everyone , please be aware, not just bait and switch but recruitment firms do put out job descriptions for roles that are not yet approved or real. So where is the justice for us the poor applicants?? we apply for jobs that are not there, wasting out time and expecting to have been applied to a given role. Of course the recruiters justify this clearly unethical practice by say that they are gathering statistics. Sure do that, just do it with CURRENT roles.

specifically with highly technical roles, the recruiter fails to take things into proper context. In such cases I am contacted by recruiters who fail to apply boolean search algorithms and wiith roles that have absolutely nothing that have to do with my skill set.

if there are not laws on the books yet on such topics there should be soon.

I suggest that with the movement of 'virtualiity' that it is entirely possible to quickly set up new companies exclusively populated by out of work folks.
such companies should be able to compete with the best of them. So the company exists virtually but not a physical building. all employees are located worldwide. has such a model been suggested to help get folks off of unemployment and back to work??

I don't know if what I went through was bait and switch, but it seems very familiar with what you went through. I applied for a security officer position that was full time and was Mon-Friday. I applied online and got an email to come in for an interview 2 days later. The email said they would be holding interviews from 9 am to 11 am, so I got there at like 9:30, something told me to not be the first person there and I'm glad I listened.

I got there and same thing, a board room, meeting room like setting with about 50 people there for the job. They has us all sit as they called us back one at a time and sometimes 2 at a time. We checked in at the front and then were seated in the room without further explanation. It took from about 9:40 until 1:45 until I was called back for a 2 minute interview with a panel of 3 people interviewing and asking questions.

I felt like I was on American Idol getting reading to sing and be judged. You had 2 guys asking questions, and one guy just sat and watched your reactions, body movements and facial expressions. It was actually uncomfortable and I was glad it didn't last longer than it did.

They asked the typical, why did you leave your last job, why should we hire you, and what would your last employer say about you. That was it, they sent me out the door with a we will call you and that was that. Most of the people that were initially there got up and left, and what started out as 50 dwindled down to maybe 30, and as time wore on, 20.

I thought it was unprofessional how they did things and if they weren't doing one on one interviews, they should have had enough people to cover for the folks that did come. Most were still employed and were just looking for another job. A lot of them left because they did not want to be late to their other jobs, and some were just impatient.

The recruiters were loud and talked openly across the room to each other, often talking openly about a bad interviews, or someone's appearance or bombing of the interview. The whole time I was there, they were walking up and down the hall outside the sitting room, talking loud and joking with each other, and we saw several go on break, while there were still about 30 of us that needed to be seen.

I started to leave several times, but I hung in their because I really needed the job and was qualified for it, and thought there was a good chance I would get it!

I was called back a second time for a second interview, only to go through the same thing, to sit and wait for 4-5 hours, and called from a group of about 60 people this time! I waited all day for a 2 minute interview, only to be told they are trying to secure a site to put the new hires and they would call me when they got it.

They called me back for a third interview and I went again, but this time, I left after 2 hours. It was not worth the games they were playing.

This should be illegal, the false advertising, sending people emails that state interviwes are being done for 2 hours, some of the people were there since 8:45 am, and it made no difference in when they were called, they had to wait still.

I think they were calling back according to when you responded to the add and when you secured a spot. One dude came at 8:15 am, thinking he would be called first. He still had to wait until about 12:30 pm! He was a current Correctional Officer and had served prior to that as an army Military Police for 7 years. He was wanting to get away from the C.O job and something that had stable hour than the graveyard 12 shift hours he worked.

So I totally feel you, and thinks that you guys were warranted for walking out. Companies need to be honest. There are too many people looking for work, and if they want to get the positions filled and hire quality people, this is not the way to do it!

No Ann, but I have encountered another scam. I applied for two positions - 1 with Skye Consult and the other with Caspen Engineering. Both were allegedly companies out of Canada who were opening offices in Houston, TX. I received offer letters from both of them. My name was not on the offer letter. I called corporations registry in Canada and both were bogus. The nice lady at the registrar's office asked me where I was calling from and I told her Houston - she said that a number of people had called - these companies did not exist - since I did not take them up on their "offers" - I can only imagine what they wanted from me - my banking information? Probably. We live in a world of con-artists! Good luck on your job search.

more than likely position was going to be filled by someone already workinh there and the public posting of position was merely a legality...for the law...seen and had that happen

Hi Ann My name's Mike ! it looks like you've been the victim of ,what the army used to call "hurry up and wait".unfortunetly i haven't got an answer for you, i myself don't like the way things are done today.it seems like everybody worships the computer more than God himself! evreything's more strict than before,things are more demanding. it was easier filling out paper applications..i can suggest maybe try something else.i think you've got taken.good luck!

I had that happen to me once and it ended up being a better job than the one I originally applied for. Sometimes it works out in favor of the applicants.

Maybe it might not have been what you thought it was, but how was the pay did they keep their record straight on that? Bait, and switch does happen, but sometimes what you do can be ok so long as the pay is ok...ok.

Ann, sadly a lot of companies do this. You learn quickly what their euphemisms are. "People helping people, customer assistance, account manager" to name a few. Insurance companies use these terms as part of their sales tactics; they have to sell the potential account executive before that executive can go out and sell the policy. On behalf of my former career I personally apologize to you and the others that were misled by these tactics but let's face it; if even one of you became the dreaded insurance salesperson the bait and switch recruiter has met their goals and inched further into bonus territory. SMH that they still perpetrate.