Dear Liz,
I went to a job interview last week and for the first twenty minutes of the conversation, I was excited. However, there were gaps in the information the interviewer was giving me.
I couldn't tell whether it was a full-time job, a contract, or what. I kept trying to pin the interviewer "Tony" down.
He avoided my questions. He said, "We have different roles with different work arrangements."
I said, "What are the arrangements for this position -- the one we're talking about?"
He said, "We'll have to see."
I said, "What do you mean, exactly? Is this a full-time job?"
He said, "We have full-time employees and seasonal employees."
That sounded strange. There is nothing seasonal about the company's business.
I was suspicious.
I said, "I'm potentially interested in the job, if it is a full-time role. If it's not, I would hate to waste your time." He said, "Let's see how the interviewing process goes." That sounded sketchy to me.
Now the same company (different recruiter) has invited me to come back for a second interview.
Will it be a waste of my time? What should I do?
Thanks,
Mark
Dear Mark,
It is sad to say but there are scams everywhere. There are companies that will hire you for a job and then give you a completely different job to do. They will lead you to believe you're being hired for a full-time role but will actually hire you for a "seasonal" or temporary assignment.
I met one young man who thought he had been hired by a very prominent bank. It turns out that he was hired by a subcontractor who was doing work for the bank. What the young man had been told was a full-time job with the prominent bank turned out to be a short-term contract for the subcontractor, whose contract did not get renewed.
You have to ask a lot of questions before you agree to a job interview. I understand if you don't want to ask questions like, "What does the job pay?" before you've met anybody from the organization.
If you are dealing directly with the employer you can wait until the first interview to ask questions about pay and benefits, career advancement and so on if you want, but if you are dealing with a recruiter you should ask about the salary before you agree to the interview.
Otherwise you could be wasting your own time and the interviewer's time -- not to mention the recruiter's time!
Don't go on an interview if it seems sketchy, and the situation you describe definitely sounds that way. The recruiter Tony should have been able to tell you that the job you interviewed for was either a temporary role or a full-time role. I would be hesitant to go back for a second interview if I were you.
You could write to the recruiter who invited you to the second interview. In your message, say, "Thanks very much for reaching out. I might be interested in the role if it is a full-time position with benefits. Can you please let me know?"
Here are ten questions to ask and get answers to before you agree to a job interview.
1. Where is the job located?
There's no point in going on the interview if the job is based somewhere you don't want to be.
2. What is the job title?
3) Is this a full-time job with benefits, a part-time job, a temporary role or something else?
4. What is the name of the company I'll be working for?
5. Is this a job, or a business opportunity?
Sadly, some people will try to get you to interview for a "job" that is not a job at all but merely an opportunity for you to work alongside them with no guaranteed pay at all. This is a good question to ask if the job ad is murky and talks about "Great opportunity for the right person to make tons of money!" but is sparse on the details.
6. Will I be working directly for [the well-known organization mentioned in the job ad] or for a firm providing services to that organization?
7. When will the position become available?
It is very deflating to go to an interview and learn that the job won't even be open for another several months.
8. Does this job require relocation?
Sometimes they don't mention it in a job ad when they want and expect you to relocate for the job. If you aren't open to relocating, ask this question before you waste your time preparing for an interview that isn't going anywhere.
9. If you are invited to interview with a recruiting firm that tells you, "We have tons of openings," ask them if there is a particular job opening they think you might be well suited for. Ask them to send you the job spec before you agree to the interview.
Unfortunately, some recruiting firms will waste your time "interviewing" with them just so that they can get your resume and shop it around to employers. They don't necessarily have relationships with employers, much less active job openings they are trying to fill. Know before you go!
10. If the job is an internship, ask, "Is this a paid or unpaid internship?"
Don't be too dismayed about what happened with Tony. You smelled a rat, and now you'll be more cautious in the future. Remember that when a company interviews you, you need to check them out at least as thoroughly as they check you out. Don't assume that they are ethical or professional. You need to investigate.
If they bristle at your questions, that's a signal. If they don't like to answer questions posed to them by job applicants, they should include all the necessary information in their job ads.
It's a new day. Job seekers need to be on their toes!
All the best,
Liz
