TL;DR: Applied for job, job got in touch 3 months later, job guy was a douche, job wasn't as advertised, turned down job.
So, all the way back in January (for posterity, it's now mid-March), I applied for a job with the local branch of FedEx here in my area of Denmark. The job was advertised as a 'data entry officer'.
Based on the post, I was under the impression that the job involved entering data and doing some ad hoc copying and filing. It sounded like just the thing for me since I'm looking for low-stress, not-too-demanding, low-impact work, for medical reasons.
While I was busy at my current job (which is not in my preferred area, hence applying for something new) today, I missed a call on my personal phone and received an email asking when I may be available to talk about the data entry agent position I had applied for way back when.
The emails were so unprofessional, more akin to what you'd write in a text to a friend. If you hated grammar. Nevertheless, I replied and said I was free this afternoon, but if not, tomorrow after 2 pm. Tomorrow is my day off, and no way am I doing anything before noon. They asked if I was available at 4:30 pm today, and I said sure while being super polite, grammar on point, all the niceties observed, etc.
At 4:35 pm, I received a call from a person I got strong frat-bro/”lads, lads, lads!” vibes from. When I said that I had an impression that data entry was a steady, chilled assignment for meticulous introverts, which is why I had applied, he straight-up cackled and said, “Oh, we have NO chill!” All of my alarms started blaring immediately.
When I asked what the role actually involved, vis-a-vis data entry, it came to light that you would have to know like, a gazillion individual procedural paths and how they all intersect, toll/tax rules and regulations for the entire world's postal/logistics services, plus so much more. He definitely gave the impression that there would be a significant amount of pressure to handle huge amounts of data in next to no time but with pinpoint precision. The guy also happened to mention that they were in a hiring phase right now, so not all team positions had been filled=more work for whoever is there.
I asked about the rest of the people who fill the role, i.e. who would be on the same team, and they are all university students supplementing their grants. So, basically, exploitation. At almost 40, I got the impression I'd be so out of place. Unfortunately, most part-time jobs are geared towards young, inexperienced people who don't know their worth and accept low wages.
Because the “shifts” for the position were between 3 and 9 pm, the guy straight-up asked if there were any household situations that may make it difficult to stick to that time frame (I assume picking up kids from kindergarten, etc?). I'm 90% sure that's illegal to ask! I just ignored the family question and told him which days worked for me. I'm 100% childfree, but that's not his business in any way.
In the end, once he told me what the hourly rate was, I definitely knew the job wasn't for me at all. And I told him that considering my current wage (higher than what they were offering), I wouldn't be moving forward. He acknowledged that the 'student rate' of an hourly wage was low, but that's how it is.
So, all in all, annoying, but not as bad as it could be. I'm glad I only had to receive a phone call to gauge the douche vibes instead of putting in actual effort to go to an in-person interview.
Pros: I heard back and didn't have to go through hoops and jumps or God forbid, record a video. I was told what the hourly wage was in this initial phone call.
Cons: The guy gave massive douche vibes, asked inappropriate questions about my family situation (I'm a woman in my 30s) and had very poor email etiquette. And I sent my application over 2 months ago.