An Australian company has been criticised for advertising “fake” job openings to fill office vacancies ahead of a client visit, with hundreds of people calling the act an “unethical scam”.
A high-end skincare brand in Sydney is looking to hire “office staff” of all genders who can present a “professional and polished appearance”.
The job pays $150 a day and was advertised as a two-day contract.
Many speculated that the company misrepresented itself to an investor and now needs to keep up appearances for an audit.
The job description reads: ‘Looking for people to temporarily act as office staff during an important VIP client visit.
‘Your role will be to sit at a desk, pretend to work and join the team to welcome the VIP at the entrance upon their arrival.
‘There is no need to talk or interact; just maintain a professional and friendly attitude.’
Other key requirements for the position include: ‘Ability to wear standard office attire. Must be able to work quietly on personal examinations while seated at a workstation. Be available throughout the visit until the VIP leaves.’
An Australian company has been criticised for advertising “fake” jobs to fill the office ahead of a VIP visit
The job pays $150 a day and was advertised as a two-day contract.
The job posting was published on Star Now, a job website for actors and content creators.
Screenshots of the post went viral on Reddit, where many others shared similar experiences.
“I worked in a call centre in the 90s that paid a bunch of backpackers to come and pretend to be selling whenever a potential customer showed up,” one shared.
“They could have bragged to a potential big client that they have a great office in Sydney to take on the job, but they either don’t have enough staff or the staff are overseas,” another surmised.
One added: ‘My husband says this is because they are selling the company – they want it to look like they have a lot of business and the staff love working there to show off to the potential buyer.’
But others believe the announcement is far less sinister.
“This is definitely going to be a prank show,” one man wrote.
“I suspect this is a way to get extras for a publicity shoot,” said another.
“The ‘VIP’ is probably some actor. That seems more likely to me than spending $150 per person to trick some executive.”