'That's going to be one tough job to fill': Baffling job position pays $16/ hour and requires worker to share hotel rooms, interviewer laughs in recruiter's face

Author image for JR Atkinson
JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
Oct 29, 2024 12:00 PM EDT

Anyone who's looking for a job right now could tell you that it's rough out there. Finding a job can be a difficult, arduous task, especially if you're just starting. You quickly find out that you'll have to do some pretty major compromising. You might have to work for less money than expected, you might have to do something a little outside of your interests, and you might have to commute farther than ideal. It's part and parcel of figuring out a new work situation. But you find out which compromises you're willing to make, and hopefully, you get at least some of your needs met. 

But some jobs are not worth doing no matter what. They have completely unreasonable asks and need to be humbled. Like this job, which was so ridiculous that a prospective employee laughed in their face. Read on for the details and see what you would have done. 

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  • 01
    Cheezburger Image 10421512960
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story

  • 02
    Accidentally laughed in a job interviewers face today at their terrible offer.
    via u/hamsterdandy
  • 03
    Applied for a job advertised as full time, full benefits upon start, no salary listed. Don't want to say exactly what, but it involves inventory. The job was advertised as full time, but turns out they can't guarantee hours, so one week could be zero and the next could be fifty, according to her. Sixteen dollars an hour. You had to travel throughout the state using your own vehicle. You aren't paid while you drive, they consider it like a commute.
    via u/hamsterdandy
  • 04
    Here's the part where I laughed. While at different locations you have to stay overnight in a hotel they choose, which they pay for. Alright, I can deal with hotels, but you have to share the room with a stranger. Yeah. Insane. Sure they would be another employee, but as I said you travel all over the state. Could be anyone from anywhere. I didn't mean to I just burst out laughing, when she looked at me. confused I just laughed and said "thats awful, people actually do that?"
    via u/hamsterdandy
  • 05
    She was upset, asked rather curtly if I would like to continue the interview and I said "God no," and hung up. Im not getting assaulted in a hotel for sixteen dollars an hour and zero hours. There should be laws against near everything they're doing. Absolutely insane.
    via u/hamsterdandy
  • 06
    Edit: to everyone saying the travel without pay is illegal, it is not in my state. Federal law specifies travel time must be paid from worksite to worksite. Since I would be leaving from home and driving to a site to work, this would not qualify. It would be like driving to work I think. Edit 2: it was a zoom call
    via u/hamsterdandy
  • 07
    These... 4d ago Edited 4d ago • $16/hr? You can probably make that babysitting a cash register somewhere. In some states, that's hardly above minimum wage... that's going to be one tough job to fill haha
    via u/These-Maintenance-51
  • 08
    RickMuffy 4d ago lazy and proud ✓ that s ks you accidentally laughed at that offer. Next time this situation comes up, make sure you intentionally laugh instead.
    via u/RickMuffy
  • 09
    • EnigmaGuy 4d ago • "You could have just said no without laughing like the last 30 potential applicants I've vetted through the phone." -Interviewer, probably.
    via u/EnigmaGuy
  • 10
    • Captain_Pink_Pants 4d ago • lol... I had a similar reaction in an interview, before I realized how depressing it was. They wanted someone to rebuild the computer network in their 1000+ desk call center. There were a few red flags, but it seemed doable until we got to pay... They were prepared to go as high as $55k for the "right candidate". I laughed out loud. They asked why and I told them they'd missed the mark by at least $100k.
    via u/Captain_Pink_Pants
  • 11
    This was very funny to me until I thought about it a little more... this wasn't just a call center... it was a 911 call center... A private 911 call center. So next time your county commissioners suggest outsourcing your 911 service to save money, be sure to vote "no".
    via u/Captain_Pink_Pants
  • 12
    derfmcdoogal • 4d ago • There are so many reasons from an employer standpoint NOT to do room sharing, there is only one reason TO do room sharing. I haven't worked anywhere that allowed that in 20 years.
    via u/derfmcdoogal
  • 13
    • dsdvbguutres 4d ago After accidentally laughing, you should have said: "I'm sorry.... Oh, you're serious!" And laugh harder.
    via u/dsdvbguutres
  • 14
    SolomonDRand • 4d ago • That's absurd. My local McDonald's has a higher starting wage.
    via u/SolomonDRand
  • 15
    DanimalPlays .4d ago. More people should do this. If they're basically going to try to force you into servitude, make them feel bad and stupid. They aren't being polite to you, why be polite back?
    via u/DanimalPlays
  • 16
    SpiderWil 4d ago. Long ago I found a similar job, it was a corporate IT position where u travel with several other men (employees) to other states to install cash registers. And yes you also have to sleep in the same hotel room w/ them, just awful. Glad u hung up, these people have no sense of reality. Who do they think are going to apply to positions like this? I bet 100% of all the applicants plan their escape within the 1st minute of accepting the job offer.
    via u/SpiderWil
  • 17
    dispassioned • 4d ago I was travelling through West Virginia after the hurricane and the hotel was full of linemen heading down south and one of them mentioned they had to share a room and were joking over who would be the little spoon. I thought that was insane, but they were making bank and under the circumstances I get it. But this? no.
    via u/dispassioned
  • 18
    This sounds like one of those merchandising type jobs. If they can't find someone to do them they'll send it out to on those gig economy retail apps like Shiftsmart. They pay like $8 an hour. I'm surprised anyone does it. I guess $16 an hour is an upgrade.
    via u/dispassioned
  • 19
    NathanBrazil2 • 4d ago. that job should be at least $30 an hour, no sharing a room, full pay for travel time, .50 cents a mile to use your car, and a food stipend. what a joke.
    via u/NathanBrazil2

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