“Are you a recent college graduate? Are you having a hard time finding a job? Well, we can help you! Apply today!” This posting comes from a job board, and it sounds great – who isn’t having a hard time finding a job? However, these types of advertisements have been used recently to scam recent college graduates into jobs that have nothing to do with what they publicize.
Recent college graduates have enough to worry about without companies trying to scam them. Unfortunately, this is exactly what has been happening, and I’ve experienced this first-hand. In July, I found a job posting entitled, “Recent Graduate? Immediate Advertising Jobs Available!” The company was called Dynasty, Inc., located in Burlington, Mass. It sounded great. Of course, I applied right away, but didn’t expect an immediate response. I searched around a little more on the job board, and found a job post for Worldwide Acquisitions in Woburn, Mass., this one advertising “Entry Level Marketing! Growth Opportunity!” That one sounded good, too, so I sent in my résumé . A few hours later, I checked my email and what do you know two responses. One from Dynasty, Inc., and one from Worldwide Acquisitions. What luck! Or so I thought….
Both companies requested an interview – one for Wednesday at Worldwide Acquisitions, and one for Friday at Dynasty, Inc. When Wednesday rolled around, I printed out my resume, gathered my references, and set off to Woburn.
The interview lasted all of 10 minutes, and the woman conducting the interview never gave me any information about the company. I was asked back for a second interview, and was informed that the next interview would be eight hours long. Something wasn’t right. When I got home, I sat down at the computer and did some researching on the company, and the first headline I saw was, “Worldwide Acquisitions, BEWARE!” I perused a few of the dozens of Web sites where people claim they were scammed, and found some pretty interesting information.
Documents on Ripoffreport.com claim that Worldwide Acquitions is not even an Advertising/Marketing company, as it claims to be. It is sales-funny that I asked that question specifically, and the woman denied it. The company targets recent graduates with its catchy advertisements, has them come in, and then offers all interviewees a second interview.
On that second interview—brace yourself— they take you out to “lunch”—one complaint said it was to Pizza Hut—and then take you to a neighborhood, where you go door-to-door for hours selling Verizon Fios! One girl even said that when she refused to go door-to-door, the “account representative” she was with made her find a ride home.
After reading these complaints, I researched Dynasty, Inc., and unfortunately, the complaints about this company were similar. One person said this company claims to be Advertising, but requires you to sell sports coupons, and then they never pay you.
Ripoffreport.com claims that Dynasty Inc., is not even an actual company – they “hire” employees, take the money they earn, and then pack up and leave the state. Needless to say, I cancelled my second interview with Worldwide, and cancelled my interview with Dynasty. I wanted to give each company a chance to rebuttal and defend themselves, so I e-mailed them both on August 24, asking them about their companies, and what they had to say about the accusations made by former employees. It has been a month, and both companies have declined to answer. Since both companies declined to defend themselves, I have no choice but to assume they’re doing just what consumers assume – scamming.
After further research, I discovered that neither Worldwide Acquisitions nor Dynasty, Inc. are accredited by the Better Business Bureau. In other words, it has no commitment to make a good faith effort to resolve any consumer complaints.
Although there are many other companies just like these hoping to trick college students, graduates shouldn’t be scared when they start the job search. However, there are a few things to look for that may indicate a less-than-desirable company:
- A catchy line such as “Recent Graduate? Look no further!”
-The company Web site caters more to a potential employee than a customer.
-The company Web site shows no legal information.
-The company calls you within a few hours of you submitting your résumé.
-The office has a TV displaying a less-than-professional movie, or a radio playing less-than-professional music.
-The person conducting the interview doesn’t give much information about the job.
My advice is to research the company before even applying. It’s almost fool-proof, and you’ll learn about the company in the process! Ripoffreport.com is a great site. No one knows what job searching has in store for them until they’re actually in the process of applying for their career. I hope this bit of information can help future graduates to be aware of companies more interesting in hurting us than helping us. Happy job hunting!
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