I said this on another post similar to this one, but at the risk of repeating myself, check the bathrooms. I had the most bizarre experience for a marketing gig representing the Special Olympics. When I got there for the interview, everything was perfectly legit. My eyebrows raised when I came in for a second interview and there were about 50 people standing in a room cheering randomly. No chairs. Just them cheering. It felt like more of a “show” for new interviewees. I thought it was strange that the boombox was blasting music so loud in the lobby. What company has a boombox in 2019? (Or maybe it was 2018? One of those.)

But what really nailed it home for me was there was no toilet tissue. And the receptionist said she couldn’t leave to go across the street to Walgreens until/unless someone manned the desk. Who in their right mind invites a team of 50 people and then has no toilet tissue? She told me that when I left to go to the next location for training, I could use the bathroom there — like I was a puppy of some sort. I walked across the street to use Walgreens’ filthy bathroom and came back, with her smiling all in my face.

When I found out the next location required us getting on an el (subway trains in Chicago), that was even more bizarre. Why would a company not just ask me to meet them downtown for training? Why come here to this boombox-blasting, no toilet-tissue-having, random-employee-cheering office? I said, “Thanks, I’ll pass” and left. Another job applicant said, “I’m going with her.” It turns out he’d been using his phone to search for scams of this company while I thought he was just sending random texts next to me on the couch.