Last week, I replied to a job posting on Craigslist for "entry-level management and office staff positions." I called the number on the post, and a woman named Rowena answered and set me up with an interview.
I go in for the interview, fill out a form about my work history and that sort of stuff. Then a man named Neal Johnston called me up, led me to a room that looked like an office (but just a glass desk and some plants... No computers or anything. Seems odd, huh?). He talked to me for a whopping 30 SECONDS, then said, "I want you as a manager, I'm gonna ask you back for another interview." WOW. He must have really liked me to have made that decision in such a short time, right? I should have known then that something was shady, but I was too excited about the prospect of a new job to think straight.
My second interview, I sign in at Rowena's desk an am ushered into a room with about 30 other people, sitting in chairs. It's set up like some sort of seminar, there's a whiteboard at the front of the room and a woman named Sara Carl is making small talk with everybody. Then Neal Johnston comes out and talks for an hour, followed by Dan Long. They tell us all about their amazing company. "We're a fragrance marketing company, we only deal with business accounts, mostly wholesale and promotional stuff, blah blah blah..." He went on about how they're hiring Branch Managers and once we go through this 10 week training, we'll be a manager of our own office! And get huge paychecks! And profit sharing! And medical benefits! And vacations! Basically making it sound like the perfect job. He says he wants people to start IMMEDIATELY, saying he doesn't have time for people to put their 2 week notices in at their other employer. Then Sara Carl starts calling people out in groups to do a "final interview." I was the first group called, and Sara told us when we sat down that we were hired. There wasn't even an interview.
It sounded great, and would have been exactly the job I was looking for. But something about this guy, Neal Johnston, was creeping me out. His suit looked 3 sizes too big for him. His hair was greasy and unkempt like he had just rolled out of bed. If this guy had such a good job, couldn't he afford a suit that fits and a shower?
So when I got home, I did a Google search for "Neal Johnston" and whaddya know, the second result from the top was a complaint. Turns out Neal and his buddies make you believe you're getting a high-paying management job, convince them to quit your other job without a notice, and then MAKE YOU SELL CHEAP KNOCK-OFF PERFUME OUT OF YOUR CAR. I did more poking around and found TONS of people who've been ripped off by these scammers. The way they go about "hiring" is so deceitful, and I'm so glad I found out before it was too late. I hope some of the other people in my hiring group did their research, there were people in there with kids to feed!
Here are just a few of the other usacomplaints.com I found on these guys:
http://usacomplaints.com/cult/national-management/national-management-dan-chasi-8346a.htm
Http://usacomplaints.com/corrupt-companies/national-marketing-e/national-marketing-executive-9cq48.htm
It takes only quick search for Sara Carl, Dan Long, or Neal Johnston to find out what these people are up to. Fraud.
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