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What would you do?

ezekielrage_99

ezekielrage_99

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Oct 12, 2005
3,336
19
I've recently been applying for work via seek.com.au (my contract on my old position ceased) and I've got this reply the other day and I was wondering what the professionalism, verisimilitude and ethics of a company would be like who send these types of email AFTER applying on seek.


Hi,

Congratulations on your work to date.

We don't have a position open at the moment. However, if you're happy to take the risk to show us your value by working for nothing for a month, then we'll set you up here within the team.

Please be aware that we don't do much if any 3D.

Best regards,

Peter

--
Peter D. McNamara
BA LLB (Melb) MBA (Wharton)
Director
 
"Working for nothing"? That's a good one. ;) I'm sure after you give them a month of free work, it suddenly turns out "I'm sorry, we don't have a position open after all. Good luck with your future endeavors, sucker...oops, I mean 'sir'."

--Eric
 
I'm sorry but this is how I see it:

Hi,

Congratulations on your work to date.

We don't have a position open at the moment. However, if you would like to work for free for a month then you could work for us.
Please be aware that we don't do much if any 3D, so after the month we will not need you anymore, because you would have done the work we needed.

Best regards,

Peter

--
Peter D. McNamara
BA LLB (Melb) MBA (Wharton)
Director
 
Wow, I'm surprised he could "Best regards" after a letter like that.


 
cwedl said:
I'm sorry but this is how I see it:

Hi,

Congratulations on your work to date.

We don't have a position open at the moment. However, if you would like to work for free for a month then you could work for us.
Please be aware that we don't do much if any 3D, so after the month we will not need you anymore, because you would have done the work we needed.

Best regards,

Peter

--
Peter D. McNamara
BA LLB (Melb) MBA (Wharton)
Director
Click to expand...


They were advertising a job on Seek as of last week, why would you put a job on a job seeking network if you knew full well that you didn't have ANY position? That's what my concern was it seems very dishonest.
 
heehee said:
Don't do it. Next month, some other job seeker will be seeing the same reply. :(
Click to expand...

I totally agree.

What I am more concerned about is there would be plently of fresh graduates to take them up on this offer of slavery and exploitation. It's very sad when companies like this are operating.
 
How experienced are you?

After university I worked for nothing for 3 months, and then it turned into 8 and then I was offered a job.

There was no job available in the first place, but it worked out.

A month's experience is a great offer.
 
AlexisV said:
How experienced are you?

After university I worked for nothing for 3 months, and then it turned into 8 and then I was offered a job.

There was no job available in the first place, but it worked out.

A month's experience is a great offer.
Click to expand...

Working for nothing is not a great offer, never. I know what I'm talking about, I've done enough jobs for "product xy is just before launch, we need a designer and will pay after we have success" or "you can do this and that job for us, we won't pay anything but it'll be great for your portfolio" and stuff like that.

It's nothing more than exploitation and my advice is stay away from these things as far as you can. It is not worth your time and energy. Oh, and you can get experience with paid jobs too.

These types of modern slavery will always leave you angry. You'll work more and more for them without seeing any payment until you'll be so frustrated you'll quit. And then they are going to find the next poor sucker.
 
For what it's worth, this guy was apparently a lawyer before founding the current company.

Regardless, the method he's trying to use seem very shady - why post a job and then try to get someone to work for free? Can you report this behavior to seek.com? It seems counter to what they'd want to have going on.
 
AlexisV said:
How experienced are you?

After university I worked for nothing for 3 months, and then it turned into 8 and then I was offered a job.

There was no job available in the first place, but it worked out.

A month's experience is a great offer.
Click to expand...

After leaving university I spent 4 years as an Imagery Analyts for the ADF (commissioned officer), I left the ADF 6 months because I injured my knee (YAY). And the last 6 months I've just been doing short term contracts.

I have:
Bachelor of Communications (Digital Animation and Television Production)
Diploma of Digital Media and Multimedia
Cert IV Business Management
Cert IV Information Technology
Cert III Information Technology

Either way I have some very good opportunities coming my way over the next month so this company doesn't really concern me anymore, I was just more surprised that anyone would or could request something like this.
 
I've only heard of a gig like that from really competitive, elite companies. Then the compensation is you getting the chance to prove yourself worthy of a job there...

For instance, a friend of mine is a chef, and a darn good one. But she was pretty fresh out of culinary school, so no real place would even consider her without more experience. She finally got an interview to work under a really amazing chef (don't ask me for names), but he just wouldn't hire her until she got a few years under her belt. She finally said, "I know that I could be great here, and that I have the experience and skill to hold my weight. I'll work for free for one month, and prove that to you if you will let me. At the end, you can decide - no strings attached." He was so impressed with her confidence and audacity, that he agreed.
 
xfiftyfour said:
I've only heard of a gig like that from really competitive, elite companies. Then the compensation is you getting the chance to prove yourself worthy of a job there...
Click to expand...

I've heard of that as well however they advertised a job on seek, that's where I'm coming from.
 
I worked for free during my education for the county's Dept of Health to gain experience. I don't think it's a big deal. It's something to put on a resume and get letters of recomendation. They may figure it's easier than fireing somebody who won't work out, they just try before they buy.
 
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