- DO NOT fall for the shiny money or perks you're promised. Everything comes with very shady terms and conditions.
You're new? You'd be promised a fancy package with a big chunk of it held back as retention that you'd be promised to be paid if you cross probation. Chances are, if you don't toil unreasonable hours or don't meet the "targets" which are what look like a rags to riches wishlist, you won't ever get it.
You've done great work and got an appraisal? If anytime within ONE YEAR they lose interest in you or you seem to prioritise WLB or don't meet the said "target" as I explain earlier or you have to leave the company for whatever reasonable reason, ALL your appraised salary will be deducted from your FnF which would take forever to be processed.
The founder expects you to work for the shiny promised money but won't hesitate to take it all away the moment you leave, with zero moral integrity or respect to the work that you've put in. Same applies to your "performance variable", because in their words, it's not what's paid for your performance but an iNvEsTmEnT in you to make you toil for another year.
- They make you feel like they are paying you top market compensation while paying you below average money, and promise you incentives which more often than not, you'd be tricked in again!
- Do not expect mentorship, you have to figure everything out by yourself, and in the name of mentorship you get 4 hour brainstorming sessions past your working hours, only for that plan to change 10 times in 20 days.
- You are likely to get examples of companies with worse terms of exploitation or some dudebro's LinkedIn post glorifying overworking or why stress is good for you, if you dare bring up your issues or want any personal time
- The company tries to exploit you to the maximum extent while you're in probation, because your leave policies, work days, timings etc are remarkably exploitative during that time with the promise of them changing after you finish your probation, but it's likely that your probation will be extended or you leave/get fired before it ends.
- Prepare yourself for endless late nights(like really late), last minute "important" tasks because of their lack of planning and the average time meetings last is 3-4 hours.
- If you're joining the sales/related teams, you will be expected to sell an idea with no backing proof or solid value proposition or success stories at ridiculous prices and will be deemed a failure if you can't make that MaGiC happen.
- There will always be a new policy that will turn up when they want it for their advantage, which you would've never heard of, because "company policies keep changing".
I can keep going, but you get the gist.