Sarah@FreeMyCV Blog

It's not about what you know, but who you know, or failing that... how much you pay

by Sarah 26. November 2009 09:19
People say money can't buy you love, but it can buy you a house, a car, friends, and now... a job?!!!

Have you ever absent minded-ly flicked through the music channels and seen the MTV programme 'My Super Sweet Sixteen?' If you haven't, wow you're lucky. It documents a bunch of insolent teens as they prepare for the pinnacle of their social calender- their 16th birthday. Cue arguments about what stupidly expensive cake to have, dress to buy, how many other spoiled teenagers need to attend etc.

It's all very agonising and painful, and I think it's OK to hate these children. Because let's face it, they are American teenagers shouting at daddy for buying them the wrong kind of Mercedes. However nonsensical it seems, this kind of behaviour of the uber-rich to have whatever they so desire if they wave some cash around, is apparently now transcending the boundaries of televisual torture. It's no longer just the kind of 'reality' that only exists on your TV set- now it seems that the scary Americanised world of spend enough and you shall be rewarded, may be infiltrating the British jobs market.

A BBC News article yesterday highlighted that there is an increasing number of companies trying to profit from job hunting graduates. New graduates are being warned by University careersadvisors to steer clear of websites and companies offering valuable connections and 'ways in' to internships in competitive industries, in exchange for a hefty fee.

There are websites that will charge hundreds of pounds in exchange for an introduction letter to secure an internship. This practice means that internships, which predominantly go unpaid in competitive industries, will effectively go to the highest bidder.

There is a worry that with the emergence of these sites within the UK, the jobs market could begin to mirror the US, where your level of success in business is determined by the amount of money you already have. Those with wealthy parents will be able to secure the top positions by buying their way into such industries, so scrap hard work, effort, and passion- it seems all you need is a MasterCard.

There is also a disturbing rise in high profile internships being sold in charity auctions. Currently on CharityFolks.com you can spend 2 weeks as an intern at Rolling Stone Magazine; for the bargain price of over $1500. In January, The Times reported that in 2008, a week’s unpaid work at ITV Productions fetched a mind-boggling £1,260.

My advice on this issue?

It's competitive and tough in the jobs market- but don't ever feel like you need to pay for an internship to get ahead. It might take time, it might take a hundred letters, emails, CVs, but your determination and hard work will be rewarded. Approach companies directly, inquire, find out whether they take on interns, use internship search sites, etc but don't part with money in exchange for an internship- because no job is worth paying for.

-For more information on all things intern-related; including whether all interns should be paid a minimum wage, take a look at the Interns Anonymous blog.
-To read about the US craze of paid-for work experience, check out this article.

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About the author

The FreeMyCV experts match your job seeking needs with their knowledge of the UK job sites. As well as saving you time and hassle, the service increases your chance of getting that next job. The service is free of charge.

Sarah's FreeMyCV blog helps you with regular posts about interview advice, CV writing tips, redundancy help and much more.

Please send any feedback to sarah@FreeMyCV.com

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