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On Wed, Apr 10, 2013 at 12:55 AM, Chris Morton <salt -dot- morton -at- gmail -dot- com>
wrote:
I'm left kicking myself for falling into this trap?again?whereby a
> recruiter lures me in only to attempt to make broad gashes in my
> self-esteem. Fortunately, with God's help I'm secure in who I am and am not
> devastated by the end result; financially I'm thankful I'm not left
> commiserating over an $8,000 salary increase and an equity stake that may
> or may not line my coffers come an IPO or buyout at some future date. (The
> recruiter knew I had 20+ years' experience, so did the company think they
> were considering a 40-year-old?)
>
> Being 100% business finance-oriented (as it relates to the cloud cost
> mgmt), the company looked to be very intense and, in some ways, uptight?not
> a a cozy feeling for a seasoned tech writer who easily slides between
> marcom (right-brain) and engineering (left-brain). Last Thursday my first
> clue was their primary office suite door, marked only with a *NO
> SOLICITING* sticker.
> Upon entering I was directed into a dingy "conference room"?a tiny place
> stuffed with an over-sized table and one of two ceiling lights either not
> functioning or not turned on. It was dreary. The first three interviewers
> were each very amiable and complimentary (but younger). The VP, however,
> struck me as a cold fish, devoid of personality. His stark office was
> wholly undecorated save for two family pictures on a credenza.
>
> In retrospect, the place looked like an FBI sting operation, where
> unsuspecting targets could be lured in and, afterward, the operation could
> vamoose in mere minutes, leaving no trace. (The only evidence the company
> exists is a web site, some ancillary web reviews and some signage in the
> office?all easily staged.)
>
> After passing the initial interview with the local guys and learning that
> the company "was intrigued by" me, over the weekend I got an
> URGENT?URGENT?E-*MER*-GEN-CY! request from the recruiter to participate in
> a Skype interview with a remote systems engineer (read: the real hiring
> person).
Don't bother kicking yourself, Chris. Many hoodwinkers are almost as good
at their jobs as you are at yours.
Take strength from knowing that you're far better off not having left your
current position to work for folks who are comfortable with sleazy
recruiters like the one you describe here.
If there's a down side, it's not having received a T-shirt like the one
Michael Douglas' character is given by Sean Penn's character, in the film *The
Game.* If you don't know the film, it's worth looking at the last few
minutes, at least. (Note: spoiler alert: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXBUdCvqpNg)
Regards,
Peter
_______________________
Peter Gold
KnowHow ProServices
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