The Telltale Ad

Know how to tell the ad you’re reading offers no pay? A few clues:

• It’s loooooong
• It’s requiring applicants to have more experience than most CEOs at major corporations
• It’s offering payment at some future date (note: you’ll never see that payment)

I saw a super-long ad on Craig’s List today that had all of the above. It was wordy, it was requiring BAs and years of experience, and then the ultimate – at the end, the words “no compensation” with the promise that some work might be compensated at some point.Do people really buy into these screwball offers? If so, tell me why. Educate me, please. Why would you work your tail off at a job, one that most people are paid for, in return for nothing but a promise? I mean, would you marry someone who presented that kind of offer?There’s only one way these offers will stop coming in – we have to stop selling ourselves short and we must refuse to work for nothing. Period. Let’s make a pact. Right now, you and I are no longer going to accept unacceptable terms. We will no longer work for people who won’t respect us as professionals. We will no longer be used for our talents, and we will demand proper compensation and respect without apologizing for it.There – dontcha feel better already? Now, go forth and earn. 🙂