Months ago I got a voice mail saying I had sent my application for a sales job in the pharmaceutical industry and that they wanted to talk to me. Although I have plenty of sales and business development experience, I have never worked within any industry related to the medical field. Well, I called back, and of course I knew right away that it was a scam. Why? I had to give my credit card out so they could charge me $29 to send me a job application form to fill out. Why in the days of PDF and web forms this had to be done was beyond me, and so I argued with the rep. What are the companies? Where are the territories? What is the process? I am a master at challenging credit card charges, so I almost bit and was prepared to get the packet.
Thankfully I didn’t.
As it turns out, many job scams like the one for which I was interviewed by LA’s Fox 11 are ripping off millions of dollars from desperate people. The $29 turned into hundreds of dollars. Multiply that by 17,000 people and you get the magnitude of this job scam. I am fortunate that I have good freelancing work and a pipeline of work, but many do not. And with bills, mortgages, and threats to have that car repossessed, many Americans are desperate. I made comments on RipoffReport.com, and that is how Fox 11 LA found me.
The lessons are numerous: Do not pay anyone to help you “find” a job; network like mad; network like crazy; buy a Starbucks or Peet’s coffee card, load it up, and invite professionals to coffee (as in the pic shown, which is where I am now) and understand that it is not how many jobs to which you apply, but who you know. Be flexible, and be creative. Forget about the job boards, and wasting time tweaking your resume to make it perfect--get out there and TALK to people.
Here is another lesson: with all due respect to new media and social media, we need old media. We need more Fox 11 stations that are dedicated to old school, gumshoe, investigative, stick-that-microphone-through-the-door-crack journalism that keeps our government, businesses, and yes, non-profits accountable.
Please watch the clip below. By the way, contrary to the clip I didn’t “like” what I heard, but hey, as a freelance journalist myself, I can’t complain about creative license! :)
Nice work, Fox 11 LA, and keep it up. The clip is below.
Leon Kaye is the founder and editor of GreenGoPost.com and its advisory division, GGP Media. Contact him to discuss how he can work with your organization or event.
His focus is making the business case for sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR).
He writes for San Francisco-based Triple Pundit, Inhabitat and now The Guardian, for which he writes about waste, water, and green building. He has also written for AIA's Architect Magazine.
Leon lives in Los Angeles, and when he has free time, he enjoys hiking, gardening, cooking, weightlifting, and planning his next trip to one of the 50+ countries he has visited. He has an MBA from USC's Marshall School of Business and is also a proud graduate of the University of Maryland-Baltimore County (UMBC) and Cal State-Fresno.
