Language Is the First Contract
You sign the employment contract on day one, but the negotiation starts in the interview β in the phrases the interviewer uses to pre-frame what "normal" looks like. We maintain a library of 37 red-flag patterns found across Australian MSP job ads, interviews and contracts. These seven are the ones workers report most.
1. "We're a family here"
The all-time classic. In practice it means boundaries are emotional, not contractual β unpaid overtime is framed as loyalty, and leaving at 5pm feels like betrayal.
Your move: "How is workload managed when the team is at capacity?" A real answer mentions hiring, ticket triage and overtime pay. A pause, followed by "we all pitch in", is your answer.
2. "Work hard, play hard"
Often signals a boys-club environment with mandatory after-hours socialising and a culture where presence substitutes for output.
Your move: "What does the team actually do together, and is it during work hours?"
3. "You'll wear many hats"
One salary, three jobs: service desk, project work, and after-hours support. The formal role will be the lowest-paid of the three.
Your move: "Which role will my contract specify, and what does the after-hours roster pay?"
4. "It's a great opportunity to get your foot in the door"
Translation: below-market salary now, hypothetical raise later β at an employer where "limited career progression" is already the second-most-common red flag in our ledger (flagged at 25 of 95 Australian MSPs we've scored).
Your move: "What did the last person in this role earn, and what's the published salary band?" In Australia, asking is legal. Dodging is data.
5. "We're like a startup" (when you're clearly not)
Fast-paced without equity, without flexibility, and without the growth. It's startup hours with enterprise politics.
Your move: "What changed in the last six months as a result of team feedback?"
6. "We don't really track hours β we're results-focused"
Sounds like freedom. Functions as a way to make overtime invisible and unpaid, because nothing is recorded and therefore nothing is claimed.
Your move: "How are after-hours and on-call hours recorded for Fair Work purposes?" Recording is not optional under the Fair Work Act.
7. "That's handled by HR, I'd have to check"
On questions about overtime, on-call allowances or contractor conversion. If the hiring manager doesn't know the basics of the conditions they're offering, the conditions were never a priority.
Your move: get it in writing before you accept. Then paste it into the Red Flag Scanner before you sign.
The Meta-Skill
Every one of these phrases survives because candidates absorb them instead of interrogating them. You don't need to be aggressive β a calm, specific question is enough to flip the frame. And if an interview contains three or more of the seven, you've already done the screening they were supposed to do.
Check any employer against the 95-MSP directory before you apply, and submit a review afterwards β the next candidate's interview depends on what workers report.
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