New "Job" Taking the mick

LegacyUser

Hi Everyone,

So a few weeks ago, I got an interview for what is my dream position within a creative industry in a company I know and love.

The interview could not have gone better, they LOVED my work, gushed over it, said it was best they had seen, asked me a few general q's were very impressed with my cv, written references etc.

Offered me a position at the end of the interview, said, we'll be in touch in a couple of days, interviewer had me add him on fb so we could do some work together etc.

So I get contacted by the interviewer, he says i'll get some main work in a few days and to email my portfolio to X address

A week goes by, no contact from the guy or the email address, messages ignored etc but still being tagged in posts by the company. A week and a half later, i get an email from the address saying "i like your work, are u currently employed" I answer sending CV and outlining intern work i have been doing that just finished up and some freelance.
Get an email back saying, ok and what does that work involve (why am i being asked interview questions by email like this) I answer politely hoping its some sort of formality.....
now nothing.....
No contact at all for about 4 days.

Tbh, its really disheartening, Im not sure what to do, I was already thinking of giving up on this industry as it is and taking any job, this was the first glimmer of hope since I graduated a year ago. Im not sure what to think, was my work really bad and they were just being polite out of a misguided attempt to not make me feel bad. Was there ever a job or did they just want me to do work for free and when I expected payment, bailed on me (they said it was a paid postion at the interview)

Do I send a follow up email, part of me wants to email them and ask them to just cease contact if I am not getting a postion, do I give up hope, i have an interview for a job in top shop next week, will i just take it and give up?

Thanks

Alf. A. Male

To much emailing, pick up the phone and ask what's going on.

Meauldsegosha

Stop emailing and facebooking Ring them or better still, call into their offices.

Merkin

This sounds really dodgy. Is the company well established? Does it have a good reputation? Is it even registered as a company? Regardless of how casual company culture is, I don't like the sound of being offered a job on the spot (nobody does this, ever). An interview panel will want to convene after any interview to discuss how the interview went. Offering you a job on the spot after being so gushing about your work just seems very disingenuous and unprofessional. You need to pick up the phone and ask them for your offer letter which sets out terms and conditions, salary and start date etc. Don't start without having something in writing from them.

username123

Sounds dodge. You mention your portfolio which has my spidey senses tingling, there has been a lot of nonsense in the creative industries since the recession where this type of carry on is happening and the next step will might be to ask you to do some unpaid work on a project - a test like, to see if your work matches with their visions etc.... Then you will find that you hear nothing else and that perhaps, they are commissioning free work from people in this manner rather than actually employing people and paying them a fair wage.

Some advice, do the best checks you can on companies who offer you interviews, are they well known, professional online presence, etc... Next, do not ever EVER mix Facebook with work, an interviewer asking you to add them on FB should be reason to run immediately - this is not professional and your response to that question should have been either "no" or "I dont have a facebook account".

LegacyUser

Hi Everyone.

Firstly, I already called the director, his umber was on the email, several times and he didnt answer, i left a message with him and called the office and left a message with the secretary

I can't call into their offices this week as they are an event management company and are all down at a festival they are running this weekend.

Yes they have a huge online presence, I did do my research (who goes to am interview without knowing anything about the company), as i said they are company i have known and loved, i have been attending their events for over a year. I do not know if they are a registered company however but they are well known and book international acts.

With my last 2 intern positions i was offered the job on the spot as you send in your portfolio with ur application so i got the feeling each of these times the decision was already made. Neither of those companies were dodgy, in fact one was a national newspaper and they both paid me above minimum wage for my intern work, hence me not seeing any red flags with this company.

General consensus is it sounds dodge so I will send an email this evening asking that they cease contact (as tbh its keeping my hopes up and upsetting me and im definitely leaving the industry as this is very disheartening id rather just work in tesco and get money than be messed about like this) and delete myself from their staff group on fb so they stop tagging me as one of their team.

Thanks for the help

cletus van damme

Merkin wrote: »

This sounds really dodgy. Is the company well established? Does it have a good reputation? Is it even registered as a company? Regardless of how casual company culture is, I don't like the sound of being offered a job on the spot (nobody does this, ever). An interview panel will want to convene after any interview to discuss how the interview went. Offering you a job on the spot after being so gushing about your work just seems very disingenuous and unprofessional. You need to pick up the phone and ask them for your offer letter which sets out terms and conditions, salary and start date etc. Don't start without having something in writing from them.

I've had two offers on the spot straight after interview before. It happens.
Both were banks too no mean casual places.

although this sounds dodgy I'd be afraid they are stealing your work and perhaps using it themselves

LegacyUser

Merkin wrote: »

This sounds really dodgy. Is the company well established? Does it have a good reputation? Is it even registered as a company? Regardless of how casual company culture is, I don't like the sound of being offered a job on the spot (nobody does this, ever).

In creative industries it actually happens quite a lot. I work in a creative field and I'm usually told straight away if they've got work for me or not, one time I was even asked to start there and then. Creative fields tend to be heavily freelance industries with tight deadlines and your reel/portfolio is usually the main reason you get offered a job not an interview. A lot of jobs aren't even advertised and studios go on rec's from current people they work with as the tight turn around times generally mean they don't have the time for people to mess up so they want reliable people.

It is though also a field with a lot of chancers I'm afraid. Lots of small companies that might only have one employee and everyone else is freelance. They often look to get free work from students and recent grads telling them "it will be great experience/something for your portfolio" and many are afraid to say much as it is an industry built so heavily on word of mouth.

It's a tough field OP and luck plays an equal if not greater part then talent and hard work. Best to ask advice of others in the field then randomers online. There are groups, festivals and social meet ups for most creative fields such as pegbar for animation, offset for graphics or the IGI for illustration that are great resources for creative people to interact and share information.

macplato

jobrunaround wrote: »

General consensus is it sounds dodge so I will send an email this evening asking that they cease contact (as tbh its keeping my hopes up and upsetting me and im definitely leaving the industry as this is very disheartening id rather just work in tesco and get money than be messed about like this) and delete myself from their staff group on fb so they stop tagging me as one of their team.

Thanks for the help

Ah c'mon OP, you need to relax a bit here - it never pays to burn bridges, especially when you hope to work within a small industry, in as small a country as Ireland.

Before I re-qualified I worked as a recruitment consultant - both in-house (directly for companies) and in recruitment agencies. I worked for some of the so called "best companies in the world" and I've seen what you've just described countless of times. If stuff like this happens in banks and major IT companies, I'm not surprised that it also happens in the creative industry.

You are only at the beginning of your professional life, and if this is your dream job as you said, I'd strongly advise you to relax and give them a few days. Sometimes it's not a bad idea to let people mess you about a wee bit until you have enough on your CV that people wouldn't dare to do this to you any more - such is life unfortunately. Again, I've been through this myself, I've seen other people go through this and we are all the better for this. If you expect to go through life without being messed about, you will be a bitter, resentful person by the time you are 30 years old (many people are!).

They have a big event at the weekend, so they are super busy. Let them do what they need to do, and then on Monday call their office and make an appointment with the person who offered you the job. Meet him, ask how the even went, and tell him that you'd like a clarification on the job offer - start date, contract, responsibilities and so on.

If he is still flaky - move on, but without any of the drama you described in your email - this is meant to be professional networking, not internet dating.

Cianos

These kind of things are common in the creative industry. I wouldn't worry too much about it, but you're probably best off working off the assumption that you don't have the job (at this stage). If they're busy with a festival at the moment then waiting until the dust has settled and calling them directly would be the best option. There's as good a chance that they've just put anything to do with admin/office stuff on the long finger until they get reorganised.

I'm curious to see your portfolio btw!

beauf

Why are they tagging your face book but not able to contact you. I wouldn't like that.

dellas1979

jobrunaround wrote: »

so I will send an email this evening asking that they cease contact (as tbh its keeping my hopes up and upsetting me and im definitely leaving the industry as this is very disheartening id rather just work in tesco and get money than be messed about like this) and delete myself from their staff group on fb so they stop tagging me as one of their team.

Please dont do this-or I hope that you havent.

I totally understand you are a confused/annoyed/angry at the moment, but doing this is a bit like throwing your toys out of the pram.

You are going to cut your nose off despite your face here. Mostly out of anger/frustration. What you want to say to them is not going to come from the right place.

The best thing you can say right now is in fact nothing at all.