Often when people talk about the hiring process it's what to look out for. The red flags you don't want to miss. That shows this position, company or team is not what you're looking for. It could be an indication of the company's culture or internal politics. While this is still important I want to talk about the green flags in a company's hiring process. Things you want to see. Which may be a sign that this is the right role for you.
A few things I wanted to say before getting into the green flag. If you see something you don't like during an interview that it's not always an indication of whether the role/company is bad. I'm not talking about blatantly wrong things like harassment or discrimination. But things like rather things like the hiring manger took longer to get back to you or there was no salary range on the job posting. But it is something to note of and be aware. Also, these are things I personally look out for and they may be different from yours. It's good to be aware of what you want in a company. Lastly if I don't see all of these during a hiring process doesn't mean the company or position is bad. There's a lot of other factors that indicate if the company/job will be right for you. These are just a few to consider.
Below are 5 green flags I look out for during the hiring process.
1 Highly Communicative
I've interviewed with about 8 companies so far. All have been different and in a wide range of fields from healthcare to legal. At the end of my interview I always ask the person about next steps and the general timeline of moving forward. In my experience the hiring managers said it would take them about a week to a week and a half to make a decision. This let me know when I may need to contact them if I don't hear anything back. A major green flag to me is if the company is communicating what's happening in the hiring process. If I reached out to the contact person (hiring manager, recruiter, assistant, etc) for an update and they emailed me back, I noticed. Even if it was as simple as "I'm sorry I don't have an update yet". They are prompt in their replies.
2 Compensation is transparent
I live in California where it is required for employers to put a pay range on their job posting. But because I'm looking for remote jobs I see jobs posted from companies in other states which don't require this. It's a bonus if the job post has the salary listed. It's a good sign if a company includes this because it means they probably value your time (not wasting it by interviewing for a job that doesn't align with your salary needs). Even if the post does not list the pay range I notice how upfront the person I talk is. In both scenarios they don't try to hide the salary range.
3 The job post provides a clear description and hiring manager understands the role
The job post makes it clear that the hiring manager or the company understands what they want from the role. While there's always some uncertainty. The more specific a higher manager is about their needs and expectations, the better it is for the candidate. This lets the candidate know what to expect from the role. They know what they're getting into.
4 Respectful of your time
The company and interviewer is respectful of your time. A few signs of this may be they show up to the interview on time (or early), they respond to your emails in a timely manner, and they communicate if something needs to be rescheduled. Another indicator is they don't expect you to interview on a weekend. They value their time and time off. A company that respects your time is crucial for finding a job that is fulfilling.
5 Interview feels like a conversation
The interview feels like a conversation not an interrogation. It doesn't feel like I'm sitting in a police station getting drilled on my answers. They're not rapidly asking me question after question without any breaks. The conversation feels more fluid and more enjoyable. The person may reveal something about themselves like a hobby and seems interested in you as a person.