Being in the process of looking for new employment, I came across an ad that looked like a wonderful place to work! NO EXPERIENCE NEEDED?! Whoa, seemed too good to be true...
... and it was.
I go into the first interview not necessarily knowing what ICE Ohio actually did or what they specialized in, but I was excited to check it out since they informed me that the hiring manager took a look at my resume and seemed impressed!
I walk in the office, which is in the back of a big building. It was slightly hidden as it really couldn't even be seen from the parking lot since there was no name on the outside. It wasn't even listed on the signage that was in front of the entire business, so at first, I thought pulled into the wrong lot. But, I noticed the green awning that the HR Director described to help find the place.
Anyways, I walk into the office... it looked really neat and tidy. To me, it seemed professional. The receptionist was a very attractive young girl who I chatted with for a short amount of time while filling out some paper work.
After some chatter, I was called in by the Assistant Manager, Simi. We had a rather short interview. He talked about what the company does, vaguely, and what it plans to accomplish in the next year or two. I honestly didn't know much of what he was saying but he asked me a couple questions regarding where I work and what I like to do on my free time. The interview was rather short. He also mentioned that he has been doing interviews all during the day, and that him and another hiring manager were going to figure out who was going to be invited for the second round interview.
After the interview ended, I received a call back around 4:30 saying they would like me to come back for a second round interview the next day. I accepted.
I was excited. I was told that the second round interview would be with an Account Manager, and they would go over what they do during a day to day basis. So to my understanding, I would get a more in depth look of what the job actually is about.
I get to the interview, and the lobby has a room full of people. I was a little shocked as to how many people were back for a second interview because I thought I was the only one. I also that this may be a group interview, which I would not really like to do. But, people started getting called 1 by 1. The first two names that they called, they didn't show up. I finally get called and I meet up with, Matt. I believe Matt is the Main manager of the entire branch. In the office, I was introduced to an employee named Jenna. Matt informed me that I would be spending some of the day with Jenna to go over what the job is really about. I was pumped.
We met, started some small talk and we headed outside. I wasn't really sure where we were going but, I followed. We got into her car and we started driving. She started asking me questions about basic marketing strategies such as advertising, commercials, and direct marketing. I personally don't really know too much about it, but she was more than happy to tell me more about. The main point she kept mentioning was 'Direct Marketing'. She added that the client they work for, Direct Energy, was a major client and she expressed about how much she enjoyed working for the company. As she was talking, I was honestly zoning out because there was way too much information that was being told to me when I had really no clue about what was going on.
This is when I realized that the job isn't for me...
She mentioned that 'Direct Marketing' is much more effective because you are more personal and you can end the sale with a smile. She also mentioned that going to people's residence was the best way to put a face on the brand that they are marketing for.
... this instantly drew me away from this whole job opportunity.
Although, I didn't show I was no longer interested at all, I let her continue her speech and interview process. We ended up driving more, with no idea where I am, then we end up at a Starbucks. We ordered coffee and sat down and she pulled out a list of questions that she asked me. I found it quite odd that we would go to a Starbucks to conduct an interview when we could have simply done this in the office, but whatever, I wasn't going to go for this anyway.
She mentioned that the hours were 12-830pm M-F and 10-3 on Saturdays. That also instantly drew me away from this job and the fact that it was mainly commission based.
I have done a LOT of research about companies like this, and from my understanding, this is a MLM (Multi Level Marketing) scheme.
I knew what was going on by now, I just didn't show it. I just fed her BS as she fed me BS.
After the interview was over at the Starbucks, we drove back to the office where I met with Simi once again. We went over some quick questions and I mentioned to him that the hours wouldn't work out since I still attend school during the evening. He told me that he would contact me later on in the evening if they were interested in hiring me.
I never got the call, and even if I did, I would decline.
I'll give them credit though...
*They truly made a DOOR-TO-DOOR sales job sound really professional* -- I mean, just take a look at their website. It looks like they made it off of a Wix layout and the company description really tells you nothing about what they do. All they did was use a bunch of big words to make them sounds really legit.