Perhaps I’m just really jaded. Maybe super suspicious. It could be that I have no faith in my fellow man. Or that I have too much faith in how shitty my fellow man can be. I don’t know.
I have a “Job Offer”. You’d think I’d be whooping and hollering about it. The pay is good, the list of benefits is generous after a 90-day probationary period. They pay weekly! Nobody does that anymore.
And yet…
Something “feels” off.
Granted, I spent a lot of time on their interview test and, according to the AI I ran it by, scored very highly from an AI’s perspective. But I have yet to speak directly with someone, nor have I had any form of interview aside from their interview test.
They offer a stipend to set up my home office. They sent a list of equipment that they call their setup.
Trouble is, they’re saying once I get their stipend I should buy these items locally. That’s weird and their list is incomplete and specifies two items that are no longer available.
But they do list a Wi-Fi router.
Obviously, I have internet since we’ve been communicating. What they don’t specify is a required internet speed to connect to this router they think I don’t have. In fact, I’ve got no less than 3 routers, 2 of which are not in use. They specify a backup device but don’t provide any specifications for that either.
Their “List” specifies a $1600 Apple monitor, but does not specify a keyboard or mouse, and the computer they list doesn’t come with either. Even the model printer they list is discontinued. The computer is a top-of-the-line Apple Studio or was two years ago. It’s been superseded by two or three M-Series chipsets. And why that particular model? An Apple mini, or for that matter, a recent MacBook Air would be just as capable. Hell, my MacBook Pro is one chip generation beyond what they’re listing.
The thing is, most corporations are going to go as cheap as possible, and they’re going to be Windows-based. M-Series chips are fantastic, they’re fast, run generally cool, and are insanely powerful. But like it or not, the world runs on Windows. So why call for a very powerful Mac machine?
A Mac Studio machine is, in every way, overkill for a simple QA job. Unless they expect compiling of software and perhaps load testing of a product in multiple instances of the application to be done locally.
Even so, my MacBook can do what the M1 Studio could do, and I’ve got maximum memory and hard drive in this unit.
They wouldn’t know that, and they’ve never asked what my setup here is. For all they know, I’m running a dial-up modem at 1200 baud. Even my 4-year-old Epson ink tank printer is superior to the printer they listed. I can overlook that because a lot of people don’t have printers these days.
The list is woefully incomplete. It demonstrates a lack of understanding of what’s needed or why.
I could accept all of this as just another HR screwup dealing with technology people.
But there are other things that seem “off”.
I can’t find the original Application record. Based on what this company does, I could see myself applying, but I can’t find the confirmation email saying that I did.
Trying to figure out if they were legit, I went to the corporate website. It’s real and belongs to a 100-year-old company. The company has offices worldwide. Okay, so that’s legit.
One “RED Flag” is that the domain names don’t match. That’s not surprising if they wanted to use a subdomain to partition their HR issues away from the corporate domain. I’ve seen companies do that. But the domain name that I’ve been sending email over doesn’t appear to be tied to the company. It also appears to simply be parked, meaning it’s got no web page or redirection to the main corporate domain or even the existing career subdomain.
Even the AI I asked to analyze the email header suggested inconclusive results and caution. That was actually kind of funny. The AI’s analysis matched mine exactly. Nice to know I haven’t lost a step when it comes to technology.
From the email header, it looks like the email originates in Germany. Even that isn’t strange since the company has 3 or 4 facilities in Germany.
The domain though was only registered/activated 7 days ago. Another potential “RED Flag” there, but it could be legitimate if they just did the HR split or are in the process of contracting their hiring practices out to another firm.
They want the offer letter signed, scanned, and sent back to them with a copy (front and back) of my driver’s license. “RED Flag”! Germany and many EU countries don’t or didn’t accept scanned signatures. Does an American company hiring an American citizen in America have to follow EU rules at their facilities in the EU?
The rest of the email header suggests that the actual email services are being provided by Google, and that the email likely originated on Google workspace. That would be legitimate, but there are some email security features that are not in use, suggesting that something isn’t configured correctly. “YELLOW Flag”.
This morning, I tried calling the actual corporate offices in Ohio. I started with their employee verification line. I figured the fastest way to check was to ask if the individual named as a contact was actually a current employee. The verification people were contracted. They were another company entirely and wouldn’t answer the question because I wasn’t a subscriber.
What flashed through my mind was, “Then what purpose do you serve?” I didn’t ask it. I thought verification services were to say John Doe, works for Company X. Or Joe Doe worked for company X from date 1 to date 2. No other information should, or needs to be shared.
The lady was nice and gave me a phone number to the HR department of the Company in Ohio. I called that number and well, it was strange. It would ring several times, then pause, then ring several times again. Not like English phones, but like the phone system was trying different extensions. Eventually, the system disconnected and I got a message from my carrier that the call couldn’t be completed at this time.
Weird. So I called the main corporate number, and a nice operator connected me to the HR director. She was out. I left a voice mail but have not heard back and honestly don’t expect to. Her outgoing voicemail was “Garbled” in a specific and identifiable way. (Think, a non-synthetic Jasmine Crockett.) She’s HR and isn’t going to return a call because she’ll perceive that as a liability. (And God forbid she might break a nail dialing the phone.)
Maybe she’ll surprise me on Monday, but I’m not holding my breath. Fridays in HR departments are often very busy.
I really want this to be legitimate. A job, especially a remote-only position, would be a dream come true and couldn’t come at a better time.
But, and this is the real concern. Suppose this is some kind of phishing email. Even the shitbox company I worked for last sent the offer letter and onboarding instructions via FedEx.
I know they’re going to want my ID and Social Security number for right-to-work verification. Plus, they’re going to need W4 documents and all the other hiring bullshit. Most importantly, they’ll want to direct deposit, which means giving them access to my bank account. I could open another account and provide them with that account number. Transferring on the back end wouldn’t be an issue and might not be a bad idea in any case.
I’m going to let it stew over the weekend. I’ll try to reach someone at the actual company on Monday.
On the one hand, it might be legitimate, and maybe they’ll respect me for being cautious. On the other hand, maybe they don’t know someone is working a scam using them as cover. Either way, I’ll have an answer.
If it’s all bogus, I’ll console myself with the knowledge that I’ve got a good boilerplate interview answer sheet. And perhaps some scumbag scammer will be wearing a nice set of nickel-plated bracelets.
I just wonder if I’m too cautious, too mistrustful, and too suspicious for my own good.