Holy "thank you" to usacomplaints.com!!!
I felt like the biggest schmuck. Do I really have "sucker" written across my forehead? Yeah, I kind of thought that after I got home from my "interview" with Twin City Events.
I have been looking for a solid career to change to, and I ran across their posting on Careerbuilder.com (I think). It looked solid, but my 'wierd sh*t-o-meter' should have been going off when it said "Base pay $40k-$50k bonus"... Wait a minute... For entry level? Well, okay, I guess if they're as big of an organization as they say they are. So I sent in my resume.
I'm not kidding you, 8 minutes later I get an email from a woman named "Vicky" telling me (ahem), and I quote...
"Thank you so much for your interest in the open position at Twin City Events Inc.
After reviewing your resume, we feel as though your resume stands out and exemplifies what we are looking for in our team representatives. As a company we are looking to grow and expand to 4 new locations in 2008. Twin City Events is currently hiring for 10 positions within, customer service, management, marketing, advertising, public relations, and event planning and promotions.
Twin City Events Inc and Associates is the #1 event-marketing company in Minneapolis. With over 18 years experience and are the Twin City's leader in Child Safety Promotions for non-profit organizations. We continue to provide the community and the charities with our 100% within promotions, which offers diverse career opportunities and growth potential. Hands on training will include safety event promotions, public relations, and customer service. We are seeking hard working individuals, with positive attitudes, and are looking for a rewarding career opportunity helping children and communities.
As you are one of our top candidates in consideration for this opening, we would like to extend an invitation to you for a preliminary interview with our firm as soon as possible. Prior to our meeting with a member of our management team, we do encourage you check out our corporate website: www.TwinCityEventsInc.com
Please contact Vicky at 763-489-1590 in order to schedule a date and time we could meet to discuss further career opportunities. Congratulations, we will be speaking with you soon!
Sincerely yours
Thank you,
Vicky
Human Resources Manager"
Excited, I called them back. Here again, the 'meter' should have been going bananas, but it wasn't. So I talked to Debbie, who was the front desk lady. She didn't even answer the phone like it was the main line into the business, she picked it up and said "Marketing, this is Debbie". Strange, but, whatever. I told her that I had an email from Vicky that I was responding to, and she asked if I could get in today at 4pm. It was the day before the 4th of July long weekend, and I was not about to go all the way from the East end of Saint Paul to Plymouth, and then try to fight may way back through both going home traffic, and going out of town traffic. So I opted for the Monday at noon appointment.
I show up at about 11:30, and had a hard time finding the place in their office park setting. It was like driving around in a strip mall or a storage facility.
I finally find it, and there was a very plain looking sign outside, which I thought was odd for a big-time marketing company. But I walked in, and met Debbie - who needed to stay out of the tanning booth, and stop trying to act like she was 20 years younger than she was. And oh yeah... Turn down the damn radio! Seriously, it was blaring!
Anyway, I walk in, and she hands me this clipboard with one page on it. All this "application" asked for was name, address, contact number, one previous employer, what kind of vehicle you drive, and how good you are in dealing with people. I gave it back to her with a copy of my resume, and I waited.
I started to look around, and this seemed weird. There were three giant checks in frames on the walls, and that was it. But, I gave it the benefit of the doubt.
I get called in to interview with Kelli, who is a manager of some sort. There were those lame motivational posters ALL OVER the walls, and the furniture looked like it had been put together by a group of monkeys with broken thumbs.
Kelli goes through my resume very quickly, tells me all of the great things they do for organizations like D.A.R.E., Toys for Tots, and Operation Smile, and asks me some basic questions - ones that would normally go with a sales/marketing position - and then inquires if I have any questions for her. I ask her flat out "what exactly would I be doing?" She tells me that I would go to the "events", set up tables and banners, display the merchandise for the organization, talk with people, and if they wanted to purchase anything, sell it. Okay, "how much does this position pay, Kelli?" "Base is $40-$50k, plus bonus."
She tells me that she should talk to the hiring manager, Brian, but she doesn't want to waste any time, and asks if I can come back tomorrow for a shadow session at an event with one of the senior training managers. Sure, I can do that...
As I walked out, I noticed that there were about 9 other people in the "waiting room".
Thank God that my wife has always been such a cynic, and skeptic! She called me about 20 minutes after I left the office telling me "don't you dare go back there!" That's when I looked at the other reports on usacomplaints.com, and called them back to decline my second interview.
When I figured these d-horns out, I wasn't disappointed, I was angry. I was angry because I felt like I had been had, because they were claiming to work for organizations that I agree with when all they do is give them a 5% donation from the crap YOU sell. There is no base pay.
The way this works is: you go out and stand in a parking lot of a Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, Target, Cub, whatever. You set up a little 5' table, and stock it with Victoria Jackson junk, and other trinkets (coloring books, etc.) and claim that the money goes to the charities - which it does, in very small portions. You sell this garbage at 85% off the retail price. So, what do you get? You get 30% of the sales, the company gets 65%, and the charity gets 5%. This means, that if you sell $100 worth of junk (which I hear is a really good day), you get $30 BEFORE taxes, the company gets $65, and a charity gets $5. That is what you are supposed to live on.
So, eager young college students, entry level, career switchers BEWARE. These guys prey on you because you are anxiously and enthusiastically searching for employment. Run, run, run far away as fast as you can!
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