Working Fail

About

Ever wonder what employers must have been smoking when they listed a job looking for someone with a degree and mad skills, but are paying so little or have such ridiculous expectations? Yeah, us too.

About Us

Our writing staff (okay, volunteers—you have to get PAID to be called staff) consists of 3 creative individuals and between us we’ve done just about everything from Concert Promoter, Graphic Designer, AutoCAD Drafter, Photographer, Web Designer, Firearms Instructor, Computer Repair Technician to even Gogo Dancer and Phone Sex Operator. So believe us when we say we know what a lot of jobs entail and what the pay scale and expectations should be.

What We Do

Here’s the deal: we post bad job listings and explain what sucks about them. Of course some of the worst offenders are on Craigslist, but we’re open to any type of listing.

What we look for in a bad job listing

Did the listing have unreasonable expectations?

- Did the job duties seem like something that should be covered by more than one person? (ie Graphic Designer who is good at accounting and can lift over 50lbs)
- Did the listing ask for something like many tasks must be completed in very little time and done on your own laptop that you bring to the job site and you must have your own expensive software.

Was the listing RUDE in anyway?

- Do they insist that they could learn how to do something themselves, but they just don’t have the time?
- Do they say the work should only take an hour, but have no understanding of what the job entails?

Was the pay just WAY too low?

- Did they ask for a really “talented professional” but list payment as $7-$8 an hour?
- Is the job advertised as “great for students”?

Would the work even be worth your time?

- Did the terms of the listing insist that you will be paid upon completion of some project?
- Are you splitting the “profits” that may or may not ever happen?

Could you even tell what the job IS?

- Are there tons of typos or ALL CAPS to the point where you’re not even sure what you are reading?
- Is the job description extremely vague or confusion?

Does the job sound unsafe?

- Does the job have to performed in someone’s home after hours?


These are just a few examples of things that make a job listing something to avoid… there are probably more because people never stop surprising us with insane job listings! We hope that employers will start to realize how unrealistic and ridiculous some of these listings are and improve their approach to finding bright and promising employees and contractors.