If you’ve spent time on social media lately—TikTok in particular—it’s likely you’ve already come across the term ‘beige flag’. The topic of beige flags grew in popularity this summer because of a TikTok trend where people noted the odd, but not necessarily bad, personality traits of those close to them. Whereas a green flag is a sign that someone is great, and a red flag is a sign that someone is trouble, a beige flag is somewhere in between.

Like the other two flags, beige flags are also not restricted to personal relationships. You can encounter beige flags in all aspects of life, including your job search. In fact, learning how to spot and analyze job beige flags could end up saving you a lot of time and help you avoid accepting a job that isn’t actually the best fit.

What Are Beige Flags?

In the simplest terms, a beige flag is something that gives a person pause. They aren’t obvious warning signs, but they’re also not anything to get excited about.

One example of a beige flag in a personal relationship is this TikTok user’s boyfriend, who chooses to set a timer instead of an alarm to get him up in the morning. It’s strange, but this behavior is certainly not a red flag.

But what about beige flags as they relate to a job search?

Job beige flags might be more difficult to spot, which is why we’ve curated a list of the most common beige flags you might run into at various intervals in your job search. From warning signs in a job description to company-wide beige flags, here are some of the things you’ll want to look out for.

Job-Related Beige Flags to Look Out For

Examples of Beige Flags in a Job Description:

• Vague Language — It shouldn’t require more than two read-throughs of a job description to understand the basics of what the position entails.
• Cliché Statements — Too many clichés or unrealistically positive statements can be a sign that they’re overpromising and just trying to get your attention.

Beige Flags In the Application Process

• Lack of communication — Lag times are sometimes normal, but other times they are indicative of a larger issue. Keep track of how long you wait between responses and ask yourself if this communication style would work for you on a long-term basis.
• Asking for the same information again and again— Assuming you’ve already provided your resume and cover letter, it should give you pause if a hiring manager continues to ask questions like where you got your degree, what your last job was, etc.

Job Offer Beige Flags

• Overemphasis on non-perks — If the company is trying to make things like government holidays or maternity leave seem like green flags, watch out. In most places, companies are legally required to offer such things, so emphasizing them might mean they are overcompensating for the benefits they don’t offer.
• Future promises over current perks — Evaluate the offer and see which benefits/compensation are going to start on day one. Are you comfortable with what the job provides from the start, or are you only considering the offer because of what they might give you in the future?

Beige Flags At a New Job

• Slow/mismanaged onboarding — When starting your new job, take notice of how the onboarding process is organized and operated. If your first few weeks are chaotic or you’re not being guided in the way you should be, that’s a beige flag—one that could turn into a red flag if it continues for too long.
• Company-wide beige flags — Talk to your colleagues and do outside research to get a feel for the company as a whole. There might not be anything glaringly wrong with the business, but company beige flags could be a reason you only stay at a job for a year instead of two.

Conclusion

As you might’ve noticed while reading through those examples, job beige flags are not necessarily reasons to decline an offer or quit your new position. Rather, beige flags in the working world are like pit stops. They’re signals to take a step back and reassess what you want, what you’re willing to compromise on, etc., to make sure that you’re not going after jobs that will ultimately not be right for you.

However, looking for a job is already very confusing and time-consuming, so why not let the experts find your next great position? The recruiters at CyberCoders know how to spot not only the beige flags but the red and green ones too.