Yes, it’s clearly spring, for the lousy job listings are piling up like a line of cars following behind a cow. A really slow cow. Really slow.
And the posts are getting weirder. What I’m seeing lately are postings that mask the true intentions of not the poster, but the job itself. Here’s an example that comes from Ranee Boyd Tomlin. Like the job Jenn Mattern had alerted me to a few weeks ago, this one stretches the law to the snapping point. When you read it, take note of how many ways in which this company describes the time commitment.
This Job, Not That Job
COMPANY is looking for part-time marketing professionals who specialize in content creation, including writing blogs, social media content, and copy for websites and marketing emails …. If you are looking for a long-term role helping clients reach their marketing goals and are the sort of self-starter who can remain highly productive while working from home, we want to hear from you!
COMPANY provides virtual marketing support to clients, including individuals and small businesses, looking for assistance expanding their marketing reach …. As a virtual marketing assistant with COMPANY, you will have the opportunity to work with a diverse array of clients to achieve their marketing goals.
The selected candidate would be hired as a part-time employee of COMPANY, not an independent contractor (my emphasis). We are looking for somebody who has at least 20 hours per week of availability, and the starting pay is $19.00 per hour. We are a growing business and are looking for an executive assistant who is excited to partner with us and is interested in a long-term role with our company.
Requirements
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Bachelor’s degree
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5+ years as a copywriter or freelance writer
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3+ years working in a digital marketing role, including creating content for website copy, social media, and emails
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Experience with updating content on WordPress websites
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Experience preparing proposals and grant applications would be a plus
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Availability to respond to requests within an hour during the hours of 9 AM – 6 PM, Monday – Friday
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Your own laptop and smart phone with broadband access to Internet
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Quiet location in which to take phone calls
Okay, why does this bother me? Why am I including a part-time, non-freelance job here? Two reasons:
- They’re using the “freelance writer” keyword phrase, so they’re clearly targeting freelancers.
- Their parameters.
Let’s focus on that second point.
The ad itself, which I’ve truncated a bit, does not come across too heinously. They’re going to pay you $19 an hour for part-time work, and they list the experience they need. Okay, they used an exclamation point, but we’ll chalk that up to an inexperienced person writing the ad.
Here’s the biggest issue I have with this:
- Availability to respond to requests within an hour during the hours of 9 AM – 6 PM, Monday – Friday
Right there, they’ve gone from paying you for part-time work to requiring you to be on call, without pay, for 45 hours a week. So if you had any illusions about working this job and another, they’ve just tied up all of your time. They’re saying in the ad that they’re hiring an employee, not a contractor. So it’s okay for them to require you to be on hand even on your days off, right?
No, it isn’t.
This article explains why. They’re basically requiring you to respond fairly immediately. That, my friend, means they owe you for all of those 45 hours, not just the ones where you’re actually working.
Instead of taking a job that sucks up your entire workweek but pays you for just a small portion of it, try this:
Scrap Magazine
Magazine covering the scrap recycling industry (not curbside recycling). Needs news and features focused on the business of scrap recycling.
Pays $800-1,200 for articles ranging from 2,000-3,000 words.
Could the rates be higher? Sure. But you don’t have to sit in front of your computer for an entire month to earn $800 to $1,200. That makes it a much, much better deal than taking a full-time job pretending to be a part-time job.
Writers, what other trade-ups can writers make on this one? What would you advise?
8 responses to “This Job, Not That Job: Part-time job, Full-time headache”
Suddenly I want to reply to this one with the link you provided above. Scratch that. Suddenly I want EVERYONE to reply to this one with the link you provided above.
LOL Paula, that’s an evil, delicious thought. 😉
And what company doesn’t expect reams of content for few hours? As soon as I see general phrases like “specialize in content creation,” I see slave labor.
Great catch, Gina. You’re right — that’s my interpretation, as well.
Thanks for dissecting this one, Lori! I’m still shaking my head. And it seems to me they’re asking for an awful lot of experience and skills for $19/hour with no benefits (while you pay for the laptop, smartphone, and broadband access). I keep wondering how many freelance writers bit on this one.
Ranee, there will be a few. People are desperate when they start out, and that’s the desperation these kinds of job listings prey on.
It’s the whole “scope” issue again. One of the participants in the Remote Chat on Wednesday called it “scope creep.” They advertise for one thing and the actual scope of the job is something else. Even with a strong contract, they keep trying to pull this kind of crap.
Like the company that wanted a marketing writer — but you’d be writing your marketing copy WHILE serving as the firm’s receptionist.
No. Just no.
Sick of this kind of crap.
So am I, Devon.
These ads do nothing but prey on the vulnerable and (in a lot of cases), the lazy. The vulnerable are the new writers who don’t know any better yet. The lazy are the ones who still won’t do any work to find their own clients, and clearly won’t read between the lines to determine if the job is worth it.