Red Flag 1 - Spelling errors in the job posting
Red Flag 2 - No salary listed
1st Interview - With the HR recruiter. It went very well, she was nice and created a warm environment.
Red Flag 3 - 2nd interview was scheduled outside of working business hours
2nd Interview - One of the coldest interviews I've ever had. The program Director and the Senior TA conducted what came across as an interrogation. They fired questions at me with no option for conversation. I was told I would have time to ask questions at the end, but the Senior TA repeatedly took over the interview by asking additional questions after they agreed to turn the remaining time over to me.
This indicated they had no interest in my perspective, or alignment concerns as an applicant or a potential colleague. The vibe was condescending; and seriously not appreciated. I was a bit shocked considering they design workforce development programs, but on reflection, it makes sense. This division of IRC is OLD world Economic Dev wherein workers are meant to feel grateful for any old job that comes along, no matter the environment or benefits.
Red Flag 4 - I had 2minutes to ask questions. When I asked what their strengths and areas of improvement were (as a team) they both intentionally skipped the second part of my question and said they "had to think about it". If an applicant can be asked this during an interview, they should expect the same. My question clearly rubbed them the wrong way, as the Senior TA looked visibly displeased.
If you can't in good faith reflect on the areas your team needs to improve, that indicates a serious lack of self awareness or conscious ignorance.
Red Flag 5 - No POC on the Workforce team
Final Red Flag - The job is listed as a PO but the duties are clearly that of a Director. The Director is always traveling, so it's clear that the POs are doing this work in her stead. This isn't an issue if the job is getting 90K+, but their budget is 70-80K.