Should I be weary of these 'apply today, start tomorrow' jobs?

Dublin Boy

As I've mostly only been a student I am finding it hard to get a job, as most places I try always want at least '1 years experience'.

I was searching online today and found a load of sales jobs which are more than willing to take on beginners and train them!

I applied for a job like that recently - don't know if I'm allowed to say the name of the company, but it was based in Leeson Street - it was only after I had been successful at the interview that I was told it was a door-to-door sales job and it would be commission only payment.

I managed to get a sale on the first day of my weeks trial, but the girl training me in, who hadn't got a sale all day and told me to let her deal with the sale once we were inside, obviously decided to trick the new guy and took the sale for herself, and tried to say that she helped me pitch the sale:rolleyes::mad:

The job was from 10.30am in the building, whilst the door-to-door work was from around noon-ish to 8.30pm, which would sometimes go on longer, then by the time I would get back to the office to hand my badge and contracts back it would be about midnight by the time I would get back home! I don't mind working long hours as long as I am being paid, but I didn't like having to go to peoples homes and dealing with rude people only to go home with little to no money for a long days work!

Are all these 'apply now, start tomorrow' jobs just door-to-door/commission only jobs? Or are any of them decent?

Gone West

Dublin Boy wrote: »

Should I be weary of these 'apply today, start tomorrow' jobs?

Yes.

the_syco

Dublin Boy wrote: »

Or are any of them decent?

You sound like you have a soul, so no. If, however, you don't feel bad from taking half of some grannies pension for some crap that you know will do f**k all, it will suit you to a tee. As unless you make regular sales from weak people by selling your crap, you won't make any commission. Sure, some sales people do sell "usefull stuff", but mainly it's all sh|te.

miami365

Personally I wouldnt recommend it. I applied for a "customer service" role with a sales and marketing company when I was in Australia and it turned out to be door to door sales.
My whole day was spent trying to persuade people to sign up to a monthly subscription with a charity by parting with their credit card details and its all commision based, no base salary.
Needless to say that was my first and last day in the job.

Dublin Boy

Thank you all, such a shame there are so many of these rubbish jobs, who disguise themselves as a great job in their ads, only to treat us poor unfortunates like guinea pigs!:(

the_syco

Dublin Boy wrote: »

Thank you all, such a shame there are so many of these rubbish jobs, who disguise themselves as a great job in their ads, only to treat us poor unfortunates like guinea pigs!:(

Aye. Also, you often don't get any money for the first day, as it's the "interview", and then there's the "training week"...

Wuggectumondo

They have such a big turnover, that's why there are ads are in Gumtree etc every day...

There was a job in New York I was going to apply for, "Marketing summer work for students, $11 an hour.. I found out it was going to be door to door knife sales, argh!!!!!

Dublin Boy

It is also quite annoying that these places don't even have websites, I mean it is 2009 after-all

photogirl

I did the same job, it was soul distroying so rang them up on the third day and said I ain't coming back. Would never do that again. Also my feet were so sore I couldn't have walked if I wanted to. I love walking but walking around the same area three times in one evening!!!!

As a girl been left on my own I did not feel safe and if anything happened to me. It would be a horrible job to do in the snow and the dark winter evenings. Good luck to the guys who make a living at it but they are out to make a quick buck.

Dublin Boy

photogirl wrote: »

I did the same job, it was soul distroying so rang them up on the third day and said I ain't coming back. Would never do that again. Also my feet were so sore I couldn't have walked if I wanted to. I love walking but walking around the same area three times in one evening!!!!

As a girl been left on my own I did not feel safe and if anything happened to me. It would be a horrible job to do in the snow and the dark winter evenings. Good luck to the guys who make a living at it but they are out to make a quick buck.

True. I'm a guy and even I did not feel safe going nto strangers houses, the area I was working in had very big houses all isolated from their neighbours and a real quiet, lonely place too and I had that job in winter so obviously it got dark very early.

One night at around 9pm - way after we were supposed to finish - the person training me in told me to go to a few houses on my own, when I finished I looked around and couldn't see her anywhere, so I was stuck in a strange dark place on a freezing cold night and I didn't have her number to call her and had no idea how to get to the train station!

By the way, in your interview where you tricked into thinking it was the best job in the world?

miec

I have noticed that these types of jobs give very, very little detail and one way I weed them out is if they do not state on the advert what they are about or the person is evasive on the phone, I won't touch it with a barge pole. Also commision only jobs are no good, you are working for nothing, everyone needs to eat.

Op have you considered doing an internship or if you are registered unemployed for six months or more, fas have set up work placements for graduates with various companies (you can check it out on fas.ie) now you only get your dole but you get experience and possibly contacts as well.

photogirl

Dublin Boy wrote: »

True. I'm a guy and even I did not feel safe going nto strangers houses, the area I was working in had very big houses all isolated from their neighbours and a real quiet, lonely place too and I had that job in winter so obviously it got dark very early.

One night at around 9pm - way after we were supposed to finish - the person training me in told me to go to a few houses on my own, when I finished I looked around and couldn't see her anywhere, so I was stuck in a strange dark place on a freezing cold night and I didn't have her number to call her and had no idea how to get to the train station!

By the way, in your interview where you tricked into thinking it was the best job in the world?

I was left on my own on the third day and got into one house and tried to call one of the people who was training me and got no answer. That was as much help as a choclate teapot.

They made it sould a lot better then it was and was only told it was door to door selling when I had a trail. I just thought I would give it a go, but as someone else said you make no money. I was spending more on travel etc. The company did have a website.

Dublin Boy

miec wrote: »

I have noticed that these types of jobs give very, very little detail and one way I weed them out is if they do not state on the advert what they are about or the person is evasive on the phone, I won't touch it with a barge pole. Also commision only jobs are no good, you are working for nothing, everyone needs to eat.

Op have you considered doing an internship or if you are registered unemployed for six months or more, fas have set up work placements for graduates with various companies (you can check it out on fas.ie) now you only get your dole but you get experience and possibly contacts as well.

Thank you, I was considering that, but most internships I have checked out are quite expensive. Can you apply online for fas courses?

Dublin Boy

photogirl wrote: »

I was left on my own on the third day and got into one house and tried to call one of the people who was training me and got no answer. That was as much help as a choclate teapot.

They made it sould a lot better then it was and was only told it was door to door selling when I had a trail. I just thought I would give it a go, but as someone else said you make no money. I was spending more on travel etc. The company did have a website.

Same here, they gave me very little info at the interview and it was not until I had to spend the day observing that I was told what the job was all about. I decided to give it a go because I had seen others seem real enthusiastic about the job and I thought I could be like that, but you have to be really into that type of work.

They have meetings with other sales companies every two weeks at the Red Cow, did you ever go to them?

miec

Hi Dublin Boy

If you are in receipt of a social welfare payment then yes you can do an online fas course, and I would highly recommend doing then, for a start they are very good (I've done a couple) and a good way for showing to a potential employer that you are updating your skills. I hope to do one once I get a payment from the social welfare, I would even do one if I got a job because they are really good. Good luck with things. By the way have you ever checked out http://www.creativecareers.ie I put a link up in the sticky section but I found them to be really good if you have done an arts degree (I can't remember what you graduated in - sorry)

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

All I can say is run a mile...

These bastards will promise you everything, but this will be your worste nightmare. Imagine working for commission only, walking around all day selling sh!t from a lucky bag. Ah these scum are not worth it, they have lots of differant company names, makes it harder to track them etc etc. Scum of the earth tbh.

Dublin Boy

I got an e-mail from a sales company today asking me if I wanted to be part of an 'exciting new sales company' and was told not to delay and that I could have unlimited income... then I discover it's commission.:rolleyes:

No thanks!