methods like direct deposit or receiving a check has become the norm, and getting paid for a job through cash just isn’t desirable or necessary anymore. On top of that, fewer and fewer people are carrying cash on them, instead choosing to go completely cashless and use things like ApplePay.
Recent data even found that a significant majority, an estimated 80%, of job seekers would not want to be paid solely in cash, preferring methods like direct deposit due to factors like tax reporting, security, and maintaining a professional image.
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7. Pay isn’t bi-weekly
With the cost of living being as expensive as it is, frankly, a lot of people just can’t afford to only receive one paycheck a month. Having bi-weekly pay is a more desirable part of a job for many workers mainly because it provides a more consistent flow of income while also allowing people to budget better and eliminate their debt in a more succinct way.
8. Hiring managers communicate with applicants outside of working hours
Once an employee clocks off for the day and either closes their laptop or leaves the office, they should no longer be responsible for work until they come back the next morning. It’s part of the work/life balance that employees value more than anything within a company. Unfortunately, answering work emails during off hours is something many people do.
According to research from the Pew Research Centeraround 55% of workers report responding to work emails outside of their normal work hours at least sometimes, with roughly 30% saying they do so frequently or very often. If a company sends you emails or work notifications when you’re not in the office with the expectation that you’ll respond promptly, it doesn’t value you and thinks of you as just another cog in the capitalist machine. This isn’t a work environment that job seekers find desirable.
If a hiring manager only contacts you outside of normal working hours, it’s a good indication that’s exactly the environment promoted in the workplace.
Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.
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