What I Did:
Ever fill out one of those timeshare sweepstakes that say you could win a car? You know the ones that ask you for your income information right on the entry form? Listen to my short story before ever filling out one of those forms again...
Why was it a bad job?
I applied for a telemarketing job and though something was wrong when I walked into the interview and was hired before even answering a question. I was rushed into a conference room with about 40 other "suckers" and told that we would be calling people who entered a sweepstakes.
Now, I want to tell you that these "sweepstakes", as you know are a marketing ploy to get you to come in and sit down for a time share promo. Well what they don't tell you is that in all the years that they have had the sweepstakes, NOT ONE GRAND PRIZE IS EVER GIVEN OUT!!! NO ONE HAS EVER WON ANYTHING BETTER THAN A COUPON FOR 2 FOR 1 DINNER AT A CHEAP RESTAURANT!!!
That made me want to walk out right there, but I stuck around to try to find out who the corporate scammers were, and believe it or not, in the middle of the presentation they show a picture of their corporate office, which -- get this -- is shaped like a toilet seat! I immediately burst out laughing and told them I was leaving. In fact, I didn't even want the $7.50 for the hour that I sat there. I told them to keep it because I didn't feel right about taking money from a company that was going to be sued anyway for false advertising.
A few weeks later, I saw a car sitting in the middle of a shopping mall with the company's sweepstakes on it. I spent three hours protesting the sweepstakes until the mall owners' nephew contacted the company to remove the fraudulent promo.
Long story short, I was offered a job with the "nephew" because I was honest and commanded attention.
Tips and Tricks
- When you apply for a job that doesn't offer information, research the company when they contact you.
- Don't just jump at an opportunity without doing your research. This was the second time this happened. The first time, I signed up for a management job which turned out to be selling perfume door to door. We were in our second week of training when I showed up to the company and found out that the doors were locked and the company was seized by the government because the owner was locked up for drug possession.
