So I went to an interview yesterday where I was asked if I would be willing to work an entire shift …. unpaid. There were a few red flags, before that. Mainly that I applied for an office position, but after seeing my work history was asked if I would work in a nursing position. I politely told them that I would have applied for a nursing position if I was interested in that.
Then the interviewer asked if I was willing to do a “working interview” I had never heard something like that before, so I asked what it involved. They told me I would be trained for about an hour and then work to show if I was able to do the tasks asked of me. I asked how long would I be expected to work, they told me …. and entire shift, 8-5 …… ok. So I asked how much I would be paid for this shift …. and they said, nothing. I would not be compensated at all.
I was shook. I didn't know how to reply …. was this a test to see how gullible I was? I reluctantly agreed. But it took me a minute to contemplate this and really sucked the air out of the room. They also were extremely vague about the pay. I hope they don't call me back.
Is this a normal practice? Can I expect other companies to want this in future interviews?