Strange job recruitment
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bloodian




Posts: 1026

PostPosted: Tue, 29th Oct 2013 17:21    Post subject: Strange job recruitment
So, I've sent out a couple of CV's a month ago.

One of them was a job at home at a firm 500 km from me. They told me that I'd get "the job" if I make a game in Unity3d. So I did. It took me like 2 weeks to learn Unity3d + GUI plugin. I took my time because you know... i didn't get any money for it (they wouldn't sell it, it was just for me to learn).

When I sent them the game they wanted some fixes done. So I fixed it. After I fixed it they sent another, so once again i fixed it.
And apart from that I didn't have any support, I did everything by myself.

Meanwhile they introduced me a project that they would pay me money for (another game) but said I couldn't start it until I've finished the "test project". So it turned out it wasn't a full time job.

So they've sent me another list of things to fix on the test project. I grew tired and told them that I need a week off.

Meanwhile I've got a reply from a serious firm at my town, to invite me for an interview. I got the job, 3 days in a week, they gave me more than I requested which is way more than an average in my country and that's just for 3 days of work in a week. What moron wouldn't accept that ?

So I've sent an email to those guys from Unity that I've been recruited and I'm sorry if I wasted their time bla bla bla. I thought they wouldn't even reply or just said "OK" but to my surprise they emailed me with "You shouldn't do stuff like that, I haven't ever met anyone behaving this way" and I was like Confused . I told them I was sorry but I just got a better offer, that's it.
So they called me and told me that I behaved in a specific way (which is probably a bussiness euphemism for "you're an asshole") and they'd want me to forget the test project and just finish the one for money. I told them I didn't have time and I'm sorry.

In their logic I should stick with them just because they were first or something.
And it's not like they taught me anything, I did it all by myself.

Now, do you think I did something wrong ? Am I scum or something ?
If yes, what would You do.

Have You ever been a part of recruitment like that ?

cheers
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tainted4ever
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Posts: 11336

PostPosted: Tue, 29th Oct 2013 17:23    Post subject:
Yes. They're playing you. They're taking your game and selling it on some shitty appstore for a few K. You're giving them free labor and have even been maintaining the game for free for them. This sort of behavior is illegal in the US. Ignore all contact with them from now on, and depending on what the labor laws are like in your country, consult a lawyer. You might be able to sue for damages, should you choose to.

-t


Sense Amid Madness, Wit Amidst Folly
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bloodian




Posts: 1026

PostPosted: Tue, 29th Oct 2013 17:32    Post subject:
No, I doubt it.
Every fix I've done was in code, fixing objective oriented programming and stuff. They'd want me to fix the gameplay itself if they wanted to sell it, not the code.

Plus the game is pretty shitty to sell anywhere Smile It was just for learning purposes.

Besides, on what grounds could I sue them ? We had no agreement, nothing, just mails. You can sue someone in US even if you didn't sign anything ? Confused
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Paintface




Posts: 6877

PostPosted: Tue, 29th Oct 2013 17:36    Post subject:
in the US oral agreement is binding
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Morphineus
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Posts: 24883
Location: Sweden
PostPosted: Tue, 29th Oct 2013 17:59    Post subject:
Well even if they 'exploited' you, the proper behaviour was to inform them beforehand. Doesn't matter how they conduct their business just act professional for your own sake Smile

Not that this will have consequences I guess, but just for future scenario's.


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CraweN




Posts: 719
Location: Upside down in chair
PostPosted: Tue, 29th Oct 2013 18:06    Post subject:
Paintface wrote:
in the US oral agreement is binding


pretty hard to prove though, unless you used a recorder of some sort.


Hardware: Ryzen 3700x, B450 MSI Gaming Pro carbon AC, GTX1080, 32 GB 3200 Mhz cas 14, 256 EVO SSD, 1 TB EVO SSD and 4 TB HDD.
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tainted4ever
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Posts: 11336

PostPosted: Tue, 29th Oct 2013 18:07    Post subject:
bloodian wrote:
No, I doubt it.
Every fix I've done was in code, fixing objective oriented programming and stuff. They'd want me to fix the gameplay itself if they wanted to sell it, not the code.

Plus the game is pretty shitty to sell anywhere Smile It was just for learning purposes.

Besides, on what grounds could I sue them ? We had no agreement, nothing, just mails. You can sue someone in US even if you didn't sign anything ? Confused


I don't know what you did or didn't fix. Maybe they have an inhouse programmer and you were supplanting his labor for free? Maybe they have multiple programmers just like you working on different things? And it doesn't matter if the game is shitty. 99% of iOS/Android games are shitty and cost $0.99, but people run good marketing campaigns to get them to sell.

This kind of scam is very common. They scam the developer by getting him to do free labor in exchange for the promise of the job. Then they put the product on the app store with some good screenshots, and then they market the hell out of it and make a few thousand dollars. Rinse and repeat with a dozen games, and that's some serious money.

What they did was illegal. Extracting free labor from someone using the promise of a job is in violation of all sorts of labor codes. Doesn't matter if you and they didn't have a contract, what they did was break the law!

My advice is to just ignore them completely from now on, and chalk this up under the "This is why you don't work for free" category of life lessons Smile Just move on with your life.
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bloodian




Posts: 1026

PostPosted: Tue, 29th Oct 2013 18:07    Post subject:
MORPHINEUS wrote:
Well even if they 'exploited' you, the proper behaviour was to inform them beforehand. Doesn't matter how they conduct their business just act professional for your own sake Smile

Not that this will have consequences I guess, but just for future scenario's.


I didn't finish things with them because of how they recruited, just because I've found a better offer.
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tainted4ever
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Posts: 11336

PostPosted: Tue, 29th Oct 2013 18:08    Post subject:
Paintface wrote:
in the US oral agreement is binding
Actually only in some states. But it is in California.

However, since you did everything over email, you have written correspondence, and that's very solid evidence in court Smile
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Paintface




Posts: 6877

PostPosted: Tue, 29th Oct 2013 18:12    Post subject:
email in belgium is binding too
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bloodian




Posts: 1026

PostPosted: Tue, 29th Oct 2013 18:22    Post subject:
but hypothetically what would I sue them for ? Confused And why ?
They've had a certain recruitment program and I agreed to go through it but didn't finish it. That's it.
All I wanted to know is if I acted right, because they seem to think i'm a dick.
I don't give a shit but it's the void and I've found it worth discussing.

I really doubt that they'd be able to sell this, because it's shit.
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tainted4ever
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Posts: 11336

PostPosted: Tue, 29th Oct 2013 18:30    Post subject:
bloodian wrote:
but hypothetically what would I sue them for ? Confused And why ?
They've had a certain recruitment program and I agreed to go through it but didn't finish it. That's it.
All I wanted to know is if I acted right, because they seem to think i'm a dick.
I don't give a shit but it's the void and I've found it worth discussing.

I really doubt that they'd be able to sell this, because it's shit.


They don't think you're a dick. They're just manipulating you by being aggressive and calling you a dick Smile It's standard behavior for hard sells.

Realistically suing them would be a waste of time. As for what you could sue them for, that's why I told you to consult a lawyer. I don't exactly have the statutes on the top of my head Smile Again, just ignore them and go on with your life. I know you're feeling guilty and you feel like you've done something wrong, but that's just them trying to manipulate your emotions in order to get free labor from you. Ignore them and move on.
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bloodian




Posts: 1026

PostPosted: Tue, 29th Oct 2013 18:53    Post subject:
tainted4ever wrote:
bloodian wrote:
but hypothetically what would I sue them for ? Confused And why ?
They've had a certain recruitment program and I agreed to go through it but didn't finish it. That's it.
All I wanted to know is if I acted right, because they seem to think i'm a dick.
I don't give a shit but it's the void and I've found it worth discussing.

I really doubt that they'd be able to sell this, because it's shit.


They don't think you're a dick. They're just manipulating you by being aggressive and calling you a dick Smile It's standard behavior for hard sells.

Realistically suing them would be a waste of time. As for what you could sue them for, that's why I told you to consult a lawyer. I don't exactly have the statutes on the top of my head Smile Again, just ignore them and go on with your life. I know you're feeling guilty and you feel like you've done something wrong, but that's just them trying to manipulate your emotions in order to get free labor from you. Ignore them and move on.


Yeaah... I have a long history of people trying to use me.

At first year I've applied for free internship at a small game studio.

I've done debugging, and added some elements so it was ok. I was learning. But then they gave us mockups to do in some program (which they sold and get money for).
ok... It's internship, I'll have something to put on my CV.

Ok... But when "the boss" told us that we're working too slow, that was it - never came back.


--

a year later I was looking for a job. I met with an australian in a cafe (apparently it's common abroad to do that) and he told me that he has a job for me to do. An app in Android. He told me that we would discuss how much he would pay me later (yeah, i know, naive). I've done the database + server + half of the android client when he told me that there's an app like that already and he wants me to "abandon the project".

I don't know why but I've decided to give him another chance... Probably because I wanted to do game development and he agreed. Plus he contacted a guy who made a pretty popular game on Android (Gyro) so I had a chance to work with him.

It turned on a "bussiness meeting" that after I've done all the research, and even a game design I'd just get a share of profits after we programmed the thing. All the australian was to do was sending mails.

--

and now this...

jesus, now that I read this I just realized how stupid and naive I am Smile

but all and all, I've had something to put on my CV. I know these are garbage, not jobs but it at least shows that I've had some experience. And I probably got the job because of that.

tainted4ever wrote:

This kind of scam is very common. They scam the developer by getting him to do free labor in exchange for the promise of the job. Then they put the product on the app store with some good screenshots, and then they market the hell out of it and make a few thousand dollars. Rinse and repeat with a dozen games, and that's some serious money.


yeah, sounds familliar...
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tainted4ever
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Posts: 11336

PostPosted: Tue, 29th Oct 2013 19:08    Post subject:
Well I'm glad you got your current job. Cheers and congrats Don't dwell on the past. If anyone ever tries to pull that shit on you again, simply say "Fuck you, pay me".

Good luck at the new job!


Sense Amid Madness, Wit Amidst Folly
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bloodian




Posts: 1026

PostPosted: Tue, 29th Oct 2013 19:13    Post subject:
tainted4ever wrote:
Well I'm glad you got your current job. Cheers and congrats Don't dwell on the past. If anyone ever tries to pull that shit on you again, simply say "Fuck you, pay me".

Good luck at the new job!


Thanks! Smile
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Waargh




Posts: 6997
Location: hell on earth
PostPosted: Tue, 29th Oct 2013 19:46    Post subject:
Aight now please show that game Smile


Today I didn't even need to use my AK. I gotta say it was a good day. (c) - Ice Cube
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Morphineus
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Posts: 24883
Location: Sweden
PostPosted: Tue, 29th Oct 2013 19:50    Post subject:
bloodian wrote:
MORPHINEUS wrote:
Well even if they 'exploited' you, the proper behaviour was to inform them beforehand. Doesn't matter how they conduct their business just act professional for your own sake Smile

Not that this will have consequences I guess, but just for future scenario's.


I didn't finish things with them because of how they recruited, just because I've found a better offer.


Nor was I saying you were. The point was that informing them was better behaviour than telling them when everything is already done and decided. It's about integrity/professionalism. Smile (Not that they were showing it, but it's for your own sake not for anyone else anyway)

Anywho, you are better off now so congrats. Smile


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Stormwolf




Posts: 23704
Location: Norway
PostPosted: Tue, 29th Oct 2013 20:11    Post subject:
They treat you like crap, you treat them like crap right back. I wouldn't have contacted them either in your situation. If someone starts using me and i notice their manipulations i become quite spiteful and have burned a few bridges because of it Laughing
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bloodian




Posts: 1026

PostPosted: Tue, 29th Oct 2013 20:42    Post subject:
Waargh wrote:
Aight now please show that game Smile


https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/1768101/golddiggers.rar

i'm not really proud of it but I did that game as I learned unity.
i didn't care about game design at all so the game is pointless really Wink

I've disabled XML lading/saving because it didn't see the file when i've built it and I was too lazy to fix it Smile So that might generate a couple of bugs.

The obstacles are randomly generated, there are couple of patterns of coins, the things on the right are powerups bought in the shop.
Don't know if achievments are going to work Wink

HAVE FUN!
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Waargh




Posts: 6997
Location: hell on earth
PostPosted: Tue, 29th Oct 2013 21:09    Post subject:
great, could be a nice mobile game, clone of that mole run or whatever was its name. needs gfx and level variety of course but it could totally sell for 0.99


Today I didn't even need to use my AK. I gotta say it was a good day. (c) - Ice Cube
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bloodian




Posts: 1026

PostPosted: Tue, 29th Oct 2013 21:11    Post subject:
Waargh wrote:
great, could be a nice mobile game, clone of that mole run or whatever was its name. needs gfx and level variety of course but it could totally sell for 0.99


it's a clone of a game called Gold Diggers (on ios?)
I even cut the graphics from there
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Waargh




Posts: 6997
Location: hell on earth
PostPosted: Tue, 29th Oct 2013 21:15    Post subject:
i meant this one:



Today I didn't even need to use my AK. I gotta say it was a good day. (c) - Ice Cube
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m3th0d2008




Posts: 9881
Location: Outhouse
PostPosted: Wed, 30th Oct 2013 01:41    Post subject:
MORPHINEUS wrote:
bloodian wrote:
MORPHINEUS wrote:
Well even if they 'exploited' you, the proper behaviour was to inform them beforehand. Doesn't matter how they conduct their business just act professional for your own sake Smile

Not that this will have consequences I guess, but just for future scenario's.


I didn't finish things with them because of how they recruited, just because I've found a better offer.


Nor was I saying you were. The point was that informing them was better behaviour than telling them when everything is already done and decided. It's about integrity/professionalism. Smile (Not that they were showing it, but it's for your own sake not for anyone else anyway)

Anywho, you are better off now so congrats. Smile


Staying in Business + integrity? Doesn't compute.

They're just pissed that someone else grabbed you. Nothing more.
Or at least the person who was in contact with you was pissed because he/she'll get quite an earful because the task wasn't accomplished. Whatever, you're better off now. Especially because the approach from the other guys was quite shady based on your information.


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RatKing




Posts: 1212
Location: Nondescript cave in the land of the polar bears, Finland
PostPosted: Sun, 3rd Nov 2013 18:50    Post subject:
I'd say you handled their bs quite well. Just be careful not to confuse being polite to being a pushover. Letting someone walk over you is hardly ever a good option.


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Sin317
Banned



Posts: 24322
Location: Geneva
PostPosted: Sun, 3rd Nov 2013 18:55    Post subject:
never ever get exploited/abused. Once an employer realized he can do that, it will never stop, only get worse.
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spankie
VIP Member



Posts: 2958
Location: Belgium
PostPosted: Sun, 3rd Nov 2013 23:27    Post subject:
Tip#1 never ever work for free. Being it a recruitment thing or whatever Wink

of course you didnt do anything wrong. They are just toying aroud with you and exploiting you. Move on and be glad you didnt end up in a place like that...
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tonizito
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Location: Portugal, the shithole of Europe.
PostPosted: Sun, 3rd Nov 2013 23:46    Post subject:
Sin317 wrote:
never ever get exploited/abused. Once an employer realized he can do that, it will never stop, only get worse.
Easy to say if the economy of your country isn't in the shitter and there's more 2435235435 guys waiting to take your job. Sad
The one that you're supposed to only hold on to while looking for something better... which seems to never come along. Neutral


boundle (thoughts on cracking AITD) wrote:
i guess thouth if without a legit key the installation was rolling back we are all fucking then
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HubU
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PostPosted: Mon, 4th Nov 2013 05:13    Post subject:
They, quite honestly, just want the D.


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