Don’t Be Evil – Don’t Ask Potential Hires to Work for Free
By Roberta Rosenberg on Jun 14, 2009 in Occasional Rantings
This made me so mad.
Here’s an excerpt from WSJ.com, What Won’t You Do for a Job? (I’ve bolded the salient points):
“Consider William “Tommy” Rollins, a digital marketing analyst laid off when Circuit City Stores Inc. liquidated in January. He soon met Brent Peterson, founder of InterviewAngel, a professional guide and toolkit offering interviewing tips in a binder. Mr. Peterson offered an unpaid tryout.
Mr. Rollins agreed to design free of charge an online sweepstakes where winners will receive a free copy of the guide, a résumé overhaul and a month of career coaching. He figured the start-up experience might lead to a paid gig there or elsewhere.
Mr. Rollins has provided 60 hours of free labor so far. The sweepstakes, launched May 13, proved immediately popular, according to Mr. Peterson. To make sure pro bono work opens doors for Mr. Rollins, Mr. Peterson serves as a job reference. “It is the least I can do,” he notes.”
Least, my ample ass. I generally don’t cuss in my posts, but I’ll make an exception here – ARE YOU SHITTING ME? (Ok, I left the f-bomb out. But trust me, I’m thinking it.)
60 hours of work for free for what, a job reference for a job not paid for? What’s wrong with this picture – am I missing something?
I fault both parties. Rollins for giving away in the very least $2,000 of marketing expertise. Peterson for taking surpreme advantage.
Yes, it’s an awful economy out there and employers are making prospects jump through hoops that in better times they’d never dream of asking. Read the full article and you’ll see what I mean.
So what might have Rollins done? Give the “maybe bossman” an outline of a campaign as the freebie and offer to do the project (for cash $$$) as an independent contractor. Bossman can accept or reject, of course. But at least they’re both still playing fair.
Instead of what I see here. Rollins’ campaign has been successful yet he STILL DIDN’T GET THE JOB, at least not when the article published. What he got was a pat on the back and the promise of a friendly reference. (Granted, now that the story made WSJ maybe some ethically-minded employer might take a look at Rollins with the idea of offering him a real job instead of schnorring (Yiddish for begging without shame) for freebies.)
As my Grandma Fannie, in her colorful way would say, “Give them a little leg, honey. But don’t give ‘em the goods until after the ring is on your finger.”
Good advice for job seekers, too. Even folks who will ‘work for food’ expect to be fed when the job is done.
And if you need to see it again, take another look at http://www.copywritingmaven.com/2009/05/27/humor-from-the-ad-trenches/
Be careful out there.
John Soares | Jun 14, 2009 | Reply
I agree with what you say. Rollins should have withheld the meat of the work until Peterson agreed to pay some reasonable money for the full project.
This sort of thing happens to writers all the time. They write for free, or nearly free, to get exposure and clips. I think it’s especially common for many who write for Internet sites.
I urge writers to specialize in fields where companies pay, pay well, and pay on time.
John Soares’s last blog post..Free Download of First Two Chapters of John’s Writing College Textbook Supplements ebook
TC/Copywriter Underground | Jun 15, 2009 | Reply
At the very least, Rollins should have negotiated a pay for performance deal instead of a complete and utter freebie.
Work for free, and that’s exactly how the client will value your efforts.
TC/Copywriter Underground’s last blog post..An Underground Replay: “Pay The Damned Writer”
Roberta Rosenberg | Jun 15, 2009 | Reply
@John, @Tom – I was no more good when I read 60 hours worth of work for … what.
Christina Gleason @ Phenomenal Content | Jun 15, 2009 | Reply
That’s disgusting. This is even worse than the low-paying wages I described in my post today about the Exploitation of Independent Contractors. Unbelievable.
WHY people? You’re devaluing yourself and the work of everyone else when you work for free or for pennies on the dollar of what you’re worth.
Christina Gleason @ Phenomenal Content’s last blog post..The Exploitation of Independent Contractors
TC/The Copywriter Underground | Jun 16, 2009 | Reply
Never in my career have I been asked to work for free as much as I have in the last year.
Amusingly, several of the pikers got kinda huffy when I said I don’t work for free.
TC/The Copywriter Underground’s last blog post..An Underground Replay: “Pay The Damned Writer”
Scott Chapman - Copywriter | Jun 27, 2009 | Reply
Well he took the risk and it didn’t pay off. Hopefully he will learn his lesson.
95% of businesses are in it for themselves and frankly don’t care about others. You can give them all they want but if someone swoops in with a better deal, they will vanish without remorse.
As a copywriter, I’ve wrote some free sample copy for potential clients. A few have turned into sales, a few haven’t, but I’ve never went out of my way spending many hours on something like this.
Scott Chapman – Copywriter’s last blog post..8 quick and easy ways to improve your website sales
Tommy Rollins | Jul 22, 2009 | Reply
There were a couple of key facts that weren’t included in the WSJ piece and I would like to share them with everyone.
The first and most important one being from the beginning that I agreed to help Brent out as he was a fellow Circuit City colleague.
He had just started his own company and I offered my services & assistance for free as I needed to keep myself busy as the job/free-lance market during that time period was horrible.
Looking for a job and interviewing for close to 5 months was driving me crazy. The sweepstakes I devised and the hours of project management I put in helped me to keep my sanity.
In addition to working with Brent, I was also in the midst of planning my June wedding, working on my house, creating & maintaining a non-profit website, helping out other folks who were laid off…all while trying to find a job myself.
By nature, I’m a workaholic and I enjoy working long hours. It keeps my skills fresh and the wheels turning in my head for new ideas.
Plus, during my job interviews instead of saying I was behind a computer all day looking for work…I would discuss all of the various projects I mentioned above which shocked a lot of recruiters. One hiring manager in particular was so impressed that she wanted to hire me right after a phone screen.
Fortunately for me, by then there were several other offers on the table and I had the option of being selective.
Looking back, I have no regrets as the project itself was rewarding & challenging and the contacts and overall personal branding exposure I gained was great.
The real kicker is I found a job that I truly love and I’m doing what I do best which is creating online marketing campaigns.
Brent Peterson | Jul 22, 2009 | Reply
This is a good discussion.
I can understand Roberta’s point of view reading the WSJ article. When it published, I was a surprised and sincerely worried about the author’s “spin”. Tommy and I are fellow Circuit City casualties, and he had reached out to me offering to help promote Interview Angel in between jobs.
Tommy was not “trying out” for a position with my company. If I had the financial resources to hire him right now, I would in a heart beat. Someday, I will certainly try.
He was looking to build up his marketing portfolio for his resume and potential consulting service. The volunteer work he did for my company did make a positive impression on full time employers and he was offered a full time job the same week the article ran.
I have done the same thing in between jobs in my career because it established valuable business contacts and it added experience to my resume.
My advice for volunteering depends on the context. Should a job seeker volunteer to work for free to beat out the competition for a posted paid position? Absolutely not.
Should a job seeker considering volunteering for a finite period to potentially create a new opportunity? I say yes. In fact, I started my career at Circuit City Headquarters by working for free for 80 hours. There was not a job opening so I set out to prove myself. It worked.
Should a job seeker volunteer his services within the community? Absolutely. I once managed a project for the YMCA while out of work. Did I ask or expect to get paid? Of course not. But I did gain a valuable reference from the Executive Director.
Again, it is unfortunate the WSJ article did not tell “the rest of the story”. I know people who are volunteering to help small businesses everyday. I guess the difference for me is that the WSJ happened to reference my company.
Thankfully, Tommy received recognition on a national level.
Please let me know if there is any other information I can share with you in response to your concerns.
Brent Peterson
Alex Coleman | Aug 17, 2009 | Reply
I see nothing strange. Sometimes it’s better to work for a while for free and gain new experience rather than stay at home and do absolutely nothing.
Alex Coleman’s last blog post..How To Boost Your Wordpress Blog Performance