Your job search must be on the right track if you managed to land a job interview. Your nicely composed resume generated an interest of the potential employer and now you are heading for a personal meeting with them. Be careful and considerate during the interview and keep in mind that interviewing is a mutual process. From the part of the job-seeker it should be as rigorous as from the part of the employer. Everything matters; every small detail can be decisive and contribute to a successful career or ruin it. Not only the employer is interviewing a candidate, but the candidate should be a thorough interviewer too.

What to look for while examining a particular job opportunity? One of the first things that can be a red flag is a high turnover that was in the role in the past. If possible, check the percentage of the turnover in the company at whole before heading to the interview, and compare it with the turnover data particularly in the department and at the position you are being interviewed for. If such data are impossible to obtain, ask at least how long your predecessor has been working in this role and what eventually happened. Did he or she was promoted or got a pink slip.

However, the high percentage of the total company turnover does not always indicate an unstable situation in the entire organization. There are companies (such as call centres or even reputable consulting firms) that have a pretty high turnover in general comprehension, but feel absolutely comfortable with it. They just have their own understanding of employees’ retention that does not necessarily undermine employees’ work satisfaction at such organizations.

You should know the culture of such companies in order to comprehend the reason of the high turnover. Thorough research would help you with this by all means.

There are also some jobs where high turnover has always existed and will exist, i.e. call centers, some sales positions. It should not put you off from applying for these roles.

But a role of a Financial Analyst or IT Manager in a stable corporate environment usually contemplates a long career at the company and even a career growth. In case if several people kept coming and going in this role over just one year, that might look suspicious and must draw your attention and further scrutiny.

If possible, it is a good idea to chat with former employees who are not with the organization any longer and who may freely share with you their insider’s viewpoint about the situation in the company. When the atmosphere in the company does not feel right, don’t be afraid to follow your gut feelings. You will have to live with your decision in a long run, thus, learn to read the warning signs and act accordingly.

Another example of a red flag situation, when you have gone through the entire interviewing/selection process and in the end the employer is making you an offer, but not the one you expected. They notify you that the position you applied for earlier is going to be taken by another candidate, but they appreciate your experience and skills and are willing to offer you another role. They may justify this by emerging new projects that the company is going to work on, and they decided that employees with your background could be involved. It can look like the company is giving you a chance to step in and prove your abilities. However, even if the new position looks very similar to that one you actually applied for and even more interesting and challenging, be careful. You might be not ready for this new role yet. Also, try to find out what stands behind such quick and unexpected change – a real necessity in enlarging certain functions or just poor HR planning. Under changing circumstances this necessity may disappear as quickly as it emerged and the employer can let you go, explaining that you were just not the right fit. Quite easy to do so, given that there is a probationary period.

And the last but not least detail that is worth attention is interviewer’s behaviour during your meeting – if there’s tension in the air that makes you feel uncomfortable, it might be the sign of things going wrong. In the end, the chemistry factor might be even more important than qualification suitability for the job.