1 year ago, I saw an ad on craigslist for a Software Developer position in downtown Bellingham. It was very cryptic and all it really said was "come down to our location and check it out!" with some other normal information. So I check it out.
When I got there, it was hard to find. It ended up being in a shady location kind of tucked away, the door would not open and there was no sign saying what to do. All I could see was a white door bell button so I pressed it. After waiting around 5 minutes, an employee came down and opened the door. Looking very confused as to why I was there. I explained the situation and the employee took me upstairs to the CEO's office.
Once in the office I introduced myself and explained that I had seen the ad on craigslist explaining to come down to the office. It seemed like he knew what I was talking about. Suddenly, I was caught off guard and we started what seemed to be an interview.
I gave the CEO my resume and was asked the normal questions about how and why I became a Developer and explained my experience and previous jobs with him. He then called in one of the other employees to ask me more technical questions.
This is where it got shady. It sounded like they wanted to give me a job. The CEO explained to me that normally they start employees off as an intern for 30 days with no pay. He said it was to make sure I fit well with the team and in the company, but at the end of the 30 days if I did not work out, I would no longer be employed. It sounded like a way to get free labor out of me. I told him I had bills to pay and could not do that. He looked pretty upset. Not only was this illegal, but as an employer he should not have even asked such a thing.
Finally after some deliberation with his colleagues, he said "Look, the best I can do is pay you a tiny bit over minimum wage for these 30 days, but after that there is no guarantee that you will have a job. Play your cards right and you should be just fine."
