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I Almost Got a Job on 37Signals Job Board

datawalke.com

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Re: I Almost Got a Job on 37Signals Job Board

#11

Post by datawalke »

eelco wrote: post #8

How the brief was written scared me a little, but 37Signals charges a pretty decent amount to post a listing so I figured it was all going to be kosher. So, the question here is: why didn't you trust your gut feeling? Why did you value your (simplistic) rationalization more?

As I commented before I think it is a bit of me still trying to give everyone a chance. From the brief it did seem like that something was off. I just have to keep developing on letting certain "opportunities" pass at certain times.

Re: I Almost Got a Job on 37Signals Job Board

#12

Post by mahmud »

The job ad was riddled with typos, bad grammar and bad style. Why did you even respond to it? The domain name on the email account was different from the name of the company. The person running this "Shivum Gautama" has zero history in google. etc.

Overall, Mr. Gautama might have been a creep but atleast he was decent enough to show his true colors so early in the game.

Re: I Almost Got a Job on 37Signals Job Board

#13

Post by Osiris »

datawalke wrote: post #7
bosch wrote: post #5

While I agree you dodged a bullet, I wouldn't use PayPayl either after the numerous stories I've heard about how they keep people's money for various undocumented reasons. That combined with the fact it's near impossible to actually get someone on the phone who can directly help you can give you significant risks by using them. Look into wire transfers as they're a lot safer and the money goes directly into your acco…

About four months ago I had a client who received their licensing information put in a claim on me. Even though I sent full documentation showing that they received their license they still refunded this individual. That did get me quite upset with PayPal. Since then I really haven't done that many transactions with them or any online freelancing. I'll have to keep the wire transfer in mind for the future. Thank you…

I have this happen to me. My licensing system accepts the PayPal Reversal IPN and cancels the license key. The next time the software checks for an update it sees the license is invalid and disables the license. I'm not sure if it's the best way to handle the situation, but it's effective.

Re: I Almost Got a Job on 37Signals Job Board

#16

Post by cglee »

This is why I always prefer to look them in the eye and ask for a face to face meeting. If that's not possible, then I'll do a Skype video conference. That's not going to weed out all the crazies, but at least it'll give you a better feeling to complement your initial guy instinct.

Re: I Almost Got a Job on 37Signals Job Board

#17

Post by [deleted] »

datawalke wrote: post #4
bryanh wrote: post #3

I had to read that twice. Jeez. You dodged a bullet there. Just imagine if you actually TOOK that job.

Absolutely. Once he IM'ed me I was looking for a way to get out of there without seeming rude. I cringed when he agreed to the price I gave. I thought it was going to end the conversation there. I am still working on growing a pair and walking out of things as soon as I want out instead of trying to find a way to make things work. It is still a transition for my mind to get into "It's okay to say 'No.'"

[deleted]

Re: I Almost Got a Job on 37Signals Job Board

#18

Post by paulitex »

datawalke wrote: post #4
bryanh wrote: post #3

I had to read that twice. Jeez. You dodged a bullet there. Just imagine if you actually TOOK that job.

Absolutely. Once he IM'ed me I was looking for a way to get out of there without seeming rude. I cringed when he agreed to the price I gave. I thought it was going to end the conversation there. I am still working on growing a pair and walking out of things as soon as I want out instead of trying to find a way to make things work. It is still a transition for my mind to get into "It's okay to say 'No.'"

Saying no can be really, really tough - but rewarding. In my experience most programmers are conflict-adverse and like taking on projects, this might be obvious but it means we often find ourselves over stretched. Speaking of 37signals, David had a good post on that awhile ago (http://37signals.com/svn/posts/1626). It's a real problem that I, and I'm sure many others here, struggle with.

edit: (unrelated) Have you brought this to the attention of 37signals? You should send them this story, I feel like they may want to keep unsavoury characters like this away from their board in the future.

Re: I Almost Got a Job on 37Signals Job Board

#19

Post by petercooper »

This reminded me of something the other way around.

Back in 1998, I was on summer break before going to college. My parents said I had to get a summer job, so I got an entry level PR job at a Web design agency (new media, baby!) in London. Somehow, within a few weeks I was attending recruitment interviews. One totally normal looking guy came in, sat down, and after a quick introduction the CEO asked him what his background was. The guy jumped up, shouted "you can go f!@k yourselves!!" and ran out slamming the door. Never saw him again.

I was only at the agency a month in the end, but just the crazy things I saw there could fill a book. In hindsight, I regret quitting.

Re: I Almost Got a Job on 37Signals Job Board

#20

Post by datawalke »

aaronbrethorst wrote: post #14

Obviously the posting is still up. Have you emailed the transcript along to the folks at 37Signals? They should really pull this (or better yet append the transcript to the job posting).

Yes, I have contacted the guys at 37Signals. They said they would be in touch with the creator of the listing to verify all of the details.
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