E.M. & Associates/ Premiere Advertising total scam and cult, not a real job opportunity, but a pyramid scheme Houston Texas

Thank you guys so much for the helpful hint here!! I was due to interview here and like any recent college grad I did my due diligence and researched the company I was interviewing with.
It was here that things started seeming suspicious to me. As a marketing grad with previous intern experience with other firms I was alarmed at the state of Premiere's website. There was not one mention of any past or present clientele, only vague references to working with professional sports teams and hotels. The link that leads you to the "Partners" was "Coming Soon"????? Alarm bells were going off like mad.
I consulted with a very dear friend of mine to see what I should do. We agreed that surely a marketing firm near the Galleria (prominent business area of Houston) was legitimate. The very next day which was the day of my interview (weird how quickly they were able to set that up). I did more digging because the company just didn't sit well with me. It was then that I came across this web posting. I immediately called and rescinded my interview saving myself a lot of gas, time, and energy that could and will be spent finding something worth my time.
My advice: If at all you feel like what you're getting into might be a less than desirable experience. AKA scam, commission based pyramid, or the like. Listen to your head and your heart. Times are hard right now and I know many people are willing to take whatever they can get, be mindful though because many people out there only want to take advantage of you!!!!

I have to say a big THANK YOU to both Jennifer and Jon for their efforts and time to put these information out. Having some kind of knowledge about what this company (Premier Adevertising, Houston TX) is all about lifted up a big fear off my chest. Like you guys, I graduated from college about two years ago, and getting an entry level position job into my field or something close for that matter, has been like greasy push on a solid rock.

So, when this company sent me a message to call for an interview, I decided to do some research about them, which I don't usually do, but to which I've learned to do, due to past experiences about illegitimate companies that flooded my mail with their 'too-good-to-be-true" offers.

I have to say that, I will save my time, and gas money for a legitimate company whom I will get a serious, and professional recruiting process from. Jon's points on clues of fraud companies are very helpful, I will surely take them into consideration as I continue to search for prospects employer(s). Thank you.

Beaty
Houston, TX.

I got a call for an interview for this company (it's actually spelled Premier on their website) and I was instantly curious as to why they wanted to interview me. I am in the same boat as Jennifer as I am a recent college grad who is looking for a full time job with benefits and a salary. But I have always lived by the rule, if it's too good to be true, then it probably is. And it's this cliche quote that has saved me so much trouble lately when looking for a job.

I posted my resume on numerous websites and for the most part all I have gotten are these MLM companies calling me (out of maybe 12 calls, only two have been legititmate, which were companies I actually applied to). I have gotten to the point now where I can spot them from a mile away. Here are just a few points I want to make about these type of companies. (Not all these points apply specifically to this company but are just a general overview of all the companies i have been offered interviews with)

1. First and foremost, before you ever go on an interview, you will need to research the company to the best of your ability. That means checking websites like this one and seeing what people have to say about that particular company. It also means that if the company is legitimate, then you will have some background knowledge that will be helpful during the interview.

2.If a company calls you about a job that you did not apply for then it most likely is not a good place to work for. WHY? Well any respectable company that offers desirable positions usually is flooded with applications. HR departments of these companies have to spend enormous amounts of time going through these applications. Almost never will a respectable company go out of their way to find you, unless you are a nurse or have a specific technical degree (e.g. engineering, computer science)which are positions that are in low supply and high demand.

I became suspicious of companies interested in me like United American Insurance, Ameriprise, Premier Advertising, etc. after I realized that my major wasn't in their field (yes i know that some companies hire people with majors that are different than their usual hires, but a large part of that is because these people have an in, like a friend who works there). For example when Ameriprise (or Primerica) wants you to sell financial services when you have a degree in History (or no degree at all for that matter) they are putting peoples' finances in the hands of unqualified people. I have a friend who works for Goldman Sachs (a highly prestigious firm) in New York and he as an undergrad degree in economics from Boston College and a DOCTORATE from NYU (also economics). To get hired by a real company you will need to have real credentials.

(My example for this specific company, Premier Advertising, is that another friend of mine works for a reputable ad agency in Houston and has a BA in marketing, and to be hired by her company you need to have similar credentials, whereas Premier advertising doesn't really care since they are just making people go door to door.)

3. Beware of vague explanations! This is probably the easiest way to spot a scam. When you ask specific questions and all you get are vague answers from reps of the company, then you have a problem. Real companies have no problem telling you the specifics, in fact they usually go overboard on specifics because they want to make sure you are not wasting their time on a job that you are underqualified for or are not interested in.

This also applies to vague job postings, if they aren't going to list job details in the posting then they are most likely just looking for anybody. Like I said previously, HR usually wants only qualified people to apply (side note- if a company also wants you to recruit (in addition to your normal responsibilities) so you get people under you and in turn you make a percentage of what they sell, well lets just say that there is name for that, Pyramid scheme).

Once again, another example of extreme vagueness is Vector marketing (actually Cutco) which is the king of this(as is well documented on this website.) Also beware of postings that seem like they have a lot of positions to be filled. More often than not this means they have a high worker turnover rate (as of October 2006, very few companies are expanding that rapidly, the bureau of Labor Statistics just put out their lastest numbers showing unemployment numbers just recently improved ever so slightly) .

4. Never ever, ever give a company money for materials or training. This is an instant giveaway of a bush league company. There is almost no reputable company in North America that will make you pay for training (in fact most companies will actually pay you for being at training). Think about it, it makes no sense for you to spend money for training that is going to enable you to make money for them. Same with buying "starting materials". Why would you need to buy a demo so you can sell the company's merchandise (if I get any rebuttal stating that this is so you take your job seriously I will snap, because the obvious reply to this is that if you're a company that has to worry about employees running off with merchandise right after they get hired then you probably need to work on your hiring(selection) process)

5. Benefits, if you are looking for a full time job and you get an interview with a company that offers little or no benefits; run the other way. All respectable companies will offer at least some form of benefits (granted, there is a large variability in this area, some companies are much better than others). If you work at company that makes you work off of commission and doesn't have any health plan, then you are in trouble my friend. Also, any place that is not going to offer some paid vacation (usually available after you have worked there 6-12 months) is not worth working for.

6. And last but not least, MATH. I know we all hate it but it can really save you from making huge mistakes. For example if you work on commission and you only make %10 when selling knives (or any other cheaper product, as compared to real estate or cars) then you have to sell a lot of knives. You would have to sell 2060 dollars worth per week just to match a full time job paying minimum wage (and that's at the ridiculously low 5.15, which is impossible to live on (read the book Nickel and Dimed)) I don't know about you but to me that seems like a lot of knives. (just a little more simple math for you, thats $107,120 per year.) You also need to factor in other variables. Are you using your car during work? (not to or from work as that is your responsibility) IF so that is a huge cost to yourself that most of these scam companies don't factor in (wear and tear on your vechicle, gas). i recently interviewed for a state job that does require you to use your car, but they give you $5000 a year for that. Are you using your cell phone for business calls? I know that I am reitterating what Jennifer said (about how employees are treated in this particular company)but she makes a great point that you must take into account every variable when looking for a decent job.

Conclusion: It is companies like this one that are what's wrong with business in America. By trying to trick people into working for them they make you think that this is going to be a profitable venture for you both. It's not, and the only people who get rich in companies like this are the few at the top. This is well documented (anyone ever heard of Quixtar). Unfortunately, most of them have figured out ways around FTC and Better Business Bureau regulations (although some have not and are doing something illegal). A lot of MLM companies also thrive on you giving up your family and friends' info so either you can sell to them or someone else from their company can. Needless to say that besides sometimes losing money and your valuable time, you can also lose relationships. This is the worst case scenario but it does happen more than you think.

These companies prey on desperate college students (or college aged) who are anxious to go out into the real world and make a living for themselves. They often know little of how there are shady companies out there looking to exploit you.