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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Job interview cheeky f*ery

120 replies

theultimatehousekeeper · 22/02/2019 20:21

About three months ago I interviewed for a very basic admin job at a start-up company.

I had to prepare an interview task beforehand and it was a newsletter pertaining to the start-up. The interview instructions said that the newsletter of the successful candidate would be used IRL once they were in post.

So, I prepared my newsletter, talked them through what I'd done. They seemed very happy with it and asked to keep it, which I said was fine.

I didn't get offered the job but got offered a much better one paying one third more for another company, so no hard feelings at all.

But along the line of applying and researching this company before interview I liked their facebook page. Today a new post has popped up with their first newsletter.

They've used my design. I don't mean it's a bit similar - they have wholesale copied every single party of my design - the colours, the layout, the articles...it's my piece of work!

Can anyone top that for CFery? I'm not saying it's illegal or anything and I'm sure it's my own fault for letting them keep my newsletter. But how rude?!

OP posts:
Jux · 22/02/2019 21:49

I think for 6 hours of work you could easily ask for 300 quid - easily.

mumwon · 22/02/2019 21:51

hmm minimum wage hours worked unpaid - I wonder if HMRC would be interested????? its a bit like working for nothing I would ring HMRC & ask?? maybe the company has a history

HennyPennyHorror · 22/02/2019 21:55

I think for 6 hours of work you could easily ask for 300 quid - easily.

No you couldn't. The fact is that it shouldn't take a professional 5 or 6 hours to write a newsletter.

topcat2014 · 22/02/2019 21:56

You own the copyright in the work - you were not employed by them at the time, so they cannot imply that they own the copyright.

Send them an invoice - CFs...

Jux · 22/02/2019 22:00

I wonder if each candidate was asked to bring a different piece of work and they're getting all their marketing done for free!

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 22/02/2019 22:02

@Asta19

You must have been raging. I don't remember the original showing of it on the BBC, but if Wikipedia has it right, it looks like it was made for the BBC by ITV studios, who then sued a Spanish TV company for ripping off the (YOUR) idea!! Shock

I believe that's what's known as chutzpah.

WP says it was recently remade as 'Alphabetical', which I do remember watching and enjoying.

Well done, anyway - fuming on your behalf Angry

Puzzledandpissedoff · 22/02/2019 22:07

(Retired) employer / recruitment of many years here. Sadly this is one of the oldest tricks in the book and eggys is right that there may not have been any job; instead they probably used the "interview process" to source what they wanted on the cheap - the giveaway being the bit about using a piece in RL

Since you had no formal agreement there's no point at all in taking it further as they'll just laugh. Much better, frustrating as it is, to use this to avoid similar traps in future, remembering that *you're^ the real winner because a decent company's recognised your worth with a better offer

Asta19 · 22/02/2019 22:10

Thanks! I think the biggest kicker for me was getting a B for it! I should have at least got an A! I think if the internet had been around in those days, and I had access to it. I would have definitely taken it further but back in the 90s I was a bit stumped of, well who do I contact? What do I say? Etc etc. So I just left it. Funnily enough I did not end up working in the media either, went into something else entirely different. But who knows what could have been!

Original poster
theultimatehousekeeper · 22/02/2019 22:10

"No you couldn't. The fact is that it shouldn't take a professional 5 or 6 hours to write a newsletter."

This is true.

It took me so long because I had to research the company and understand exactly how they marketed themselves etc first, to work out who the target audience would be etc.

Newsletters in places I already work take me a couple of hours max - because I know all of that already. SO a lot of it was researching the business, which I would have done for the interview anyway.

I actually thought it was a very good interview task for ascertaining what clients understood of the business, so didn't mind doing it as it was research plus putting skills into practice.

I'm surprised they have to steal a simple newsletter idea, though, it's hardly high level marketing.

OP posts:
notanothernam · 22/02/2019 22:16

The fact they didn't have a formal agreement goes against the company, not the op, they have infringed her copyright and the law makes it clear the emphasis is on the user to prove permission, she could quite easily take them to court (which is probably the only thing she could do as they're likely to ignore an invoice) and she'd have a strong case I believe, but I very much doubt it would be worth the money and effort as the impact is low in the scheme of things. I think a social media post would be the most effective response if it didn't jeopardise your current job!

tempester28 · 22/02/2019 22:25

Did anyone get the job?

Puzzledandpissedoff · 22/02/2019 22:26

I'm surprised they have to steal a simple newsletter idea, though, it's hardly high level marketing

You're right it's not - but it might seem pretty high level to them, if they lack both the ability to do it themselves and the wit to employ the right staff to do it for them

They've already lost a good potential staff member in yourself, and since most new companies fail within a few years their attitude may well put them among that number ... which might well be some small satisfaction Wink

OffWithThePixies · 22/02/2019 22:46

I wonder if it’s the same company I interviewed for... My interview pretask was to prepare/create a PowerPoint presentation deck eg design the template from scratch. They replied that they liked ‘aspects of it’ but wanted ‘to see a stronger demonstration of (my) skills’ so asked a template for website and recommendations for redesigning their website . This was mid recession, so I did it. He said he’d be in touch after his business trip.... I followed it up twice but no reply. A few months later saw their new website using my templates (including my details in the source code), with their recent presentations on one tab, usually the deck is designed. It was liquidated in 2017 Grin Karma

MatildaTheCat · 22/02/2019 22:49

We visited the cathedral at Lucca last year. The external facade is supported by a series of huge marble pillars (bear with me). Anyway the story goes that when the architects were commissioning the building they invited candidates to supply a marble pillar of their own design and work, the winner of these would be appointed to carve and supply all of the pillars.

So, the CF commissioners used ALL of the submissions and didn’t pay a penny for the entire works all of which was a minor masterpiece. Nobody was the winner of that particular interview. Although obviously their work has been appreciated ever since but I assume they were all asking their friends, ‘AIBU?’ Smile

I’m in team bill them.

WeeDangerousSpike · 22/02/2019 23:10

As you are no longer interested in working for them and they are all about 'ethics' I'd publicly shame the fuckers.

Not only a pithy comment on their post but also a post tagging them / on their wall, whichever it is that they can't just delete.

I'd think any potential clients would be interested in their grasp of ethics.

MitziK · 22/02/2019 23:46

By the way, this is why I always imbed my details into any work. Nobody's nicking my work without paying for it.

OrigamiZoo · 22/02/2019 23:57

Tv companies do this - interview people, tasK to come up with a new idea for a tv programme, then they nick the ideas.

Invoice them!

ionlylovemybedandmymama · 23/02/2019 01:05

I agree with the public shaming. Comment on their post and then post your own post on their page with a screenshot of your work. And give them a serve about ethics.

And then leave them poor reviews on Facebook and google.

FruminousBandersnatch · 23/02/2019 03:02

"By the way, this is why I always imbed my details into any work. Nobody's nicking my work without paying for it."

How would you do that in a newsletter?

7salmonswimming · 23/02/2019 03:48

Start-ups piss me off. First off, people who say they’re “running a start-up”, “working at a start-up” are almost always wanker hipster types, in their 20s or early 30s, with an over-inflated idea of their abilities and the marketplace’s interest in their product/service.

Secondly, when they realise just how tough it is to build and maintain a profitable business, they start pulling stunts like this. Eventually, they down-grade to non-profits or “side-gigs” before they throw in the towel entirely (often without saying anything, complete opposite of how they wouldn’t shut up about their idea at the outset) and you hear no more about the thing they were so “passionate” about 12 months ago.

Thirdly, they sneer at regular employees holding down traditional/ non-“entrepreneurial” jobs, tending to think they’re suckers whereas they’re the Second fucking Coming/Steve Jobs.

Gah. Plus, they all drink water from S’well bottles, think they discovered nut milks, and eat far to many avocados.

RebootYourEngine · 23/02/2019 04:33

Cheeky fuckers. I'm on team invoice.

ChikiTIKI · 23/02/2019 06:43

I think you should be charging them whatever you like. If they wanted to negotiate on the fee they should have done that before taking your work!!!

ButterflyWitch · 23/02/2019 07:01

You really should stand up for yourself- agree with PP that you did not give permission for this to be used in this context. Send the letter PP drafted, threaten with small claims if they ignore. And ask Facebook to delete the content? And if it took 6 hours for you to create them that’s what you bill them for!!!

StealthPolarBear · 23/02/2019 07:11

The teacher who submitted a pupil's story as his dd's to a competition Shock
I do like the pillars story though :)

tessieandoz · 23/02/2019 07:15

I agree that you should ask for an explanation and invoice them.
This was not an oversight or slip of the "post" button. I would be furious, so blatant.

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