[xyzelement]

>> If I hear people say they are (or were) miserable at a certain job - I tend to take their word when they say there's a reason for it

Like I said, there's an objective and a subjective here. I mainly found that people who are miserable at a job were miserable at every other job too. Doesn't totally mean it's "them" but it's kinda like "the only common in all your failed relationships is you."

Then there's the totally subjective. Example: two people get the same constructive feedback, one person goes "wow, I am getting feedback that will make me grow" and the other person goes "ouch my boss wounded my ego, I hate it". (I am not asking you to say one is good and one is bad, just making a clear example of situation that someone may like and another person may hate)

[JohnBooty]

    two people get the same constructive feedback, 
    one person goes "wow, I am getting feedback 
    that will make me grow" and the other person 
    goes "ouch my boss wounded my ego, I hate it"

In that hypothetical example, yeah, I wouldn't know how to judge the company.

In reality things are a little more detailed. I would want to look a little deeper. Is the feedback technically sound? Is the feedback actually constructive, or more along the lines of "this is shit?"

I recently eliminated a company from my job search because I received feedback during the interview process that IMO failed in all possible ways: it was technically poor, it was rude, and it was unconstructive. (Perhaps one would say it was fragile ego, but I've been in this industry for a while and that was a first, so I've got enough anecdata to believe my ego is not fragile...)

[almeria]

I mainly found that people who are miserable at a job were miserable at every other job too.

That's not what I find at all - I can't even count the number of times I've been a shoulder to cry on for friends caught in miserable work environments, going all the back to grad school. And BTW I do mean literal crying in some of these cases - in others, it's been "merely" confessions of deep anxiety, hopelessness, insomnia and thoughts of self-harm.

Yes, there have been a few "miserable everywhere" cases, but at most they've been 10 percent of the batch. For the other 90 percent - it's clearly and objectively a result of the shitty environment they've been thrust into.