Was the “World’s Toughest Job” Video Interview Job Seeker Abuse?
It took me to a blog post by Andy Law of HuddleRecruit.com. Law talks about the recent practice of companies creating fake job ads, conducting video interviews and displaying these videos on YouTube to garner millions of views.
One video he points out is the “World’s Toughest Job” interview, created by Cardstore. The company interviewed 24 “candidates” for a fake Director of Operations role.
Law writes:
According to the CNN report :
“only one person actually started to see the ruse while there. The others sat through about 15 minutes of interviewing before they were let in on the real message.”
That’s a total of 6 hours of torture for the 24 candidates.
Imagine how the 24 candidates felt after the video went viral.
Imagine what it would be like to know their friends and families had watched the video, and were talking and laughing about them.
Imagine how they’d feel going for their next job interview.
Total humiliation – all for the sake of selling some extra Mother’s Day cards.
You see, in the video the “interviewer” describes an outrageously sounding role. He says that the role will require constant standing, no breaks and working 24 hours per day for 365 days a year. He also says that the job’s salary is zero dollars, finally revealing that there are many people who do this role each day—mothers.
I actually saw another video ad similar to this one when browsing YouTube around Mother’s Day. And, don’t stone me, but I found it humorous and sweet. It was funny to see the interviewees’ reactions when the interviewer asked ridiculous questions or explained unimaginable duties of the role. And then to see that the entire concept was a way to honor mothers, I couldn’t help but thinking, How clever was that?
Although the video said that these were “real” people being interviewed, I thought that after a ridiculous question or two they had quickly caught on that this was indeed a joke.
But, Mr. Law (and he points to others who support his views) did not find this practice so funny. He even went as far as calling it “abuse.” Law writes:
The recruitment process is difficult and time-consuming for both job seekers and employers. Being out of work is humiliating enough without being the victim of a stunt or a fake exercise.
The wonderful video technology available today makes it easy to set up and manage the recruitment process. But unfortunately, some companies think it is okay to use that technology to exploit candidates.
The recruitment industry should roundly condemn any company that abuses the technology – and abuses the faith that candidates place in the interview process.
I agree with Law; unemployment is no laughing matter. The search for job opportunities can be tough, and to some, humiliating to receive rejection after rejection. And companies should absolutely not exploit candidates in the job market.
But I don’t agree with Law that exploitation or abuse occurred in this context of the Mother’s Day cards ads.
For starters, the online job ad was for a company named Rehtom Inc. Here’s why it’s so important for job seekers to do their research before responding to a job posting: This company does not exist.
Next we have the duties listed in the ad:
- Standing up almost all the time
- Constantly exerting yourself
- Working from 135 to unlimited hours per week
- Degrees in medicine, finance and culinary arts necessary
- No vacations
- The work load goes up on Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s and other holidays
- No time to sleep
- Salary = $0
After reading these requirements, you’ve gotta’ be thinking, “Are you kidding?” The degree requirements make no sense, the hours are illegal and it doesn’t even offer compensation. If you looked past the fact that you couldn’t find any information on the company, the duties alone should alert you, as a job seeker, that this is a scam.
An article pointed out that while the ad received 2.7 million impressions from paid ad placements, only 24 people inquired. I think the majority of folks saw this bright red flag.
The CNN article that Law referenced explained that Cardstore’s team told the 24 people that they would be helping evaluate the job ad by video conference. What company jumps from an applicant responding to a job posting to setting up a video conference? No initial callbacks? No discussing his/her resume? No phone screen before an in-person interview?
This entire thing just keeps sounding more and more fishy.
I also wonder if the applicants sent in resumes or cover letters; how would you even persuade a recruiter that you were the best fit for a director of operations role that doesn’t list any real duties for a company you have no background information for?
Also, the interviewees seemed to be supportive of the overall purpose of honoring mother’s, with some even sharing their thanks for their mothers at the video’s conclusion. And I’m certain American Greetings and Cardstore would have had to receive their approval before publishing a video with their images.
Moral to the story? Fake job ads are extremely frustrating and can be disrespectful of a job seeker’s time and feelings. Yet, when it comes to something like this Cardstore ad, I don’t believe “abuse” is the correct term. A detailed (but fake) job ad from a real company (one posted on its careers site along with other job boards) is one thing, but those as ridiculously sounding as this one are another.