flaky employer

[EveningLion]

Or potential employer i might say. I went into this Adv. agency a couple weeks ago for an interview came in and worked on a "task" for them. A boring detach card for an auto repair shop. Anyways, its been almost a week since then and they haven't contacted me. I already called them back like 5 days after the interview and they wanted me to come in, things were just a little hectic according to them. But anyways now its about a week after the first work session and they haven't called, i have a friend who works there and he says he doesn't know whats going on, why they're not calling. I suppose i could call but i believe if they want me to work they should call me back for once. and especially if they dont want me to work. so i can get on with finding another job instead of being broke and sitting at home. Which brings me to my next point, if they are this flakey do i even want to work for them? i mean, yes i really need the money, and maybe they don't want me to work, but if they do, what do i say to them? clearly i'm not impressed with their communication thus far, but i don't know if its smart to just say that flat out to my new boss. "you know what, if i didn't need the money, i would tell you that you blew it and acted like a bunch of morons." has anyone been in a similar situation? or can give me any advice as to what i should do? I'd be the only young guy on the design team, which is good, but all the cool guys work in development... :\ i just get the religious weirdo's who are really into experimental guitar.

also, if i'm not hired for the job, they owe me money for the time i worked , right? can i charge them my freelance rate? or do i just have to take what they give me?

[CkretAjint]

I suppose i could call but i believe if they want me to work they should call me back for once. and especially if they dont want me to work. so i can get on with finding another job instead of being broke and sitting at home.

Get off your pancaking arse and go on other interviews. Why are you sitting at home putting all your chickens into 1 basket? If a place wants you they will show it. If a place hires you and you have other interviews you can call them and cancel them ('thanks but no thanks, I already accepted a position elsewhere'). Lazy bastard...


also, if i'm not hired for the job, they owe me money for the time i worked , right? can i charge them my freelance rate? or do i just have to take what they give me?

They don't HAVE to pay you, it's not the law. It is honesty if they do, if not your SOL. Should have talk to them about this BEFORE you did any work for them. Period. End of story.

Now get up and go send out more resumes and go on other interviews. If you aren't going on atleast 1 interview a day while un employeed you are doing something WAY wrong and not marketing yourself correctly...

[Drazan]

Sooo why did you ever work for them without an agreement?

Why are you just sitting home instead of sending out your resume to everything you can? Putting everything in one place to "hope" you get hired really isn't a good plan when you're unemployed. If they haven't called you back in, even after that one day, then move on. If it's anything like here, any job that's advertised is having many qualified people submitting resumes. And even those that are advertised "in house" most graphic people I know also know others in the same area.

What you don't want to do is burn bridges. That will just come around and bite you in the future. Many places will work with other graphic or print places. We work with half the other design places in town for printwork eventhough we have a full design and marketing house as well.

have you thought that they don't have a place for you?

Calling your potential boss a moron, and your potential clients "religious weirdos" on the forum isn't really professional, and perhaps that came across when working on that oh-so-boring card.

[PrintDriver]

According to a previous post you are fresh out of high school. And you are 'into' design.

In this industry no one, absolutely no one, is entitled to anything. Not an interview, not a call back, not payment for a skills test. Did it occur to you that perhaps you did not pass the test? If your interview was anything like the post you wrote above they are probably figuring you are too immature yet to be serious about this career. Sorry.

[Kool]

Get off your pancaking arse and go on other interviews. Why are you sitting at home putting all your chickens into 1 basket? If a place wants you they will show it. If a place hires you and you have other interviews you can call them and cancel them ('thanks but no thanks, I already accepted a position elsewhere'). Lazy bastard...




They don't HAVE to pay you, it's not the law. It is honesty if they do, if not your SOL. Should have talk to them about this BEFORE you did any work for them. Period. End of story.

Now get up and go send out more resumes and go on other interviews. If you aren't going on atleast 1 interview a day while un employeed you are doing something WAY wrong and not marketing yourself correctly...

CkretAjint, while I mostly agree with all your points here inflammatory name calling is not the way we respond to people here on the GDF. It will not be tolerated. If you can't respond in a professional manner such as the way Drazan did then don't respond at all. Consider this your first and only warning.

Your friendly moderator,
Kool

[Virgo Nightingale]

Get used to not getting called back. It's common. Often means they're not interested in hiring you. It also can take several weeks for them to decide which applicant to hire. That doesn't make them morons or flaky, just busy looking for the right fit for the job and you just might not be it.

They only owe you money for the work you did if you both agreed as such beforehand. If there was no agreement, then you agreed to work for free and they don't owe you a dime.

And what's wrong with experimental guitar?? :confused:

[CkretAjint]

Oops. I didn't mean it in a "bad" way... Sorry it came off that way. Sorry EveningLion, Kool and GDF!!!

[Broacher]

Get used to moving on. And get used to it quickly. Likewise with cold calling. If you can't do that well, find someone to help you practice doing it. It's just how it works out there. And always, ALWAYS, follow-through with a thank you call, or better, card.

You almost always have to work much harder and longer at finding work than actually doing any of it. Especially when you first start out. There are a LOT of portfolios out there.

[Kool]

Oops. I didn't mean it in a "bad" way... Sorry it came off that way. Sorry EveningLion, Kool and GDF!!!

No worries then. Sometime the intent of words can be lost in the bare text only world of internet communications. That's why emoticons were invented :)

[Broacher]

>>That's why emoticons were invented<<

Gee, if only Shakespeare had access to these, eh?

[CkretAjint]

No worries then. Sometime the intent of words can be lost in the bare text only world of internet communications. That's why emoticons were invented :)

So true! Normally I am emoticon whore when typing stuff out. :D

Guess I had a short circuit earlier this morning when typing that! :p

[EveningLion]

you guys all have very good points. i also love in a very small town, and this is about one of the only "design" jobs around. according to what i know from my buddy and the boss's son. everybody liked it, and was impressed. For my age, and in the workplace, i'm a very professional person, who would never let something bad come across in an introductory work session. so i'm just going to take my right to swat that one out of the air. Considering you dont know me, i was exhausted when i wrote this post, and very frustrated. the religios weirdos arent pontential clients, they're potetial co-workers. ;) I get that i should keep on moving, but i'm a big noob, so forgive me. Also, as being fresh out of Highschool, while i do have a monthly overhead, it aint that big, so the unemployment is still a problem, but i'm not supporting a family or paying rent...at least for where i live. anyhow, thanks for the responses. Cheers.

[EveningLion]

oh and dont get me long, i love experimental guitar, and experimental music. Its just that...well. I can't cpntinue this post without getting flamed.

wow lots of typos in that last post. sorry my brain doesn't work in the mornings.

[Broacher]

you guys all have very good points. i also love in a very small town, and this is about one of the only "design" jobs around. according to what i know from my buddy and the boss's son. everybody liked it, and was impressed. For my age, and in the workplace, i'm a very professional person, who would never let something bad come across in an introductory work session. so i'm just going to take my right to swat that one out of the air. Considering you dont know me, i was exhausted when i wrote this post, and very frustrated. the religios weirdos arent pontential clients, they're potetial co-workers. ;) I get that i should keep on moving, but i'm a big noob, so forgive me. Also, as being fresh out of Highschool, while i do have a monthly overhead, it aint that big, so the unemployment is still a problem, but i'm not supporting a family or paying rent...at least for where i live. anyhow, thanks for the responses. Cheers.

Given all that, concentrate on learning the production skills while putting your creative skill-building into building self-promos: especially on-line! Small towns, even mid-size ones are much harder to build a good design port around.

The best clients tend to go to the big city for design work--it's the ol' "if you live here, you can't be any good" mentality (Canadians know a lot about this one).

Anyhow, if you're truly set on design, and you've no family commitments, still young, and can swing it--you might want to consider taking a bus into the big town too. Better yet-- make it a school bus. The right school can be the best investment you'll ever make.

[EveningLion]

Thanks broach. Unfortunately i have a number of things tying me down here. I def. want to leave, kinda want to go to full sail for the associates GD program. But is that a bad idea? an assosciates in graphic design?
I need to do an accelerated program. I work way better in that type of envirnment, high school was hell. if that is a bad idea, anyone have any suggestions?

[budafist]

Go to other interviews.

Maybe they really are busy and haven't had an oppurtunity to review and discuss candidates?

[EveningLion]

i am the only cadidate. and i know they are busy. They didn't have a hiring ad or anything though. i contacted one of them, sent them some work samples and they said come in for an interview. pretty lax. small company. etc.

but like i said, other interviews are a little tough to come by. but i'll be searching...and calling.