Like the poster above, I responded to a media buyer position posted on Hot Jobs. I have over 12 years experience in this industry and have worked for several "real" agencies.
My first red flag was the Gmail account address used to respond to me. While it is not unusual to email your resume to a company if the search is confidential. However they responded to me using a Gmail account, which was suspicious. The other flag was the immediacy of their response soley via email without any telephone vetting. The last flag was their website — http://www.qwestmg.com — which for a "large advertising agency" is amateurish in design & significantly lacking in corporate information.
Even with some misgivings, I decided to go and prayed it would not be yet another Quixar/Amway ploy guised as a real job.
The job was advertised as "$60-100K". Like the poster above, what I found upon arrival was vastly different from my expecation:
* There were several people crowded into their lobby.
* No company signage on the door; only on the wall behind the receptionist.
* Asked to fill out an employment form & attaching my hard cover resume.
-* Series of "why should we hire you?" and "name that vertical" questions.
* Receptionist actually takes a POLAROID PICTURE of each applicant.
* There are others on the phone calling "applicants" regarding getting hired; almost every call made had the same script.
The receptionist also handed me a job description and a very generalized company overview. While the job title was accurate to what I had applied for, the salary had been changed. Now the "base" is $32,100/p.A. With benefits. But you can earn up to $100K in bonuses. I've worked in this industry for a very, very long time. And no media buyer I know works on this basis - especially if they are experienced. The rate is equal to entry level at best. And was an insult.
But I decided to see where this charade would go to. Once you submit the paperwork, you wait. While waiting, several other individuals walked in, who looked equally shocked upon arrival.
At the appointment time, myself and 4 others were guided to another room (ste. 404) where we were greeted by an "HR Specialist." Again, a script. How do I know this? She repeated it a few times. The "HR Specialist" informed us that we would all be taking an assessment exam. Mind you, I was with others who were applying for the "Employment Verification" position discussed above and "HR" related roles. Yet we were all to take the same assessment test.
The test consists of 50 questions, that you must try to complete within 12 minutes. The test is some sort of aptitude exam.
After times up, the HR Specialist informs you that she "has everything she needs and will be grading our exams." After grading, she will "pass information onto the managers and if qualified they will call you back for a second." We were then released.
What angers me is the bait & switch process of the interview. There is no evidence that this is a legitimate operaion. Despite their having a Better Business Bureau plaque, they are not accredited with the Central FL BBB.
If you see an advert from this company or they respond to you - my recommendation is to avoid them like the plague. It's the equivalient of a MLM operation that preys on job seekers.
0 comments