A faithful reader reached out this week to alert us with a cautionary tale. Our reader, who we’ll call Simple Jim, responded to a job ad placed by the Robert Whole Talent Team. The posting, for a Level-1 help desk technician, promised an amazing salary. Amazing for anyone in IT, much less someone of Mr. Jim’s meager qualifications.
However, Robert Whole’s long-standing reputation for sound and honorable business practices comforted Simple Jim. Knowing their stature and hoping to cash in on a hot job market, he took the position.
He loved the job. He liked his new co-workers. But things took a dark turn when the first payroll deposit hit his checking account. It was far, far less than the tantalizing amount he supposedly signed on for. Jim says
I called the recruiter and started reading him the riot act. This wasn’t a minor difference. He tells me I’m getting paid the right amount, and I said no; the agreement was $500,000 per month. I guess that made the light bulb turn on, because he said ‘Well, you are. In Jamaican Dollars.’ It turns out that the exchange rate is around 156:1 Jamaican to US. So, I’m making about $3,200 a month. I kind of remember something about Jamaica in the job posting but figured that was their Caribbean office.
People told me the job market was really good; I guess it was too good to be true. At one point in the interview he even said ‘Yeah ja makin’ money baby;’ I thought he meant the pay was really good.
While Simple Jim’s caviar dreams floated away on a cloud of gullibility, at least he has a good job. Be careful out there; you never know what they’ll try next.
