Welcome to Propelling Careers podcast episode 19. In this episode, Jim and Lauren focus on interviewing insights in the context of what to look out for if you are a candidate interviewing at organizations. These things can indicate if the organization is organized or chaotic, if the culture is positive, if the team members seem to have good working relationships and respect for each other, if your manager will be a good manager and support their team, and others.  We will share actual examples from candidate interviews in this episode and we will discuss these in the context of Red, Yellow, Green and Beige flags.  For context, a Red Flag could refer to something that means stop, leave immediately; a Yellow Flag could mean warning, slow down, you may want to investigate further; a Green Flag means proceed and a Beige flag could refers to a strange or odd behavior or item that catches someone off guard but typically does not hurt anything. A beige flag is neither good nor bad, but it does draw attention. As we discuss a few scenarios, including these below, to highlight each of these flags, we will provide thoughts to consider if you encounter any of these flags. We hope you enjoy listening!

Scenario: Efficiency (or not) in setting up the interview process

Scenario: Consistency in what interview team members share with you about the role and/or organization

Scenario: How the organization interview members responds to the question you ask about their values and how they demonstrate these

Scenario: Pay attention to questions the interview team asks you, especially if you are asked the same question by most people in the interview team

Scenario: Panel interviews – pay attention to the interview team interactions

Scenario: Ask questions to understand team dynamics / environment to ensure alignment to what you are looking for

Scenario: Being offered a job without being able to interview with the full team

Scenario: Hiring manager talking negatively about his current team

Scenario: Being asked unrelated questions to the job, such as what is your favorite animal, food, vacation spot, etc  

Lauren Celano, CEO of Propel Careers and Jim Gould, the Director for Postdoctoral Affairs at Harvard Medical School, launched this podcast as a way for us to share our advice, insights, and reflections to help others navigate their careers.

As we develop new episodes, this podcast will provide insights regarding career advice to help listeners navigate career choices and become more confident in their decisions. We look forward to busting myths and providing real life, timely, and accurate advice. Jim and Lauren work heavily with Ph.D. trained scientists, but the advice we provide can be applicable to other audiences. We hope you enjoy listening!