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    Job applicant pressured to do an unpaid trial shift before his interview: 'I got up to leave!'

    This manager had some audacity in asking a candidate to cover for sick workers before an official interview.

    The obscene request only speaks to two potential possibilities here, neither of which is reflective of a healthy workplace environment. The first possibility is that the hiring manager is an extremely entitled individual who simply does not possess the awareness that her request was absurd. I wish we could know for sure that this lady knew exactly what she was doing, but she could very well have a warped sense of what is appropriate to ask of a job applicant.

    The second possibility is that the hiring manager is just that desperate. Of course, that only speaks to her inability to pivot and strategize when several of her employees call in sick. That being said, asking a candidate to step in should never be an option.

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    • A professional woman interviews a man offscreen.
      via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

      A professional woman interviews a man offscreen.

      Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

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    • Thankfully, the author had enough sense to know that this was an inappropriate request. I wish I could say that all job candidates would have refused this so-called “offer.” If folks are as desperate for work as this manager was desperate for someone to cover a shift, then people may or may not forget that they have the power to say no. 

      This guy had 12 years of experience in this field, meaning that he knew better than to give in to this manager's pressure. After all, he didn't even have all the information he needed about the actual position yet, such as salary and benefits. 

      Can you imagine if he accepted the manager's request to work for free for six hours, only to do the interview and discover that the salary and benefits were laughable? Chances are, they probably were, considering how cheap this lady is!

      You know she was probably avoiding the interview until the very end, at the very least, make the most out of her time with this candidate in some way that was useful to her. Friends, don't fall for this nonsense. Remember that you deserve not only to be paid for your work, but that you are entitled to all the information you need before agreeing to do said work.

    • They asked me to work a 'trial day' before the interview, so I left.

      Anyway, I had an interview last week at 10 AM. The plan was for us to talk first, and if we felt it was a good fit, I would
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    • stay for a few hours to see the place and do a short trial period until 4 PM. The arrangement seemed very logical.
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    • When I arrived, the manager sat me down in a small office and told me the plan had changed.
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    • She said that a couple of employees had called in sick, and since she was the only certified person there, she had to supervise the junior staff.
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    • She said the interview itself would be postponed until the end of the day, from 3 to 4 PM.
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    • I told her that this wouldn't work for me. I am not going to work a trial day before we've even discussed the nature of the job or the most basic details like the
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    • salary. I have 12 years of experience, and my time is not free. I reminded her that our agreement was to have the interview first.
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    • She kept insisting that this was the only solution because she couldn't leave the people she was training alone. I simply told her, 'Well, how about
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    • we schedule another time when you're not so busy?' and I got up to leave.
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    • A professional woman interviews a man offscreen.
      via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

      A professional woman interviews a man offscreen.

      Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

    • Advertisement
    • Seriously, do they think I'm an idiot? They want 6 hours of free work from me, and in the end, I might discover that the salary is a joke? This situation really makes one
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    • wonder if this is their usual method for covering for absent. employees making - unsuspecting job applicants work for free.
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    • If you have a job and aren't gonna d staying there:
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    • If asked, always lie about what you make. For salary, add 10-20k. Lie and say what you think your salary should be.
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    • Please always say you are interviewing elsewhere. and don't share where. You can say "other companies in our industry"
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    • Traditional-Riv... You did the right thing to walk out. I had this happen to me once and I told the person I wasn't touching
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    • his server unless we agreed on a fee and expectations. We did that, I fixed his issue (too easy) then we negotiated a permanent agreement.
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    • According-Tod... You don't even work an unpaid trial day regardless of if before or after interview...
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    • Glittering_Foc... We have a trial day program where I work. People get paid for their time. It is a manufacturing job and it is a good way for both employee and employer to evaluate the other.
      via fabled-pithier

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