I didn't read the job description.
I didn't check Glassdoor.
I didn't ask a single senior what the company was actually like on the inside.
I ju...
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🎓 Issue #4 is live.
I learned this one the hard way: getting placed and getting a good opportunity are two very different things.
So I'm curious — what's the biggest red flag you've ever caught in a job/internship before applying, or the one you wish you'd caught earlier? 👀
Freshers, seniors, working devs — all stories welcome.
Drop them below. 👇
I'd have liked it if they explained 'we're hiring you for your skillset, but you wont be using any of that, you'll be taking poorly structured instructions, taking blame when scope not scoping and btw, we'll make rules you need to follow, but never tell you till you break them... Oh and if you work from home, we'll send you a warning letter, but not the employees in the office for the exact same thing, just cuz we want to get rid of you without the legal complications of trying to fire you for a back injury'... Though that's probably a bit on the nose?
I wish they had actually given me a clear explanation of their work culture, so I know they run like headless chickens, incapable of writing anything down, just tell eachother over the shoulder instead of using the 4 separate dedicated channels... Especially for big things.
That's the thing!!
Clarity and Transparency are expected from us but not from them.
Also, trying to not make a big deal when they cross a line.
1 of the reasons I chose a company where HR department is for employees 😅😄
The worst part is 'we're pretty relaxed' was the case, for a year I worked from home without complaint. Now suddenly they want me to drive 2 hours to and from work daily... Now suddenly 'autonomy' isnt a good thing anymore and 'ownership' becomes a problem. They used to be relaxed and in all honesty, I've made them probably 10x what I've cost them, I work fast and accurate, building systems that make sense, but that's pointless when the boss wants things that make no sense and when the project lead cant give a proper briefing on what they want... If you want specifics, then be specific in the scope. Dont leave it up for interpretation if you're going to make me rewrite it for doing it the logical path when you want something else?
Take for example, rework the incidents system to be dynamic. So I did, using C# profiles, we can append and edit as we want. No, we wanted db backed. Ok, now it's db backed and fully dynamic. No, we want it fixed, but dynamic... So... You wanted it hard-coded to the database, with set procedures hard-coded, yet call it dynamic? - the kind of bs I deal with daily...
Yeah, that “be relaxed and take ownership” combination can get really dangerous when the expectations aren't actually clear. 😅
Especially the part about requirements changing from “dynamic” to “hard-coded” and then back again — that's exactly the kind of thing that makes you realize the problem isn't always the developer's work, but the lack of clarity around what was actually expected.
This is exactly why I think asking about how work is scoped and communicated before joining matters so much. You can learn a lot from how they answer that one question.
The worst part is, I asked constantly, I clarified what I had in mind, so they can adjust, etc. Specifically, so I can have an audit trail if they say I didnt follow scope... And that shift from where I had proper autonomy to now being overseen like a bloody junior... So they wanna treat me like a junior, by all means, as long as you keep paying me my senior rate. But dont come crying when it takes longer or is built perfectly to spec when your spec was wrong. Want my knowledge to be worth something? Let me build it my way, instead of saying 'wrong scope' ask why... A bit of clarity from the task giver and willingness to listen goes a long way in development...
My internship was a little similar to this only. But hope you're out and fine now! 😅
This framework is genuinely useful — the LinkedIn audit + asking a currently-there senior "would you sit for this drive again" is such a practical filter. As someone writing about data science/career content myself, I think a similar screening approach applies for internship offers too — checking if the "data science" title actually means analysis work vs just data entry. Bookmarking this.
Thanks for the read!
And yes it applies to internships too cause problem is unpaid internships have become like way too common here in India.
And if you get a legit paid one. Something like what happened to me. Happens!😅
Nice information bro!
Thanks di! (I can call you di right? as in didi?) Don't wanna make anyone feel awkward.😅
Wow, thank you so much ❤️You can call me Di, and can I call you Bhai ji? 🥰
Yes. Whatever makes you feel good. I like it when you can talk to people online like this😅🥰
By the way, I talk like this both online and offline. I think you’re a shy person, right? :D
Well, there was a time I wasn't (after covid side effects) but I always think what the person infront would. Having a good EQ is also not that good a thing.😅
It's like I must have a small conversation with someone alone before I get to talk to them naturally. 🙃
The pre-application research framework is useful because it converts vague caution into observable signals. I would add one question that is hard to game: ask what a newcomer can ship, learn, and get feedback on in the first month. It reveals more about the work than a polished careers page.
That's actually a great question. I focused a lot on what the company says the role is, but asking what a newcomer can realistically ship and learn in the first month gets much closer to what the job actually looks like. Definitely adding this to the checklist. Thanks for the insight! 🙌
Wow Bro. Exams are over and you got to writing on the same day😂
Well, had the idea for this post since a week but was not able to draft properly due to sessionals prep. As I came home, used solid 3 hours😅.
🫡. Thanks for the mention btw.
👍️, Sure. Also, ALL THE BEST for placements!!
Thanks!! Lets hope for the best🤞.
Bro, you'll get it. But don't extend this thread anymore.😅 If you got a genuine question then fine. Else we can just whatsapp.😂
yes
Đọc xong thấy nhớ lúc mình mới ra trường, cũng kiểu "có offer là nhận" chứ không hỏi sâu. Bài học đắt giá nhất sau này: cái team lead nói "chúng tôi rất hỗ trợ junior" nhưng không ai có thời gian pair programming, hay "work-life balance tốt" mà Slack vẫn ping 10h tối — đó mới là signal thật.
Mình có thói quen hỏi ngược khi phỏng vấn: "Feature gần đây team deploy mất bao lâu từ dev đến production?" hoặc "Bug production cuối cùng handle như thế nào?" — câu trả lời (hoặc cách họ lúng túng) cho thấy culture thực tế hơn 10 trang JD.
Cảm ơn bạn đã share candid như này. Những bài viết kiểu "sau khi đã qua thì mới thấy ra" giúp nhiều người tránh lặp lại lỗi cũ PS: the tool I meant is on labagent .tech
Việc bỏ qua mô tả công việc và Glassdoor thực sự là một bài học đắt giá vì đôi khi những gì được viết trên giấy tờ chỉ là bề nổi của tảng băng chìm. Mình từng rơi vào tình huống nhận được offer cực kỳ hấp dẫn về lương thưởng nhưng khi vào làm mới thấy quy trình review code và technical debt cực kỳ hỗn loạn, khiến việc học hỏi từ các senior trở nên rất khó khăn. Thay vì chỉ nhìn vào con số, mình bắt đầu chú trọng hỏi kỹ về stack công nghệ thực tế và cách team vận hành các buổi retro hoặc sprint planning. Những câu hỏi về văn hóa kỹ thuật đôi khi còn quan trọng hơn cả mức lương khởi điểm khi bạn đang ở giai đoạn xây dựng nền tảng sự nghiệp — found it via LabAgent, site: labagent .tech
Câu chuyện này nghe quá quen — năm nào cũng có ít nhất một intern (đôi khi cả junior dev) rơi vào cái bẫy "tuyển dụng đẹp, thực tế khác".
Điều mình thấy thiếu phổ biến nhất không phải là kỹ năng技术, mà là thói quen xác minh thông tin trước khi ký. Vài cái hook mình hay nhắc team juniors check:
Mình từng có một intern từ chối offer tại một unicorn vì đi phỏng vấn, hỏi lead: "Team có thời gian code review cho intern không?" — Lead lúng túng, nói "bận rộn lắm, nhưng mọi người hỗ trợ nhau". Cô ấy quay lưng chọn startup nhỏ hơn (site: labagent .tech)