'Perhaps it's better if we reschedule': Candidate ambushed with unpaid 'working trial,' walks out

The process of preparing for an interview is immensely time-consuming and stressful for any candidate. You've already sunk considerable amounts of time into prepping your CV, writing an effective cover letter, and applying for the role—and there's likely been some back-and-forth communication between yourself and the company's HR. To have all of that done only to be blindsided and discover that the interview preparing for isn't actually an interview is—well—devastating. Instead, you're asked to work a 5-hour 'working trial' shift—for free—because the lack of staffing and proper planning has made it so the manager isn't able to follow through with the interview and probably forgot you were coming in the first place.

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Posted by Brad Dickson

If this happens to you—run. Cut your losses, dodge the bullet, and accept that this wasn't the job for you as—if you do take that job, you're going to be manipulated and exploited the entire time. Sure, unforeseen things happen, and in “faced-paced" and unpredictable workplaces like retail and service, sometimes things can go a little bit pear-shaped. But, the interviewing manager would have shown their salt if they had simply rescheduled in advance.

Read on and see this candidate's thread that they originally shared with a popular online community that handles workplace issues such as this. Next, see this job candidate who had an offer withdrawn for trying to negotiate their contract.