What are Red Flags in a Job Posting - Top 10 Red Flags
If we think about it, a job posting is not just filling a pre-made template and putting it on different social media platforms to see applications coming in just like that. It is a process far more complicated than a basic typing task your boss assigns you once in a while!
Job postings are carefully crafted pieces of information that are our only lead out there to find talent that is capable of fulfilling the required tasks that a job has. But, just like those exes of yours, there could be red flags in job postings too! And nobody would want that to happen in another major part of their lives now, would they?
If we talk about things that should always be a part of job postings, we also need to see what are red flags in a job posting. Without that, we will not have any way to find out why some or many of our job postings do not get the expected or desired response, a response that we anticipated to get when we created those job postings.
So it is crucial to discuss what red flags in job ads are to be able to create flawless job postings that will certainly not go unnoticed. This article will also serve as a guide for job seekers to learn what to avoid when they are out in the job market.
Sit tight and keep reading if you want to learn a lesson about creating good job postings (the easy way though)!
The following are the things that make your organization appear suspicious in the eyes of job seekers and create a bad rep in the job market.
1.Undefined Job Title
A job title that sounds sketchy, quite odd, or something that you do not often see being used to define jobs in your field, then there is a possibility that it is a job red flag and may not honestly describe the scope of the job and responsibilities. 
2. Ambiguous Job Description
If the job posting does not mention the roles and responsibilities of the job, then it’s a job red flag. The job description is one of the major components of any job posting and its purpose is to inform the job seekers of the kind of things they will be required to do so they know if they possess the skills before applying.
If a job posting lacks a solid and objective description of the duties then it is targeting anyone and everyone who needs a job which is not a sign of an organization with professional practices and policies in place.
3. Less to No Company Presence
In this digital age, every organization and business is on social media and has its own official websites that are updated regularly. If the said organization cannot be found anywhere online or even a detail of their physical offices on Google is missing, that is a major job red flag and shows that the organization might not even exist in the first place!
Un-updated websites and social media handles are again a sign that the organization is no longer in business or has some other shady business going on that they cannot display online.
4. Lacks Organization’s Name
We see many social media job postings on different job groups where the post does not even have a company name. It may go like ‘a reputable organization…’ which makes one wonder how much repute are we talking about here! This is a no-brainer, straight-up red flag if an organization fails to put its name on the job posting. Secretive much? 
5. No Mention of the Pay Range
As per the law, organizations cannot post any job posting without a mention of the expected pay range. If an organization is still doing it, then it may be a red flag showing that they may have other incidents of malpractice as well and you might want to steer clear of such a shady job if you do not want to end up in a pickle! So your question ‘What are red flags in a job posting?’ is probably answered by now.
6. Incredible/Unrealistic Pay Range
Trust your gut. If things seem too good to be true, they are!
A smart job seeker with enough research knows the market rate for a post in their respective field. So, if a job posting claims to pay you way more than the expected pay range for the advertised role, there might be something fishy! Either there’s a catch to it and they have some hidden responsibilities for the job more than the job description, or shady practices on their part. It is a major job red flag and you must do your research before applying for such jobs.
7. Exhaustive List of Responsibilities
A job posting with a seemingly never-ending list of responsibilities that fall out of the job’s scope may also be a red flag. An employee does not have to do anything other than the job description that is designed realistically keeping the skillset required and qualification in mind. So, knowing the responsibilities of a role in your respective fields, you need to learn if the advertised job posting is asking for too much!
8. Exaggerated & Incorrect Use of Language
If a job posting makes use of exaggerated and boastful language to show that the organization is the best and unmatchable, all without a testimonial or other proof, then it might not be anything more than puffery.
Similarly, another job red flag is when a job posting has grammatical or spelling errors, it means they must have been prepared by someone who is not very professional, putting the organization's reputation at risk too!
9. Frequent Job Postings
If you keep seeing job postings by an organization for the same or multiple vacancies all the time, it might be possible that their turnover rate is quite high. This is indeed a major job red flag when an organization fails to retain employees due to a toxic work environment or unprofessional practices.
10. Unprofessional Contact Details
We often see job postings where a personal or sketchy email address is given for the job seekers to apply for the job. Such job postings may not be official or the poster might be trying to collect your data with false job postings.
Although we promised the top 10 job red flags, we have added 5 red flags as a bonus tip for the job seekers especially the fresh graduates who have just entered or will soon enter the job market.
11. Too Much or Little Information
If the job posting states lists and lists of information about the job role and responsibilities then it might be possible that they are expecting too much of you or are trying you throw you off with a bombardment of irrelevant information. As anything in excess is not good, you know what too much of information is!
Too little of anything is also not a very good idea! If a job posting fails to completely describe the role, responsibilities, benefits, and application procedure, then it is also a job red flag.
12. A ‘Nominal’ Registration/Training Fee
The job posting may claim to only charge a ‘nominal’ fee for you to get registered and start earning with them. Or they can ask you to buy some equipment to start your work, possibly, remotely. Such a job posting is a red flag in itself because no authentic organization will ever charge you to give you a job!
Another job red flag will be when they require a fee for your training, in the job posting, or at any point during the hiring process. Never forget that organizations do not ask for any payment if they are training you to ‘make’ you suitable enough to be hired. If your skills are not what they need, they should simply find someone else with the required skill set!
13. Unusually Persuasive
If a job posting sounds like they need you to apply at gunpoint, and they seem unnaturally pushy, they might be pointing toward something fishy in the organization. If you are still wondering ‘What are red flags in a job posting?’ This is definitely one of them!
14. More Like Advertisements
If a job posting sounds more like an advertisement, with lots of catchy phrases, casual language, unprofessional writing style, tons of exclamation marks, and all caps, then they are truly advertisements and move away from being job postings that should exude an organization’s professionalism.
They are making use of tactics advertisers use to attract customers for mindless buying, which is a major job red flag that compels people to take action without thinking twice.
15. Job Postings via Email
Have you ever received a job posting via email and have no recollection of applying for such a mailing list? These are cold emails and are most probably scams especially if you cannot find the job posting on the organization’s official website and social media handles.
So this is our attempt to answer a FAQ: ‘What are red flags in a job posting?’ For recruiters, this should serve as a comprehensive guide to help them create positive and impactful job postings. For job seekers, we hope that you learn the dos and don’ts of the job market and not fall into a trap leading to something serious. Here’s one bonus tip before we sign out, that is to always do enough research on the organization and thoroughly scan their official website to find any employee testimonials that would give you an insight into the work culture and other important things to confirm the authenticity of the job posting. That’s it for the top 10+5 red flags in job postings that all recruiters should avoid at every cost and job seekers should bear in mind before applying to an organization!
