Sorry mods– I posted this earlier then deleted: This is my first time posting to this sub but I've been a long-time watcher and supporter. I want to thank everyone who has ever shared a story or contributed to this sub. I know it's really opened my eyes to many of the messed up work environments people are subjected to against their will, and how desperately things need to change in significant parts of the world.
Please bear with me, as I am not the best at story-telling and I apologize for its length. I have also decided to attach my entire correspondence (please see attached images) with this staffing agency (as well as naming them), as I feel it's important that people are aware that shit like this is happening (the yanking of emotions by employers), how quite sociopathic/psychopathic it is, how much it degrades and ruins one's self-esteem and to be honest, I am really quite sick of it. I was left feeling a bit crazy, that I had perhaps done something gravely wrong, and honestly… I really felt less of a person that day.
About 4 months ago, I had something happen to me by a prospective employer that had me in such shock that, unfortunately to this day, it still baffles me. The crazy thing is, this has actually happened to me before in some capacity, though not to this extent.
I had been laid off from my main job due to the pandemic and had found myself in a rut working these ridiculous remote temp jobs that barely paid, living in an overpriced city, and could not find anything substantial to save my life. Literally.
This was supposed to be just your basic “reach-out” to an employer to see if they were hiring and when the best time would be to set up an interview. I received this person's /staffing agency's contact through my former boss (now a good friend) who got it from a friend of theirs who had used this staffing agency before with no complaints. I emailed them almost immediately and got a very swift response. The person seemed nice and laid back, which I found refreshing since, in settings like these, things can get a bit stiff and monotone. I also felt comfortable (and perhaps this was my fault) because this contact was given to a friend by a friend who assured me not to worry, this person is really great, and that I shouldn't be nervous in reaching out, etc. In fact, this contact is so chummy and chill that at one point, they stop using greetings (“Hello!”, “Hi”) altogether.
They proceed to tell me they are on their way to a hair appointment (which I thought was odd but in keeping with their “chillaxed” tone) and wouldn't be able to chat that day but could set up a time to do so at my choosing. We're going back and forth (see images 3-9), finally settling on a time that suits us both. Here's where it gets super weird, they ask me to set up the calendar invite (see image #10). I remember thinking, “Huh? Wait–why are they asking me to set up the invite? Usually, they handle this on their end??” Very strange. But, I set up the calendar invite anyways. They then ask me to add more information to the invite, which again, I was left a bit confused. It suddenly dawns on me, that this person is testing me. So, I light-heartedly let them know I know this is a test. They laugh, thinking it was hilarious. I made a mistake and I mix up PST and EST time zones on the invite, to which they alert me and I promptly adjust the invite.
I wake up on our agreed-upon day/time under the pretense that I was to have an interview, instead, I wake up to a rather condescending email (please see the last image). I was absolutely floored. I wrote back and stood up for myself.
I don't know… has this happened to anyone before? Perhaps, this sort of thing is normal when approaching a staffing agency for possible jobs? I personally, have dealt with other staffing agencies and have never encountered something like this before in my life. If this is normal, by all means, let me know. However, I do feel that if this person wanted to conduct some sort of “gotcha-test”, I should have been made aware at the beginning. I thought at most, we'd discuss better ways to make a calendar invite (lol!) in our chat on Wednesday or whatnot. Not that I'd be condescended to with, “Awww good try! You keep up the good work, you little job-seeker, you!” (basically) at the end.
The whole thing was just really bizarre and it is just crazy to me that employers want to play dumb games like this at a time when people are so incredibly desperate for work. This staffing agency decided to take an entire week with this back-and-forth and waste both of our times.
TL;DR: I was told to message a staffing agency in hopes of finding a job. After being led to think I was in a cheerful back-n-forth and setting up a time to interview, I wake up to find the interview would not be taking place and that the whole time corresponding with said staffing agency had been a test for which I had failed and could “try again”.