So I'm looking for jobs on careerbuilder.com, and as a lot of people in the Sacramento region know, the Sacramento Bee posts all of their jobs there. With the economy the way it is, job hunting is a very competitive experience, and many people are desperate for a call back.
I posted my resume to many companies after I got home, and many of them included sales and marketing companies. About 20 minutes later, I get a call from one of them. They wanted to schedule an interview the next day. So I thought what the hell, maybe they are having problems finding good help, right? There are a lot of unreliable people around looking for work.
The lady sends me an email with directions to the office, and sets an interview for the next morning. On the way to the interview, I noticed that the office was not easy to find in the maze of buildings in the area. Funny, considering that most office jobs have human resources or other employees to screen their potential employees a bit more than email and a 3 minute phone call.
Before leaving for the interview that morning, I got a call from another company I had just applied to, which was something called DC Marketing. The girl was obviously not experienced on the phone, got nervous when I asked her questions about the company, and when asked to inquire to her manager about an afternoon interview (morning wouldn't work for me), she told me she would call back later. I'm still waiting!
After getting lost on the way to the building, I finally found it nestled amongst a lot of other businesses that had signs either on their doors, or right on the front of the office. Dynasty Inc. Had absolutely nothing on their door or building. I only knew I was in the right place by the address: 10320 Placer Lane.
When I walked in, there was a man sitting in one of the little black chairs to the right side of the room. To the left there was a desk with a woman sitting behind it, with a laptop, talking to the man in the chair. She seemed very high spirited, and I recognized her as the girl that gave me the information about the interview.
So I walked up and told her that I was there for my interview, and she shook my hand and handed me a clipboard and pen to fill out an application that looked as if it had been photocopied too many times. I noticed that there were many other clipboards with pens sitting there, ready for others to come in.
As I filled out the application, which clearly stated that I had to fill out the employment history, regardless of my resume (which by the way I was told to bring in triplicate), the man was called in to a side office by a man in a suit and tie. He was in a good mood from what I saw, probably because he really needed a job like the rest of us.
After filling out the application, I looked around the room a bit more. There was one large room, a place in the back (which was probably a bathroom area), and two offices on the front end of the building. The most notable feature of this reception area was that apart from the tiny black chairs and the impromptu desk for the "HR" receptionist, there was nothing else in the room. Absolutely nothing but chairs and a desk and a woman working off of a LAPTOP. Strange?
About 5 minutes passed, talking to the woman made it go by quickly, and the man came out of the first office. He thanked the woman and left. I noticed that the man in the suit hadn't followed him. A few minutes later he came out.
He greeted me and shook my hand, very lightly, and asked me to follow him. The first impression I got was that this man was not a leader, just a feeling I had about him. He ushered me in to the office, where I sat in one of the two black chairs in front of the desk that looked like something that you would build yourself.
Very little was in this office. The desk was large, and yet unadorned. He also had a laptop. As I sat down, he was somewhat quiet, so I told him about myself (which is usually one of the things you do at an interview when they ASK). While looking him in the eyes, he seemed very intimidated, which was weird. He asked me a few vague questions, and I began asking questions of him.
The answers I got were extremely vague. I asked what the pay would be, and he responded that it was "salary with commission", but didn't elaborate when I asked. He told me that they were currently focused on Staples, and had just finished a job with AT&T. I asked him what the job would entail, and he told me that they are looking to train people to manage their own offices, and hoped to spread to new locations in order to handle 10,000 customers, as one office can't realistically do so.
When I asked about training, he told me that they do a day of "observation", which was supposed to occur the next day, and that if they chose you, the training would last for 4 days. He was looking for about 3 people. He refused to add more to the job description when I asked in different ways, and repeated the vague information when I pressed.
Just before the interview was over, he asked me what would make me stand out from the other candidates. As I answered, he gave me a blank look that told me he knew absolutely nothing about hiring the right people, and told me that he would give me a call if they chose me.
To anyone that is looking for jobs on careerbuilder.com, beware. I went to this interview, and the entire thing smelled like scam. What kind of office, looking as if they had been there for just a few days and hadn't unpacked anything, is hiring managers, to handle their own offices, for salary and commission, that will learn EVERYTHING they need to know for the job in 4 days? Don't buy it.
If I had the time and patience, I would go to this "observation" and see what it's all about, but since my questions made the guy uncomfortable, I doubt he'll be calling me back! Good thing I know what to look for in a real job. Too bad that desperate people are probably being suckered in to this.
So for anyone that is looking in to this company, read online about it first.
When I got home from the interview, and a trip for lunch, there was an email waiting for me from another place that I had just applied to the other day. Though it is possible to get a response quickly, it is something that I am going to research thoroughly!
Do yourself a favor, and read up on people who can't tell you up front what their company is, and what you would be doing as an employee. Especially if they refuse to give you a ballpark figure wage wise.
0 comments