Like many of you out there I am a victim of the current economy and, therefore, out of work.in my search for a job as an administrative assistant I came across a job posting for a position entitled "Verification Representative"; it read as follows:
"We are a nation wide company based in Orlando that is looking to fill and administrative position. The administrative assistant will will work hand in hand with our HR department to screen applicants for nation wide positions The qualified candidate should posses strong communication and organizational skills, computer knowledge, the ability to work as a team player, and the desire to excel..."
This job posting, located on Yahoo HotJobs and executivemanagementjobs.net went on to indicate that the compensation would be between $15 - $20 per hour and asked that the applicant forward a resume, which I did along with a cover letter. So far so good, right?
I recevied an email responce from a "Pat Arlington" whos title is "Senior Recruiter" per the email, thanking me for my interest in the position and arranging a time to meet with their "Human Resources Team" - again, so far so good. At this point I believe I have applied for a position working with their Human Resources department, assisting them in the screening of new applicants, a position which according to them pays 15 - 20 dollars per hour. Some of Pat's emails indicate that he/she works with Qwest Marketing, some indicate that he/she works with Metrowest Appointments - red flag #1. There is little to no information about either of these companies on the net.
I show up at the appointed place and time - suite 407 - and receive the second red flag. See, if you look up Qwest on the internet the little information you are able to find indicates that they develop websites. However, suite 407 resembles a job placement agency - strange, since the name on the wall of this employment agency was Qwest - and who are Metrowest Appointments?
I was told that I was going to show up for a first interview, however, this was not the case. I filled out a basic job application, attached my resume, filled out a questionnaire with about ten basic employment questions (Why do you feel you are qualified for this job? Why should we hire you for this position? Etc), and was given a job description for the position - this was red flag number three. The Job description that their receptionist gave me reads as follows:
"Independent Verification Representative (the job title has changed - the job posting did not indicate that this was an "independent" aka contract position)
Job Description: Independent Verification Representatives will be responsible for speaking with the candidates who have applied for jobs with our clients Additional responsibilities will include reviewing and verifying their resumes to ensure their information is current and correct (not what you will be doing, but we'll get to this part later). This allows our clients to save time, money, and energy when considering applicants for their job vacancies. As an Independent Verification Representative you are an independent contractor and not a company employee (so you are not even going to be considered an employee - this translates into no health insureance or other such benefits, and you will have to take out your own taxes)." A timed test with various problem solving and logic questions marked the end of the "first interview", after which we were told that those that qualified would be getting a phone call regarding a "second interview".
Under "Compensation" the job description still reads "$15 - 20 an hour". So I figure, the job is not what I thought, there are no benefits, however, for 15 - 20 dollars per hour why not? I mean I've been out of work for 6 months. I'll pay out of pocket for health insurance as long as I am getting a guaranteed 15 - 20 dollars per hour.
So, I receive and accept an appointment for a "second interview" and am told that I need to go to suite 412 this time and will interview with Samantha. Alright, this time I am expecting to speak with a real live human being, afterall, I spoke to Samantha herself and she indicated we had an interview. I am prepared for possible questions, I have my own questions prepared, and am ready to hit this one out of the park. FINALLY, after six months of filling out applications I have a second interview!
I sow up to suite 412 10 minutes early only to find that there is no one at the front of this office to greet me, or the three other people waiting there. It takes Samantha 20 minutes to show up, during which time it becomes obvious that we are in the offices of some web designers and IT guys (all of whom are looking at us and grinning by the way - does not fill me with reasurance), and that the now five other people that are waiting for Samantha with me are obviously here for an interview as well. Humph.
So Samantha shows up, escorts us to a conference room, where she drops the bomb. The "Independent Verification Representative" position DOES NOT pay $15-20 per hour. You are NOT reviewing and verifying information on applicants resume's.in fact, you will not be paid for the vast majority of the work you perform.
See, Qwest is in the buisness of creating and maintaining Job Posting boards that are free to both the applicant and the companies seeking employees. But how do they pay for this you ask? Well, that's where you come in. All applicants that are interested in jobs posted on their web boards are shuttled via a link to an on-line form which they fill out with some basic information - and to which they attach their resume. These people are contacted by Qwest and asked to call a number in order to verify their application information. As the "Verification Representative" you answer the incomming phonecalls from your home, on your home computer, using software you download from Qwest. You verify that they typed their name and contact information correctly, using a "prepared script", and then ask them (and here is the catch) if they are interested in receiving information on furthering their education from an on line University such as the University of Phoenix.
Every time that an applicant states that they DO want to be contacted by the University of Phoenix (or the other University that they work with) you (the verification representative) get paid $5 commission. According to Samantha, each phone call lasts about 2 - 3 minutes - with an AVERAGE of 3 - 4 people indicating that they do want to be contacted by the on-line universities. Did I mention that this is strickly commission work? No one is getting paid by the hour here. If you answer 20 - 30 phone calls per hour during an 8 hour period, you MAY AVERAGE $15 - $20 dollars. Oh, and don't forget to set asside 10% of those bi-weekly commission checks for the feds, see you need to pay taxes because you don't even register as a Qwest employee.
Both the job posting and the job description that they hand out clearly indicate that this is a job paying $15 - 20 an hour - so I asked Samantha " you are telling me that in fact this position does not pay by the hour, it is strickly commission?"..."Yes" Samantha stated..."It states here that we will be paid by the hour, you realize that you are giving people inacurrate information?" I asked, to which Samantha replied "I am not responsible for the job postings or descriptions, they handle that." Nice.
PLEASE, don't let these people do this to you. If you agree to work for these people you will work 40 hours per week answering phones and barely make any money for your troubles, not to mention that 10% of the little that you make needs to be given to the Feds for Taxes, leaving you with ridiculously little to show for your trouble, and leaving Qwest sitting pretty since they got you to work for them for free.
I wasted 2 weeks of my life that I could not afford to waste on this fake job offer - spent gas I do not have driving to an interview that never materialized for a bulls*t position that pays no money. Oh, I got the job, I am not angry because they turned me down - I turned them down. I am angry because these people are preying on desperate job seekers and trying to dupe them into doing their data entry work for nothing, since Qwest gets paid by the on-line universities for the referrals and pays you nothing but a measly percentage of their commission.
If you are looking for a way to pay your bills, the rent, and put food in the mouthes of your children (like I am), then please do not waste your time with this company.
Carolina
Orlando, Florida
U.S.A.
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